Hana Green

PhD Candidate | Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies & Clark University the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

My dissertation, “Whatever happens, never reveal to anyone that you’re Jewish’: Identity ‘Passing’ as a Jewish Response to Persecution during the Nazi Period,” examines the phenomenon of Jews “passing” as “Aryan” to escape Nazi persecution, starting in 1933 and continuing through the months following the end of the Second World War. In my work, I define passing as any attempt made by Jews to disguise their Jewish identity and, effectively, function as gentile or “Aryan” by hiding in plain sight.

Centered on the experiences of Jews across Central Europe, primarily in Germany, Austria, and Poland, I aim to illuminate the scale, migratory nature, and diversity of passing experiences throughout these borderlands. Focusing on the experiences of Jewish women passers and employing gender as a genuinely integrated category of analysis, my project also examines gender identity, family relationships, as well as the dangers of sexual exploitation for passers.

Using thematic analysis and interdisciplinary socio-cultural frameworks to demonstrate the breadth, variation, and scope of Jewish passing, this project integrates a source base of both archival and published material in German, Yiddish, English, and Hebrew derived from written and oral testimonies, wartime and postwar documentation, and governmental and administrative records detailing and substantiating passing experiences.

My research aims are threefold: With a focus on women, and with male experiences as a counterpoint, I endeavor to integrate women’s experiences within a still largely male-centered Holocaust “master narrative” and establish that irrespective of gender’s bearing on survival, it palpably impacted passers’ experiences. Second, I will show that passing was a trans-European, migratory phenomenon whereby passers habitually crossed borders and boundaries (be they ghetto walls or occupation zones) in their attempts to evade detection, thus establishing the need for transnational approaches.

Further, I aim to demonstrate the multifaced nature of passing and show that its strategies were employed as early as 1933 with attempts to falsify familial lineages and into the postwar era, wherein some passers maintained their false identities for social advancement or in fear of retributive violence.

Altogether, the project seeks to break new ground and establish passing as a key area of study for Holocaust research. My primary budgetary concerns are related to final research expenses including travel, books and supplies, archival expenditures, workshop and conference-related costs, and internet access.

Accordingly, I am applying for a fellowship in the sum of 25,000 NIS. This sum reflects the estimated (based on current rates and information) expenses to support these needs during the 2023-2024 academic year and will enable me to focus my full time and attention towards the thesis. A Moreshet-Claims Conference Doctoral Fellowship will be critical in the facilitation of this work, allowing me to address, for the first time, the scope, scale, and gendered nature of the phenomenon of Jewish identity passing during the Nazi Period.

Moreover, making a meaningful contribution to the field of Holocaust Studies and to our collective knowledge of the fate of women during the Holocaust as a Moreshet-Claims fellow would be both an incredible honor and privilege.