In February 2025, a significant work on Austrian contemporary history will be published: Cultural scientist and author Gerti Malle presents a comprehensive documentation of an often overlooked group of victims of the Nazi regime in her new book “Jehovas Zeugen in Österreich – Widerstand und Verfolgung in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus”.
On 596 pages with 114 historical photographs, Malle, supported by contributions from renowned experts including historian Dr. Harald Walser, who is known for his extensive research on the Nazi era and his political engagement in addressing Nazi history, paints a moving picture of this religious community’s non-violent resistance.
Particularly haunting are the fates of children who were sent to re-education homes for refusing to give the Hitler salute. Men who refused military service for reasons of conscience often paid with their lives in extermination camps. Women were deported to concentration camps because they refused to work in the armaments industry.
What makes this work special is the variety of sources used: alongside scholarly analyses, personal memoirs, farewell letters, and poems bring the history to life. The numerous photographs give faces to the events and people, making the historical dimension tangible.
Malle’s book is more than a historical analysis. It is a powerful document of human strength and moral integrity in times of extreme threat. The documented examples of civil courage and non-violent resistance still carry an important message today: they show that it is possible to preserve and stand up for humanistic values even under the worst conditions.
This work fills an important gap in Austrian historiography and reminds us that the struggle for humanity and justice is not a question of epochs but remains a timeless challenge. It is an important contribution to the culture of remembrance and simultaneously an appeal to future generations to remain vigilant and stand up for their convictions.
The book will be published in February 2025 and can be ordered directly from Verlagshaus Hernals in Vienna: https://www.verlagshaus-hernals.at/books/jehovas-zeugen-in-oesterreich
