Overlooked: Revisiting the Histories of Ghettos in Occupied Territories of Contemporary Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Moldova

The event invites scholars and the public to reflect on how we study, represent, and remember ghettos during the Holocaust and their enduring legacies in postwar Europe.

At the heart of Holocaust studies lies the history of ghettos—spaces that reveal the complex realities of persecution, daily survival, and the destruction of Jewish communities. Yet, much of our understanding comes from research and cultural portrayals of the largest ghettos, such as Warsaw, which have shaped both scholarly and public imagination. Smaller ghettos, often located in provincial towns or semi-rural areas, remain far less examined, even though their histories are equally vital for grasping the diverse local dynamics of Nazi occupation and the long-term impact on Jewish and non-Jewish communities alike.

The event seeks to broaden this perspective. It aims not only to extend the list of studied ghettos but also to revisit the very notion of the ghetto – as a historical phenomenon, a social practice, and a concept shaped by postwar historiography. By exploring cases that have long remained outside the dominant narratives, the event encourages reflection on how historiographical boundaries—defined by postwar political borders and national frameworks—have shaped what is considered central or marginal in Holocaust history.

Within this broader context, Director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum Dr. Katarzyna Person will deliver a public lecture entitled “The Hour of Revenge. Individual Pursuit of Retribution and the Emotional Landscape of Postwar Europe.” The lecture offers an essential reflection on the emotional and moral landscape of the Holocaust’s aftermath. Drawing on her recently published book, The Hour of Revenge: Holocaust Survivors and Their Search for Revenge and Retribution (University of Toronto Press, 2025), she explores how Jewish survivors—prewar citizens of Poland—navigated the devastation of the postwar world. The book presents a nuanced story of individual agency in seeking revenge, taking into account gender, age, social status, and geographic location as key aspects shaping this search. The lecture sheds light on how survivors, often perceived as powerless, sought to reclaim agency and confront the profound question of justice after genocide.

The lecture will take place on October 14, 2025, at 18:30, in the Conference Room of the Center for Urban History, as part of the event.

This perspective complements the seminar’s broader goal: to understand how emotions, memory, and historical narratives influence the ways societies come to terms with the past. Together, the seminar and the lecture invite participants to reconsider what has been overlooked—not only in the history of ghettos but also in how postwar Europe grappled with the moral and emotional consequences of destruction and survival.

The lecture will be moderated by historian Liana Blicharska, researcher at the Center for Urban History.

Language: English with simultaneous translation into Ukrainian.

The event is organized by the Center for Urban History and the Research Centre Ukraine / Max Weber Foundation, in partnership with the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. For more information please visit: https://www.lvivcenter.org/en/conferences/history-of-ghettos/