Contemporary Responses to the Holocaust

The murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust is a crime that has had a lasting and profound 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. This book takes stock of the attempts within and across nations to come to terms with the murders. The editors establish the thematic and conceptual framework within which the various Holocaust responses are analysed. Specific chapters cover responses in Germany and in Eastern Europe; the Holocaust industry ; Jewish ultra-Orthodox reflections; and 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