The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive

The term “Aryan” has a long and complex history and was initially a self-designation by early Indo-Iranian peoples. Because these peoples spoke languages related to most modern European languages, the term came to be associated with “Proto-Indo-Europeans”—i.e., a group of prehistoric people who presumably dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, giving rise to today’s various Indo-European languages. After accruing racial supremacist associations, the term was ultimately co-opted by Adolf Hitler, who glorified Germans as members of a chosen Aryan race that excluded ethnic/racial groups such as Jewish, Black, Romani, and Slavic peoples.

Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in present-day northern Germany. It was originally established as a prisoner of war camp in 1943.

Couture is the design and production of clothing for a specific client. Historically, couture has been synonymous with high fashion. The Upper Tailoring Studio of Auschwitz produced high-quality garments for SS officials and their wives.

Dachau was the first concentration camp for extermination of Jews and others. Built on the grounds of a defunct munitions factory in present-day southern Germany, it began housing prisoners in 1933. Rudolf Höss worked at Dachau before becoming the commandant at Auschwitz.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious group that share some Christian ideas but diverge from many mainstream Christian doctrines. Notable is followers’ belief that the end of the world is imminent. Jehovah’s Witnesses were one of the religious groups persecuted by Nazis and imprisoned at Auschwitz and other concentration camps.

Kapos were concentration camp prisoners assigned to oversee work units or carry out administrative tasks. Though prisoners, kapos ranked above ordinary workers in the camp hierarchy and therefore enjoyed certain privileges. Marta used those privileges to her advantage as the kapo of the Upper Tailoring Studio, aiding resistance efforts and securing appointments for her friends.

This was a German term for the work squads to which prisoners were assigned at Auschwitz. The Upper Tailoring Studio was one of numerous kommandos. While some kommando assignments were determined by an inmate’s skill or ability, many others were not. Bracha, Irene, and other seamstresses were assigned to physically difficult kommandos prior to the opening of the Studio.

The event of deporting masses of Jewish people to concentration camps. Among the most famous is the round-up that took place in Paris with the aid of French police on July 16 and 17, 1942.

“SS” is the abbreviation for “Saal-Schutz,” a unit of officers tasked with guarding concentrations camps and preventing prisoner escape. Officers were notoriously ruthless in their treatment of camp prisoners.

The Star of David is the visual symbol of Judaism, consisting of two overlapping equilateral triangles that form a six-pointed figure. As World War II ensued, Jews in Nazi-controlled areas were forced to wear a Star of David on their clothing. This marked them as “other” and was one of the first steps in Hitler’s plan to annihilate the Jewish race, making it one of the book’s most overt examples of The Politics of Clothing.

The swastika was the visual symbol of the Nazi party. Co-opted from various religions, it became synonymous with antisemitism and Nazi ideology. It was ubiquitous throughout Germany and Nazi-occupied nations, appearing on flags and clothing. It has subsequently become representative of xenophobia or other forms of bigotry.