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ix In the Talmud there is a wise Jewish saying: “Provide yourself with a teacher and get yourself a friend; and judge every person towards merit.” I have been so fortunate in receiving unsurpassed guidance, mentorship , and encouragement from teachers and friends as I embarked on this scholarly journey. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Phyllis Lassner for inspiring me with her enthusiasm, critical inquiry, and exciting intellectual conversation; and for her time, energy, and incisive readings as she encouraged my scholarship and helped this book take shape. As a dissertation adviser and teacher, Lesley Higgins taught me to be thorough, inquisitive, and critical, but most importantly, she infected me with her love of modernist literature and poetry. Her wit, kind patience, and years of dedication in mentoring me as a scholar, and her continued encouragement and advice, have been a rare and wonderful gift. And I am so grateful to have benefited and to continue to learn from Sara Horowitz’s mentorship and teaching. Her learned wisdom, gracious critique, and nuanced approach to literature, ethics, and Jewish culture—and her compassion and generosity as a scholar—are a guiding example. This book would not be possible without the assistance, guidance, and care of these three remarkable and illustrious scholars. I would also like to thank Henry Carrigan, assistant director at Northwestern University Press, Sara Dreyfuss, and the helpful staff at the press. My sincerest gratitude also goes out to the faculty, colleagues, and friends at York University’s Department of English, and especially Art Redding, who helped me to probe further in my research as a conscientious reader, teacher, dissertation committee member, and adviser. Marie-Christine Leps has also guided me as a scholar with her passionate scholarly enthusiasm and encouragement. In addition, I am grateful to Harold Troper for his wise counsel and to Doris Bergen for sharing with me her extensive knowledge and guidance. My appreciation goes out to Andrea Knight for her support as well as Naomi Azrieli and my acknowledgments x acknowledgments colleagues at the Azrieli Foundation for assisting me in building my career as a Holocaust scholar. My research and writing was greatly assisted with the help of generous scholarships and fellowships. Research for my dissertation was funded by the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada, York University ’s President Susan Mann Dissertation Scholarship, an Ontario Government Scholarship, a Fleischer Award for Jewish Studies, and a Henry and Barbara Bank Fellowship for Jewish Studies. I am so grateful to the Israel and Golda Koschitsky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University for supporting my research and providing me with travel funds, space, and resources as I revised my manuscript, and the Crown Center for Jewish Studies at Northwestern University for hosting me as I put the finishing touches on my book. This book was made possible in part by funds granted to me through a Charles H. Revson Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I am also grateful to Steve Feldman and the Emerging Scholars Publication Program at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies for its support in the preparation of the manuscript. Discussions with colleagues at the museum helped me develop and refine my argument for this book, including the generous advice of senior fellow Susan Suleiman, and helpful feedback from Brett Kaplan, Clifton Spargo, Anika Walke, Alexandra Budabin, and Daniel Brewing. Last but not least, I want to thank my family and friends for having faith in me and for their dedication and love. My parents, Rabbi Solomon and Syma Spiro, and Elliott Spiro, Chani Sacharen, Zippy Livneh, Robert and Sandra Birnbaum, Elisa Birnbaum, and my near and dear family of friends who supported me and facilitated with food and laughter . I reserve the most important and crucial thank-you, however, for David Birnbaum. For believing in me, for making me laugh, for making me tea, and for being the best partner in life I could ever hope for. I dedicate this book to him. ...

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