God and the Holocaust

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how God could have allowed the Holocaust to happen. It also looks at how the Jews have coped with this question after the Holocaust. The paper describes some of the diverse reactions to the Holocaust by both victims and other people, such as acceptance of God's will, denial of God's existence and the movement of Holocaust denial.

From the Paper:

"Perhaps the most troubling reaction to the Holocaust has been the minority theory that it never happened. This theory, called "Holocaust denial" by many, uses some of the misinformation first broadcast about the Holocaust as evidence the event never occurred. Another historian states, "While originally an obscure movement, since the rise of the internet in the mid-1990s, Holocaust denial has grown significantly, and new adherents continue to set up web sites dedicated to 'debunking the myth'" (Mathis). While this has been horrific to many, especially those who survived the camps or lost loved ones there, many Jews see it as a mixed blessing, because it has brought increased attention to the Holocaust and created new interest in discovering the truth. Thus, it is another example of God's will and His overall plan for the Jews. He creates naysayers who want to convince others the Holocaust never happened, and in doing so, he creates more understanding and interest in the fate of the Jews."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Braiterman, Zachary. (God) after Auschwitz: Tradition and Change in Post-Holocaust Jewish Thought. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998.
• Mandel, Naomi. "Ethics after Auschwitz: The Holocaust in History and Representation." Criticism 45.4 (2003): 509+.
• Mathis, Andrew E. "General Semantics and Holocaust Denial." ETC.: A Review of General Semantics 63.1 (2006): 52+.
• Raphael, Melissa. The Female Face of God in Auschwitz: A Jewish Feminist Theology of the Holocaust. New York: Routledge, 2003.
• Schweber, Simone. "'Holocaust Fatigue' in Teaching Today." Social Education 70.1 (2006): 44+.

More papers on God and the Holocaust:

• Comparison Essay # 91730 : "Religion and the Holocaust"
• Comparison Essay # 90693 : "Jewish and Christian Writings on the Holocaust"
• Analytical Essay # 60351 : "Yaffa Eliach's "Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust"

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