Abstract

Close to 80 percent of all Polish Jews still alive in 1945 survived outside Poland, either deported to or exiled in Soviet territories, yet their life stories have been overlooked in much of Holocaust historiography (Goldlust, 2012). This thesis examines young survivors’ intimate experiences of exile and deportation in the Soviet Central Asian Republics during the Second World War. Anchored in oral testimonies from the Montreal Holocaust Museum by survivors who were children or adolescents during the war, I explore youths’ journeys to and within the region as well as their relationships with local populations and family members during this period. In the first chapter, I argue that children and youth faced particular dangers of displacement specific to their age groups, and examine the impact of famine, illness, and interrupted education on their experiences, as well as the psychological consequences of these movements. The second chapter holds that children and youth connected with local populations in a manner different from adult refugees, often forging close bonds and friendship and displaying a notable sense of solidarity with local residents. The third chapter, finally, turns to the presence and absence of family members during young people’s wartime displacements, directing attention to the role of age in shaping family dynamics and highlighting the divergent experiences of children and adolescents. Overall, this work aims to bring attention to young people’s unique and distinct experiences of deportation and exile in the Soviet Union.