Between Sorrow and Strength is a collection of essays that focuses on women refugees of the Nazi period who fled to different countries all over the world. Written by historians and contemporary eyewitnesses, the essays and reports in this volume illuminate refugee women's side of the story--their important role in the survival of their families, their everyday life, and their adaptive skills in the various places of exile and emigration. Scholarly insights and eyewitness perspectives are united in a fruitful and unique way.

Refugees of the Nazi period have attracted considerable attention from scholars. Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, and Hannah Arendt, among others, are famous examples. In contrast, little is known about the daily lives of more typical refugees, their experiences in exile and emigration, their sorrows and their underlying strength. This volume shows how refugee women endured during the Nazi period, underscores their important role in the survival of their families, and explores the meaning of exile and emigration for their future lives and careers. Between Sorrow and Strength unites essays by noted scholars in the field and eyewitness reports from contemporaries who relate their actual experiences. This combination is particularly well suited to reveal a gender perspective on the history of Jewish as well as non-Jewish emigration from Europe during the Nazi era.