New Books in Jewish Studies Elizabeth R. Hyman, "The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto: The True Story of Five Courageous Young Women Who Sparked an Uprising" (Harper, 2025)
Nov 3, 2025
Elizabeth R. Hyman, a Holocaust historian and author, discusses her groundbreaking work on female resistance during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. She introduces five remarkable young women who emerged as key figures, often overshadowed by their male counterparts. Hyman shares insights on Polish-Jewish relations, the human experiences within the Ghetto, and how she aims to reshape collective memory by highlighting women's roles. She also emphasizes the relevance of their stories to contemporary struggles for oppressed women globally.
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Gender Shaped Resistance Tactics
- Elizabeth Hyman realized Jewish women's gendered bodies affected resistance tactics, like couriers avoiding searches.
- That insight opened research into many women who smuggled arms and intel in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Bridging Scholarship And Public Memory
- Hyman wrote for public audiences to correct collective memory that largely centers male resistance narratives.
- She uses scholarly work to bring women's resistance into mainstream remembrance.
Nuance In Polish–Jewish Relations
- Polish-Jewish relations during WWII were complex, involving both rescue and complicity by Poles.
- Hyman urges nuance against binary myths of universal Polish heroism or guilt.
