Journal of Ecumenical Studies

Both Garber and Hanson have long been involved in writing books and essays on Judaism, Jewish history, and Jewish-Christian relations over the [End Page 295] centuries. Their reflections and those of the other contributors to this excellent collection put the Shoah into its larger context of history. The essays will help those, whether Jewish or Christian, who prepare and teach undergraduate and graduate courses and who seek to inform their students of both the dire reality of the Shoah itself and of how Christian approaches to and attacks on Jews and Judaism over the centuries prepared the way and laid the groundwork for the ultimate horror of Nazi genocide of the Jewish people, the people of Jesus.

One small but telling example is in the title itself. While many still use the term "Holocaust" to describe the murder of 6,000,000 Jews, the authors note their preference for "Shoah." The term "Holocaust" comes from the ancient practice used by many, including the ancient Hebrews, of burnt offerings of animals to G-d in the Temple. Garber and Hanson rightly note that it is sacrilegious to understand the Jewish victims of Nazi genocide as burnt offerings to G-d, even if so many of their bodies were indeed burned in the crematoria of the Nazi death camps. "Shoah" is a more neutral term for a terrible disaster and the deaths of many innocent victims.

In his preface, Hansen briefly summarizes each of the contributions, displaying the variety of approaches from academic studies to a fictional story, a short dramatic play, and his own use of videos in his course. Garber's introduction details his own courses on the Shoah, including his delving into the nature of Antisemitism and its Christian roots in anti-Jewish teachings, beginning with early (mis)interpretations of key Second Testament passages.

In chapter 1, Garber presents Jewish religious and theological responses to the Shoah, centering on the works of Elie Wiesel, Eliezer Berkovitz, Emil Fackenheim, Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, and Richard Rubenstein. Like Wiesel, he asks how the G-d of Israel could have allowed this to happen. He does not, at this point, go into the resurrection of the Jewish people in the Holy Land, the land of Israel, though this will be raised later in this book. In the next chapter, Garber outlines the college course he has taught on the Shoah, emphasizing the need for interfaith, Jewish-Christian dialogues both within the classroom and in our communities throughout the country. He then presents and reviews the work of Steven Katz, The Holocaust in Historical Context (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994), which he highly recommends.

Henry F. Knight narrates how to lead students and others into constructive conversations both inside and outside of the classroom. He illustrates how students can be led into interrupting each other and their professors to ask substantive questions and delve into issues they may not have thought of before. Going [End Page 296] "beyond the classroom," he illustrates how students and others can pursue civic engagement in the public square, which is an important lesson for all of us.

Jonathan Arnold, Esq., presents the history of the 1933 Nazi antisemitic Nuremberg laws and the use of legal requirements when Nazi leaders were themselves on trial in post-war Germany at Nuremberg. This is crucial history for all to this day and for the future. David Patterson examines the links among Shoah, Torah, and Sacred History and how studying the Shoah through a biblical lens can illuminate our understanding of the Bible and of the sacred history of Judaism up to the present. This essay alone is worth the price of the book.

Mehak Burzah examines the use and understanding of the Shoah in education in India and how its horrors are often underplayed. Angela Berliner offers a short play, The Songbird, in which students and teachers can participate, giving both actors and audiences a...