USD professor Sarah Federman tracks the French National Railways’ role in the Holocaust in 'Last Train to Auschwitz'
Even over a Zoom call, one gets the distinct sense that Sarah Federman has a difficult time discussing some of the details of her new book. As if the title wasn’t indicative enough, “Last Train to Auschwitz” is a particularly serious book that covers a particular aspect of the Holocaust through the lens of corporate accountability. So it’s understandable why the author, even while she’s an accomplished public speaker, still finds some parts to be difficult to discuss.
“The book is a hybrid. I wanted it to be useful for lawyers and historians, but I wanted it to have heart,” says Federman, who recently moved to San Diego and is an associate professor of conflict resolution at the Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego. “So instead of writing two books, I wrote one. So each chapter is the facts and then following the end of it, I cover the people. So you’re following the people and the facts from the ‘30s to today.
She ended up enrolling in a master’s program at the American University of Paris, eventually earning a master’s degree in international affairs. Around the same time, she remembered an email she received from a former history professor who reached out to her to ask if she could find out more information about the French train conductors who worked for the SNCF during World War II.
“I was literally just like rollerblading along the Seine,” Federman recalls, referring to the river that weaves through Paris. “I passed by a memorial, and I wanted to see if any Federmans were there. I have such a common Jewish last name, but I did not expect to see my whole name. I have to say, even in retrospect, I did not expect the impact it would have to see my own name. I was thinking, ‘it would’ve been me.
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