Hanna Lévy-Hass

Yugoslav Jewish diarist and resistance fighter who documented Holocaust survival

Hanna Lévy-Hass (1913-2001), a Montenegrin-Jewish teacher and communist activist, created one of the only Holocaust diaries written from within Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Her unique 1944-1945 diary combines personal reflections with political analysis, offering rare insights into prisoner self-organization and ideological resistance.

Unlike Anne Frank's famous account, Lévy-Hass's writings reveal:

• Detailed accounts of clandestine education programs
• Secret political debates among prisoners
• Analysis of Nazi propaganda techniques
• First-hand observations of the camp's final chaotic months

Her post-war activism included:
- Founding Yugoslavia's first feminist organizations
- Advocating for Arab-Jewish coexistence in Israel
- Preserving Sephardic cultural heritage through Ladino language revitalization projects