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Palgrave Macmillan

To Wear the Dust of War

From Bialystok to Shanghai to the Promised Land, an Oral History

  • Book
  • © 2004

Overview

Authors:
  1. Samuel Iwry
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Editors:
  1. L. J. H. Kelley
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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Oral History (PSOH)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XXVI
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  2. Three Worlds, Three Lives

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 1-20

  3. Into the Dark Tunnel

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 21-42

  4. The Japanese Diplomat in Lithuania

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 43-66

  5. Across Russia to Japan

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 67-88

  6. Shanghai Ghetto

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 89-116

  7. 20,000 Refugees, Two Visas

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 117-137

  8. Coming to America

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 139-155

  9. The Master and the Scrolls

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 157-173

  10. Teacher, Scholar, Grandfather

    • Samuel Iwry
    Pages 175-196

  11. Epilogue

    • J. Mark Iwry
    Pages 197-202

  12. Back Matter

    Pages 203-214
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Keywords

About this book

Like many European Jews, Sam Iwry began his life in Poland, but at the age of ten fled with his family to Russia before World War I. At age 29, Iwry was forced to flee again - this time from the Soviets - and ended up in Shanghai, China, joining 20,000 Jewish refugees who were there. The story of the Diaspora caused by the Holocaust is well-known, but the Far Eastern dimension has come to light only very recently. Iwry is a magnificent storyteller who not only brings the harrowing details of flight and survival into vivid detail, but he is also an historian who deliberately places his own experiences into much wider context. This oral history sheds light on Jewish life in Eastern Europe during the inter-war period, the search for a safe haven from Nazis and Soviets, daily life in the Shanghai ghetto, and emigration to America. Iwry's story is both representative of the Jewish experience and also completely unique.

Reviews

"This volume of oral history by Samuel Iwry, Hebrew scholar and Zionist activist, is not only an autobiography but also a superb commentary on a turbulent century s threats and victories." - Elie Wiesel

"A remarkable odyssey took Samuel Iwry from Bialystok to Shanghai, Baltimore, and Jerusalem. His unflinching narration of his tumultuous life allows us to view the historical tides of the Second World War and its aftermath through a refugee's eyes. He reminds us again that in order to learn from history we must be willing to listen to it." - Donald A. Ritchie, author of Doing Oral History

About the author

The Author, SAMUEL IWRY, is Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, USA.

The Editor, LESLIE J.H. KELLEY, is a freelance writer and editor. She studies at Johns Hopkins University with Sam Iwry and was selected by the University to edit his oral history for publication.

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