Defying the Nazis : the Sharp's war / Artemis Joukowsky ; with a foreword by Ken Burns.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Joukowsky, Artemis, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sharp, Waitstill, 1902-1984.

Sharp, Waitstill.

Sharp Cogan, Martha, 1905-1999.

Sharp Cogan, Martha.

Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust--Massachusetts--Wellesley Hills.

Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust.

World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue.

World War, 1939-1945.

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945).

Massachusetts--Wellesley Hills.

Physical Description:

xv, 255 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press, [2016]

Summary:

"Official companion to the Ken Burns film premiering September 20, 2016, on PBS tells the little-known story of the Sharps, an otherwise ordinary couple whose faith and commitment to social justice inspired them to undertake dangerous rescue and relief missions across war-torn Europe, saving the lives of countless refugees, political dissidents, and Jews on the eve of World War II."--Amazon.com.

Official companion to the Ken Burns film premiering September 20, 2016, on PBS tells the little-known story of the Sharps, an otherwise ordinary couple whose faith and commitment to social justice inspired them to undertake dangerous rescue and relief missions across war-torn Europe, saving the lives of countless refugees, political dissidents, and Jews on the eve of World War II. In 1939, the Reverend Waitstill Sharp, a young Unitarian minister, and his wife, Martha, a social worker, accepted a mission from the American Unitarian Association: they were to leave their home and young children in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and travel to Prague, Czechoslovakia, to help address the mounting refugee crisis. Seventeen ministers had been asked to undertake this mission and had declined; Rev. Sharp was the first to accept the call for volunteers in Europe. Armed with only $40,000, Waitstill and Martha quickly learned the art of spy craft and undertook dangerous rescue and relief missions across war-torn Europe, saving refugees, political dissidents, and Jews on the eve of World War II. After narrowly avoiding the Gestapo themselves, the Sharps returned to Europe in 1940 as representatives of the newly formed Unitarian Service Committee and continued their relief efforts in Vichy France. A fascinating portrait of resistance as told through the story of one courageous couple, Defying the Nazis offers a rare glimpse at high-stakes international relief efforts during WWII and tells the remarkable true story of a couple whose faith and commitment to social justice inspired them to risk their lives to save countless others. -- Provided by publisher.

"Official companion to the Ken Burns film premiering September 20, 2016, on PBS tells the little-known story of the Sharps, an otherwise ordinary couple whose faith and commitment to social justice inspired them to undertake dangerous rescue and relief missions across war-torn Europe, saving the lives of countless refugees, political dissidents, and Jews on the eve of World War II." -- Amazon.com.

Contents:

The eighteenth choice

Learning the ropes

Witnesses to history

The dying republic

Einmarsch : the invasion of Czechoslovakia

Under the swastika

Changing the rules

Helping the Kulturträgers

Money talks

Last days in the Protectorate

The first choice

In Lisbon

Helping hands

Reunion in Cerbère

Dividing forces

The Emergency Rescue Committee

The milk arrives

Refugees' odyssey

Escape from Marseille

The Children's Journey

The home front

The family

Back to Europe

A run for Congress

Palestine

Civil rights and Chicago

Divergent paths.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 240-244) and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Schneidman Fund bookplate.

Other Format:

Online version: Joukowsky, Artemis, author. Defying the Nazis

ISBN:

9780807071823

080707182X

OCLC:

940342256