I am very thankful to Bloomsbury Press for asking me to write this volume. Attempting to encapsulate the Holocaust in Eastern Europe in one series, let alone one book was an intellectual challenge, but it has been an incredibly rewarding process. I have dedicated this book to my mother, who did not live to see it in print, but I know she would be incredibly proud to see it. Without her example as a writer, I would likely never have taken the path I have taken. I must thank my wife, Christina, for her support during this process, and particularly for the patience required when one’s partner is in the final stages of finishing a manuscript. I am also thankful for the support and encouragement of all my family, immediate and extended. As always, my father’s deep love of history in general and recognition of the importance of Holocaust history in particular continues to inspire
I am incredibly fortunate to be able to rely on a fantastic group of scholars when I have a question or need scholarly advice. I am particularly thankful for conversations with and feedback from Christopher Browning, Wendy Lower, Tarik Cyril Amar, Jeffrey Burds, Mihai Poliec, and many others who have helped me with questions large and small. I especially thank my friends at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for their kindness and scholarly support. In particular, Geoff Megargee, Juergen Matthäus, Martin Dean, Rebecca Erbelding, and Judy Cohen have been indispensable.
The Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia has been a welcoming and supportive environment. Without such an engaging and helpful home in which to teach and write, this book would not have been possible. I am particularly grateful for the help of Paul Halliday, Jeffrey Rossman, Kyril Kunakhovich, and Jolanta Komornicka as well as Whitney Yancey and Kathleen Miller, without whom nothing would get done. I would be incredibly remiss not to thank the amazing staff of Alderman Library who quickly and successfully responded to every one of my requests for obscure materials for this project.
Finally, I would like to thank my editor, Rhodri Mogford, and Beatriz Lopez for expertly guiding me through every step of the process. I would also like to recognize Rudra Krishna and Karthik Ganesh for helping me to polish this final product. All errors remaining in the text are mine alone.