God, the Past and Auschwitz

The Holocaust has provoked a wide variety of Jewish religious responses, some of which include the claim that, ultimately, historical analysis is incapable of explaining the Nazi genocide. Other Jewish religious thinkers have argued that they can trace God’s providential action and revelation in history, often drawing heavily upon historical resources including survivor testimonies, court transcripts and other accounts of atrocities. Several have concluded that religious Jews must acknowledge the historical impact of the event, and shed any lingering assumptions about an unchanging essence of Judaism. This article will explore the engagement with history among religious commentators on the Holocaust such as Eliezer Berkovits, Arthur Cohen, Emil Fackenheim, Irving Greenberg, Hans Jonas, Ignaz Maybaum, Melissa Raphael, Richard Rubenstein and Elie Wiesel, as reflected in their writings about the uniqueness of the Shoah, its challenge to Judaism and the covenant, its connection to the State of Israel, and the problem of evil

Covenant · Genocide · German · Jewish studies · Judaism · Nazism · Revelation · Sociology · The Holocaust · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Philosophy · Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity · Religious studies

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  Daniel R Langton, Langton Langton•Aleph•2013

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• Was Jewish “Holocaust Theology” ever really about the Holocaust? Assessing the roots and implications of a recurring critique

  David Tollerton•Holocaust Studies•2016

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• The Female Face of God in Auschwitz

  Melissa Raphael•The female face of God in Auschwitz•2003

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• Beyond Auschwitz

  Melissa L Morgan, Michael L Morgan•Beyond Auschwitz•2001

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• Is the Holocaust Explicable

  Yehuda Bauer•Holocaust and Genocide Studies•1990

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