“Another” Holocaust: From Silence to the Affirmation of Jewishness in France during the Occupation. The case of Léon Werth

Abstract

Studying Léon Werth's war diary, means uncovering the author's narrative identity in such extreme circumstances as the Occupation. Not only will this diary become a personal refuge in the face of a certain death, but also the space in which he will fight against the dissolution of his own ego. Thanks to the imbrication of events, thoughts and emotions, Werth is able to discover his Jewish identity. Fur-thermore, because of his commitment to writing, that identity will be fully formed, being aware of both the function and the mission of that same writing. Fighting silence, Werth understands that he is a surviving witness and that his testimony is a declaration under oath that appeals to the reader's sense of responsibility.