Defying Evil

February 27, 2012
High school history teacher Wood illuminates the fascinating but little-known history of the Holocaust in Yugoslavia during WWII in this thoroughly researched volume that draws from previously published works and interviews, as well as personal interviews. Wood provides a brief overview of this nation of mixed nationalities and ethnic groups in the decades prior to the war, as well as discussing Serbian and Croatian politicsâincluding the Croatian Revolutionary Movement (the Ustasha) and its leader, Ante Pavelic. When the war turned the country into "one giant slaughterhouse" for the Jewish Croatians, refugees fled to the Italian zone of occupation, where they were treated with humanity and even compassion. Although Italy dared not openly cross Hitler, Italians sentimental to the plight of the Jews created bureaucratic structures to cause delays while housing the refugees in protective camps like Ferramonti Tarsia in Southern Italy, which included a school, synagogues, a library, and even sports teams and a theater troupe. Concluding with statistics and an analysis of the war and the conditions that led the Italian army to take on this protective role, Wood narrates a compelling volume that will interest historians as well as those who desire to learn more about these ethnic groups. B&W Photos.

April 15, 2012

During the Holocaust, nearly 80 percent--or about 30,000--of the Jewish population of Croatia (which included today's Croatia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina) were murdered. But the Italian army, located in one zone of Croatia, which was elsewhere occupied by Germany, provided a ray of hope for some Jews. Wood, a high school history teacher with an advanced degree in international and comparative politics, explores this little-known and unusual aspect of the Holocaust. Wood details the heroic efforts of minor Italian functionaries in aiding Croatian Jews. He moves from the particulars of specific Italian military efforts to a broader overview, e.g., exploring the attitudes of Italian dictator Mussolini and his fascist government. To understand why the Italian army was sympathetic to the Jews, the author explores how anti-Semitism was not as pervasive or endemic in Italian society as it was in German culture. VERDICT For general readers interested in learning about this aspect of World War II. Readers seeking a fuller and more authoritative study of the Italian response to the Holocaust should consider Susan Zuccotti's excellent The Italians and the Holocaust: Persecution, Rescue and Survival.--Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL

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