Contemporary Responses to the Holocaust

The murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust is a crime that has had a lasting and massive impact on our time. Despite the immense, ever-increasing body of Holocaust literature and representation, no single interpretation can provide definitive answers. Shaped by different historical experiences, political and national interests, our approximations of the Holocaust remain elusive. Holocaust responses-past, present, and future-reflect our changing understanding of history and the shifting landscapes of memory. This book takes stock of the attempts within and across nations to come to terms with the murders.Volume editors establish the thematic and conceptual framework within which the various Holocaust responses are being analyzed. Specific chapters cover responses in Germany and in Eastern Europe; the Holocaust industry; Jewish ultra-Orthodox reflections; and the Jewish intellectuals' search for a new Jewish identity. Experts comment upon the changes in Christian-Jewish relations since the Holocaust; the issue of restitution; and post-1945 responses to genocide. Other topics include Holocaust education, Holocaust films, and the national memorial landscapes in Germany, Poland, Israel, and the United States.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction by Konrad Kweit and Jurgen MatthausConsensus and ConfrontationContemporary Research on the Holocaust by Yehuda BauerContemporary Responses to the Shoah in Germany and Eastern Europe by Dieter Pohl'The Holocaust Industry'? Reflections on a History of the Critique of Holocaust Representation by Tim ColeBeliefs and IdentityChanges in Christian-Jewish Relations since the Holocaust by John S. ConwayUltra-Orthodox Reflections on the Shoah: 1945 to the Present by Gershon GreenbergA "Third Partner" of World Jewry? The Role of the Memory of the Shoah in the Search for a New Present-day European Identity by Dan MichmanUndoing the PastThe State of the Holocaust Denial by Danny Ben-MosheJustice Betrayed: Post-1945 Responses to Genocide by Mark AaronsPaying for the Past: Germany and the Jewish World by Ron ZweigEducation, Media and MemoryThe Holocaust: Representing Lasting Images in Film and Literature by Frank SternTeaching the Holocaust Today by Sophie Gelski and Jenny WajsenbergHolocaust Museums in Germany, Poland, Israel and the USA by James E. YoungAbout the Editors and Contributors