Kingdom of Night tells the stories of Canadians — in their own voices — during the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
In April 1945, when the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was surrendered and handed over to the British Army, Canadian forces arrived on scene to provide support, to bear witness, and to document the crimes. They were overwhelmed, understaffed, and left without adequate supplies, equipment, and medicine. Their encounters at the camp were haunting, transformative experiences that forever changed their lives.
In Kingdom of Night, Mark Celinscak reveals the engagement of Canadian troops and other personnel at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The book brings together a series of gripping, often deeply moving accounts that demonstrate the critical relief work carried out by Canadians who have been largely overlooked for more than seventy-five years. It outlines in both stark and moving detail what a cross-section of Canadians both said and did during the liberation efforts at one of the most notorious sites in Hitler’s camp system.
In addition, biographical overviews are presented for each Canadian featured in the book, not only highlighting some of their life-saving and humanitarian work, but also revealing what ultimately became of their lives after the war. Kingdom of Night depicts the gruelling efforts by those who assisted the victims of one of the greatest crimes in history.
Show moreKingdom of Night tells the stories of Canadians — in their own voices — during the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
In April 1945, when the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was surrendered and handed over to the British Army, Canadian forces arrived on scene to provide support, to bear witness, and to document the crimes. They were overwhelmed, understaffed, and left without adequate supplies, equipment, and medicine. Their encounters at the camp were haunting, transformative experiences that forever changed their lives.
In Kingdom of Night, Mark Celinscak reveals the engagement of Canadian troops and other personnel at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The book brings together a series of gripping, often deeply moving accounts that demonstrate the critical relief work carried out by Canadians who have been largely overlooked for more than seventy-five years. It outlines in both stark and moving detail what a cross-section of Canadians both said and did during the liberation efforts at one of the most notorious sites in Hitler’s camp system.
In addition, biographical overviews are presented for each Canadian featured in the book, not only highlighting some of their life-saving and humanitarian work, but also revealing what ultimately became of their lives after the war. Kingdom of Night depicts the gruelling efforts by those who assisted the victims of one of the greatest crimes in history.
Show moreList of Illustrations
Foreword by Joseph Podemski
Preface
Acknowledgments
Bergen-Belsen: A Timeline
Part One: Historical Background
Introduction: Canada, the Holocaust, and the Liberation of
Bergen-Belsen
Reading Testimony
Part Two: Testimony
1. Canadians Arrive at Bergen-Belsen
Ronald Ford Anderson
Mervin Mirsky
Alan Rose
Maurice Victor
Leo Heaps
2. Documenting the Horror Camp
Ron Laidlaw
Fred Hopkinson
Al Calder
Alex Colville
Donald K. Anderson
Aba Bayefsky
Henry S. Abramson
3. Relief Measures
John Proskie
Matthew Nesbitt
Saul Stein
Lyle M. Creelman
John W. Thompson
Elsie May Deeks
John F. McCreary
James Ernest Thompson
4. Eyewitness Testimony
Larry D. Mann
Leo Velleman
Allan Ironside
King Whyte
Carl Reinke
Frank Snowsell
Gordon Panchuk
5. Displaced Persons Camp
Stanley H. Winfield
Ted Aplin
Bernard Yale
Edgar Jamieson
6. Religious Observation
Ross Ketchen Cameron
Shalome Michael Gelber
Samuel Cass
Abraham Brenner
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Mark Celinscak is the Louis and Frances Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Executive Director of the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
“Celinscak compiles stark and moving personal accounts by Canadians
engaged in the liberation of one of the most notorious sites in
Hitler’s camp system... This book fills a gap in the history of the
atrocities and its effect on those who saw it first-hand.”
*Canadian Jewish Literary Awards*
“In Kingdom of Night, Celinscak powerfully illustrates through
their own words the experiences of these Canadian military and
relief personnel. The result is a collection of witness testimonies
which will both appeal to a general reader and influence future
research into Belsen’s liberation and relief... [it is] an
essential book.”
*Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History*
“One of the many strengths of Celinscak’s work is his ability to
chart change over time in the camp…. This volume is clearly the
product of deep and sustained research, and the result gives
scholars and students access to another range of English language
sources dealing with the war’s end.”
*The Canadian Historical Review*
"This book offers a lively description of the efforts, failures and
support of the many Canadians involved [at Belsen], while also
bearing witness to a great humanitarian tragedy. Both the
experiences of the survivors and the actions of Canadian soldiers
are described here in a humane and thoughtful way. This book sheds
light on an important period of Canadian history that is largely
forgotten, while adding valuable perspective to Holocaust
studies."
*Vine Awards Jury*
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