The Holocaust-Part 1: Introduction
In this series of articles I will hopefully make the
case to you that a unique horror such as the Holocaust requires a
unique response on the part of the Jewish people and on the part of all
believers in a just and merciful god.
To continue with religion as usual is terribly
disrespectful of the victims. It is also a gross feat of intellectual
dishonesty. To let the Holocaust fade into history, without seriously
re-examining our beliefs about universal justice and our beliefs about
G-d and His relationship with the Jews, would be a disappointing evasion
of responsibility. All of us, who strive to understand human
existence, whether from a philosophical or religious perspective,
should be brought to a full stop in our emotional and intellectual
journeys as we try to make sense of the Holocaust.
The Holocaust was a unique event in history. It’s not
the numbers of dead, because ethnic groups have occasionally lost
millions to severe persecution. It’s not the uprooting, torture, and
murder of Jews; sadly, we have endured these things many times in our
history. The Holocaust was unique in its methods: the horribly
cold-hearted collection and transportation of the Jews to extermination
centers where the technologically efficient gassing of group after
group could take place and be followed by the reduction of bodies to
ashes for easy disposal. These activities show us pure evil that the
human race had never seen before. We must not turn our intellects
and faith away from this challenge. Whatever you regard as the source
of the malice, you must pause and think. Your mind and sensitivity
require it.
In the little more than sixty years since the
Holocaust, which is approximately my life up to now, the reactions to
this event have been manifold and all too predictable and inappropriate.
First, many of the survivors have stopped believing in
G-d. We can’t imagine the nightmare to which they had been subjected
and we can’t blame them for their response, especially since what
happened to them is totally inconsistent with the Jewish teachings and
prayers of their early lives.
Second, the perpetrators and their anti-Semitic
sympathizers started their revisionism and denial work before the ovens
at Auschwitz had even cooled. This effort seems to be working nicely
for them among the unintelligent and uneducated worldwide. Holocaust
denial is known to be false even by many of its practitioners but they
also know that it is a truly reliable way of causing great pain to the
current generations of Jews who have lost close relatives.
Third, we have the well-meaning and somewhat
intelligent but not very logically discerning or knowledgeable
trivializers. They compare the Holocaust to other historical tragedies
that are actually quite different than what happened to the Jews at the
hands of Nazism. For example, I have friends who compare the Holocaust
to the Europeans’ treatment of the Native American Indians. I won’t go
into all the misconceptions here but do want to say that the natives
of North America were not transported to murder camps for efficient
annihilation. It amazes me that the qualitative differences between the
two tragedies, including the significant armed resistance encountered
by, and actual losses among, the American settlers, are not considered
significant by this group. Comparing every lopsided conflict to the
Holocaust is grossly illogical and callous.
Fourth, we have the stupid, insensitive trivializers,
who use the word “holocaust” or “Nazis” much too lightly. They throw
these words around when describing every skirmish between military and
civilians, every criminal act involving multiple victims, every
instance of racial oppression, and so on. These are the people
whose hasty speech bypasses their limited brains or hearts. In any
case, the deniers and trivializers are not the ones I wish to discuss
at length. They are hurtful and there is not much more we can do about
them than to educate the world about the breadth and the depth of the
Holocaust.
I am most interested in the challenge to intellect and
faith that is posed by this unique event. I especially am interested
in how Judaism will handle the Holocaust in the future. I feel it is
important for us to seek a satisfactory response after an admission
that there is a genuine problem here. I don’t want to sweep this huge
theological mess under the carpet.
In the decades since the Holocaust there has been no
material change in Judaism. It has continued with no real
acknowledgement of this colossal tragedy, practicing religion as
usual. The six million lost is seen as just another in a series
of unfortunate events. The beliefs and prayers have not been altered,
as they were not altered in response to previous tragedies either.
Rather than try to make sense of this horror of horrors by openly
discussing it and bringing to bear all of our faculties, both creative
and analytical, religious leaders avoid the topic or throw up their
hands and tell us there is nothing to be said. New theological ideas
are taboo. I suspect that many feel as I do that the traditional
beliefs and the Holocaust are logically inconsistent but lack the
courage to face the problem and to look for a solution, a more coherent
system.
Some would tell us that with tragedies large and
smaller, we need the absolute faith of Job. I personally find this
approach intellectually and emotionally unsatisfying. It belittles our
losses. In my opinion such a surface treatment of the problem insults
the memory of the six million murdered Jews. Of course what is even
more insulting is the sometimes heard opinion that the Jews of Europe
were sinful and thus the Holocaust was the punishment. This line of
thinking almost makes me violent. Again, it’s a superficial answer to a
very serious theological problem. In the coming articles on the
Holocaust I hope to grapple with its implications.
I have described to you briefly what I see happening
already in my lifetime. Therefore I must speak out about the Holocaust.
I must do something because it hurts too much. Judaism lost six
million to murder and the faith of millions more. I cannot let all this
slip quietly into history. I’d like to build a worthy memorial of new
understanding. It all starts with vehemently arguing against our
continuing to do business as usual.
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