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The Ha-Ha Holocaust: Exploring Levity Amidst the Ruins and Beyond in Testimony, Literature and Film

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The Ha-Ha Holocaust: Exploring Levity Amidst the Ruins and Beyond in Testimony, Literature and Film Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 9-22-2014 12:00 AM The Ha-Ha Holocaust: Exploring Levity Amidst the Ruins and Beyond in Testimony, Literature and Film Aviva Atlani The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Alain Goldschlager, Ph.D The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Comparative Literature A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Aviva Atlani 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, European History Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, French and Francophone Literature Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, and the Social Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Atlani, Aviva, "The Ha-Ha Holocaust: Exploring Levity Amidst the Ruins and Beyond in Testimony, Literature and Film" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2509. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2509 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE HA-HA HOLOCAUST: EXPLORING LEVITY AMIDST THE RUINS AND BEYOND IN TESTIMONY, LITERATURE AND FILM (Thesis format: Monograph) by Aviva Atlani Graduate Program in Comparative Literature A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Aviva Atlani 2014 ABSTRACT Jewish humour sheds a crude light on the social, political, and historical realities of the Holocaust. Paradoxically, contentiously, doses of levity during this period were very much a reality, and even a psychological necessity. The purpose of my thesis is to explore the historical, social, and political ramifications of such laughter provoking manifestations. In doing so, the nuances which are found within the laughter of the ghettos, the transit camps, and the concentration camps are highlighted. Furthermore, some of these jokes, and their subsequent variations, reappear within the discourse of children of survivors. The dissertation explores how some of these children use humour to navigate the horrors that their parents experienced. By doing so, parent-child divisions are both highlighted and bridged. Moreover, while classic characters of Yiddish folklore disappeared during the Holocaust, their resurgence within fictional, quasi-comical Holocaust and post-Holocaust settings, bridges a cultural schism. The reappearance of the dybbuk, of the schlemiel, and of the Chelmites becomes as damning as it is healing. Finally, even the notion of memory is called into question, particularly within popular culture. Humour highlights both the absurdity and the reality, which permeates such a dialogue. While there is little room for political correctness, issues of memory must be addressed and veiling them within a comedic context heightens the relevance while diminishing the threat of repeating or forgetting the Holocaust. In the end, extensive research suggests that the types of levity found within testimonies, (auto)biographies, documentaries, films, graphic novels, fictional prose, television shows and specials act as a psychological and historical portal into the past and the present. KEYWORDS: Holocaust, Jewish humour, comedy, jokes, levity, testimony, second- generation survivors, memory, Hitler. ii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my family members, of blessed memory, whose laughter was forever silenced. Julianna LOCK ROSENBERGER (1862-1944) – great-great-grandmother Béla (Dov Ber) ROSENBERGER (1864-1944) – great-great-grandfather Heléna ALT JUNGREISZ (1875-1944) – great-grandaunt Gizella ALT SCHISCHA (1881-1942) – great-grandaunt Flóra ALT HIRSCH (1883-1942) – great-grandaunt Irma ALT LOWINGER (1887-1942) – great-grandaunt Rebeka (Rivka) GROSZ DEUTSCH (1869-1942) – great-great-grandmother Szeréna (Shaindl) DEUTSCH LOWY (1890-1944) – great-grandaunt Sára DEUTSCH BRAND (1893-1944) – great-grandaunt Hanna DEUTSCH FRIED (1894-1942) – great-grandaunt Dávid DEUTSCH (1897-1942) – great-granduncle Lenke (Lea) DEUTSCH GOLDFINGER (1897-1944) – great-grandaunt Mózes (Moshe Elazar) EISENBERGER (1881-1944) – great-grandfather Sámuel (Shmuel) EISENBERGER (1883-1944) – great-granduncle Henrik (Chaim) EISENBERGER (1885-1944) – great-granduncle Benjámin (Binyomin) EISENBERGER (1891-1944) – great-granduncle Irén (Nesha) EISENBERGER LEBOVICS (1911-1944) – grandaunt Herman (Aharon Tzvi) EISENBERGER (1913-1944) – granduncle Ignác (Yitzchak) EISENBERGER (1920-1944) – granduncle Lipót (Menachem Aryeh) EISENBERGER (1925-1944) – granduncle iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the concern, compassion, assistance, and love I received along this arduous and challenging journey: To my wise and wonderful former landlady who provided my first home away from home and who was the first to recognize that I was Ph.D. material. To my dear neighbour and friend who went above and beyond offering so much support, wisdom and encouragement. To the most amazing and eclectic souls I had the privilege of befriending over the years who welcomed me into their homes, fed me, chauffeured me and, most importantly, enveloped me with laughter and kindness. To my relatives, friends and colleagues, both young and old, from here and afar, who pestered me, ad nauseam, about finishing my thesis. You irritated, you annoyed, you nudged, you cajoled, you grated on the nerves, but I must admit that by doing so, you goaded me on despite my resistance. To my personal and most reliable librarian and friend (a.k.a. “The Dissertation Source Delivery Service”) who searched for, checked out, renewed, returned, over and over, tome after tome. To various generous individuals who willingly shared their research and their materials. To my classmates who enriched me by their diversity and intellect. To my esteemed professors who taught me with dedication. To my enlightened thesis supervisor who recognized my potential and guided me with patience and understanding. To my father who sustained me with his strong faith and his gastronomical creations. To my mother who gently kept me in line and taught me the tricks of a sleuth extraordinaire. To both my loving parents without whom I would not have been able to reach this summit. To my grandparents of blessed memory, who, by example, instilled in me the importance of learning and a love of reading. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to each and every one of you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .....................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION MAKING A CASE FOR LAUGHTER WITHININ THE CONTEXT OF THE HOLOCAUST AND BEYOND ..........................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 A MISHMASH OF THEORY, HISTORY, TESTIMONY AND FICTION .....................19 CHAPTER 2 OY GEVALT! ARE THESE REALLY OUR CHILDREN?! ..........................................102 CHAPTER 3 ECHOES OF SHTETL LIFE ...........................................................................................142 CHAPTER 4 HOLOCAUST? VAT HOLOCAUST?? ...........................................................................183 CONCLUSION A LOOK TO THE PAST, A GLIMPSE TO THE FUTURE ..........................................204 WORKS CITED ..............................................................................................................211 VITA ................................................................................................................................223 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Frame from Art Spiegelman, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale And Here My Troubles Began (www.zozolala.com/Top100 Maus.html, accessed January 14, 2013) ............................133 Figure 2: Page 10 from Michel Kichka, Deuxième génération: Ce que je n’ai pas dit à mon père. (http://badoleblog.blogspot.ca/2012/03/deuxieme-generation-de-kichka.html, accessed April 10, 2013) .................................................................................................................137 Figure 3: Page 38 from Michel Kichka, Deuxième génération: Ce que je n’ai pas dit à mon père. (http://fr.kichka.com/tag/deuxieme-generation/, accessed April 10, 2013) .....................139 Figure 4: Alan Schechner, “Self Portrait at Buchenwald: It’s the Real Thing” (www.dhm.de/archiv/ausstellungen/mythen-der-nationen/eng/popups/usa_14.htm, accessed November 16, 2013) .........................................................................................189 vi 1 INTRODUCTION Making a Case for Laughter within the Context of the Holocaust and Beyond While humour, laughter, or comedy can generally be viewed as either positive or negative,
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