Language:
English
Year of publication:
1999
Titel der Quelle:
Jewish Studies
Angaben zur Quelle:
39 (1999) 55-85
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
Abstract:
A "round table" discussion held at the 12th World Congress of Jewish Studies, 1997, chaired by Yehuda Bauer, with the participation of Gershon Greenberg, Yisrael Gutman, Deborah Lipstadt, and Moshe Zimmermann. The questions posed were: 1) How can we explain the profound interest of world culture in the subject of the Holocaust? 2) Is there a link, or should academics make one, between the Holocaust and other cases of genocide? 3) Since it is claimed that there is a correspondence between the Holocaust and other instances of mass murder, is the universal message of these catastrophes more important than the Jewish element? Greenberg states that researchers should study Jewish life, especially Judaism, before attempting to compare genocides. Lipstadt believes that people are racist when they are indifferent to non-European genocides. For Zimmermann, interest in the history of the Holocaust is related to the fact that both Germans and Jews are "champions of memory". He claims that there is no history without comparative research. Gutman attributes the focus on the Holocaust among both scholars and the public to the perception that it marked the breach of civilization. Bauer stresses the "unprecedented" nature of the Holocaust, and that the uniqueness of the Holocaust makes it incumbent on Jews to try to oppose all genocides.
Note:
A round-table discussion on the interest of world culture in the subject of the Holocaust.
URL:
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