Elsa Katz (–1944)

Two short diary notebooks written by Elsa Katz, a middle-aged Czech Jewish woman in the Theresienstadt camp. She began writing after her oldest daughter died of disease. Her entries focus on her feelings of despair, her fears for her family, and the ever-present gnawing hunger. Elsa and her husband both died in Theresienstadt. Their younger daughter, Vera, survived and it is she who translated, annotated and published these diaries. Vera includes footnotes on nearly every page to add context and explain references that the reader wouldn't know.

Very few diaries of Jewish Holocaust victims have come to light, and I am trying to read them all. This one is a useful addition to the Holocaust literature and particularly that for Theresienstadt, but way too short to stand on its own. You will have a hard time finding this one: it was self-published and is so obscure, it isn't even for sale on Amazon!… (meer)