Searching For Meaning In The Holocaust (contributions To The Study Of Religion)

Searching for Meaning in the Holocaust Recent Titles in Christianity and the Holocaust—Core Issues The Stones Will Cry Out: Pastoral Reflections on the Shoah (With Liturgical Resources) Douglas K. Huneke Christianity, Tragedy, and Holocaust Literature Michael R. Steele From the Unthinkable to the Unavoidable: American Christian and Jewish Scholars Encounter the Holocaust Carol Rittner and John K. Roth, editors Holocaust Education and the Church-Related College: Restoring Ruptured Traditions Stephen R. Haynes Holocaust Scholars Write to the Vatican Harry James Cargas, editor Bystanders: Conscience and Complicity During the Holocaust Victoria J. Barnett The Death of God Movement and the Holocaust: Radical Theology Encounters the Shoah Stephen R. Haynes and John K. Roth, editors Confessing Christ in a Post-Holocaust World: A Midrashic Experiment Henry F. Knight Learning from History: A Black Christian's Perspective on the Holocaust Hubert Locke History, Religion, and Meaning: American Reflections on the Holocaust and Israel Julius Simon, editor Searching for Meaning in the Holocaust Sidney M. Bolkosky Contributions to the Study of Religion, Number 69 Christianity and the Holocaust—Core Issues Carol Rittner and John K. Roth, Series Editors Greenwood Press Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bolkosky, Sidney M. Searching for meaning in the Holocaust / Sidney M. Bolkosky. p. cm.—(Contributions to the study of religion. Christianity and the Holocaust—core issues, ISSN 0196-7053 ; no. 69) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-313-30764-^1 (alk. paper) 1. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)—Influence. 2. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945}—Psychological aspects. 3. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)—Personal narratives—History and criticism. I. Title. II. Series. D804.3.B655 2002 940.53'18—dc21 2001040589 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2002 by Sidney M. Bolkosky All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001040589 ISBN: 0-313-30764-4 ISSN: 0196-7053 First published in 2002 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Copyright Acknowledgment The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission for use of the following material: Excerpts from the Voice/Vision interviews provided by Dr. Sidney M. Bolkosky. Reprinted by permission of The Voice/Vision Holocaust Oral History Project at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Contents Series Foreword vii Preface ix Acknowledgments 1 Introduction xiii 1 2 The Search for Meaning 13 3 The Devil 29 4 In Search of the Simple Answer 43 5 Of Parchment and Ink 53 6 "Angels, God's Emissaries Would Look Like Germans" 73 7 Hidden Children 89 8 Conclusions: Reflections on Meaning 103 Bibliography 119 Index 125 This page intentionally left blank Series Foreword The Holocaust did not end when the Allies liberated the Jewish survivors from Nazi Germany's killing centers and concentration camps in 1945. The consequences of that catastrophic event still shadow the world's moral, political, and religious life. The series, Christianity and the Holocaust—Core Issues explores Christian complicity, indifference, resistance, rescue, and other responses t