The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis

The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race To Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis is written by David E. Fishman. This book takes place in Vilno, Lithuania. It is the story of a group of men who gathered together to save at least some of the Jewish treasures among the books gathered in Vilno.Prior to World War II, Vilna was known as the “Jerusalem of Lithuania” for its collections of Jewish books. There were several libraries in Vilna which all had early editions of books on Jewish matters as well as Soviet books. Some of these were very valuable and some were priceless. The Nazis decided to collect the best of the books for a library in Berlin where they could study the Jews to best facilitate their demise. They sent “Dr. Johannes Pohl, a Nazi expert on Jews to Vilna to organize the destruction and deportation of Vilna’s great collections of Jewish books.” He used slave laborers to form the “paper brigade” to go through the books and decide which were to be saved and which were to be destroyed. This “paper brigade” consisted of poets, librarians, and professors who were horrified at the destruction of these treasures. Once the first man started saving books, the others joined him. They chose these books in front of the Nazis as they went through the books and papers deciding on their value. When possible, they hid the books they felt were absolutely to be saved and later smuggled them into the ghetto. There they hid them in various places. They also hid some in the attics of the libraries they were denuding. When the Soviets took over, they smuggled the books across the Soviet-Polish border. These men risked their lives to keep the history and culture of the Jews of Lithuania alive after the destruction of so many lives. To them, culture was as important as lives.The book is quite informative and very interesting. It is due to them that we have some of the oldest books and papers about Jews after the destructiveness of the Nazis and Soviets. Despite the threat of a firing squad at Ponar after severe beatings, these few men did their best to save as many books as they could.

This is a great book about a little known subject: the attempt to rescue books, archives, and other material from the libraries of Nazi Germany both during and after the Holocaust. The book focuses on the Vilna ghetto, but the theme is universal. I was amazed to learn that the Nazis themselves accumulated a staggering amount of Jewish cultural items in order to "prove" the impurity of the Jewish race. This book is a real "page turner."

Outstandingly researched and written history of the enormous treasury of historical documents and books of the Jewish world of Lithuania and surrounding communities. The "Paper Brigade " of poets and writers managed to hide these documents during WW II and the ensuing efforts and miracles necessary for these remnants of the Past to now be available at YIVO in New York. Also the remarkable dedication of the Samuel Bak Museum in Vilna in November 2017 adds to these few windows into the Past.

one of the rare books which gets better and more jaw-dropping as you advance into the fascinating story of rescue of Jewish cultural heritage from Vilno/VilniusThe author has done very patient and exhaustingly complete job on the subject and I doubt it will ever be surpassed in its magnitude and reach.

I visited Vilna on a Heritage Trip in 2016. I wish I had known of the events told in this book before going. While it was meaningful to walk through the area of the ghettos, this book would have provided an emotional attachment to the lives of the people and the great sacrifice made to preserve Yiddish culture.Sol Schwartz

Wow! What a story. It was a book club selection and it was gripping read. Our discussion lasted two hours. I learned so much about an aspect of WWII I knew nothing about. It was extremely well written and I highly recommend it.

Captivating and so completely absorbing, reading more like a treasure hunt and mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. The information presented as well as the manner in which it was presented was overwhelming but inspiring and almost reverential. The Jews are definitely the People of the Book.

Well written book about rarely heard about (outside the Vilna older population of whom few unfortunately left). Excellent introduction into the prewar history of Vilnius, Wilno and Vilna. I have learned a lot. There a bit to my taste too many repetitions, but still very highly recommended!

Fruto de um trabalho de "garimpagem" de centenas de arquivos dispersos, em mais de uma dezena de línguas, ao longo de 7 anos, o Autor produziu um clássico da historiografia, que pode ser plenamente apreciado por leitores não especializados, como é o meu próprio caso, de pesquisador que atua na área biomédica. Atribuo a leitura fluida à clareza e sistematicidade da escrita, que está baseada numa sequência extensa e minuciosa de notas, que podem ser ou não consultadas pelo leitor sem formação especializada, sem prejuízo algum para a leitura.

Amazing story of ability and bravery. My gratitude for his preservation of our unique history.

WONDROUS THOROUGH COMPELLING RESEARCH AND STORY TELLING OF FACTS THAT NEEDED TO BE PRESERVED AND WELL COMMUNICATED