The Effects of the Holocaust on American Jews
Introduction
The holocaust had unparalleled aftermaths and left scores of injuries and deaths. Among the most affected were Jews, who lost not only their properties but also their family members. The holocaust is defined as an organized, rigid, and state-orchestrated persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi government. The Nazi regime, which had assumed power in Germany in 1933, thought that its country and citizens were superior to any other race. As such, Germans considered the Jews as racially weak and inferior race. They also treated them as aliens, who threatened their so-called superior community. Before the year 1933, the Jew populace in Europe stood at more than nine million people.[1] Many of these people lived in areas where the Nazis had occupied and had influence. By 1945, nearly two million Jews had been killed as part of Nazi’s ‘Final Solution.’ As the Nazi influence and power spread across most of the European nations, millions of Jews were victimized and killed. Almost 2-3 million prisoners are believed to have died due to illness, neglect, mistreatment, and hunger. Thus, this paper seeks to analyze the effects of the holocaust on American Jews in the history of religion in the United States.
Holocaust and American Life
In his vexing exploration, Novick looks at the ways how the American people understand and remember the effects during and following the holocaust. He says that the American nation has mainly become obsessed with this event and that such mania is not healthy for its survival. He firmly holds that America’s response to this event has worked, at best, to harm its Jewish people. For him, the Jewish leaders intentionally restrained their reactions about the holocaust. He argues that these leaders did not want to appear as if they were falling into the Jewish way or stereotype of vengeance. Equally, he presents that the holocaust, a Nazi creation, and destruction of the Jews in Europe, happened away from America. In the 90s, he says that this event emerged firmly in American life.[2] But, he asks, ‘why now,’ a query that seeks to reveal the American’s increasing consciousness about the holocaust. His rejoinder advances the argument that shortly after an event happens, they are forgotten. For instance, he says that historical events are often discussed and argued the most and then gradually withdrawn from public attention. However, he argues that the holocaust has defied this trend. For nearly two decades after the Second World War, the holocaust and its consequences have hardly been talked about in America. He believes that the main reason for its low and late impact in the American discourse is because it is often seen as a retrospective idea.
While he admits that the holocaust took place, he focuses on the reality of this genocide and its effects on the Jewish people. He says that while it had a horrific ending of nearly six million people, many people today find it extremely hard to place it within any historical context. In the same manner, he proposes that while it is often recalled, it was a conflict that only dominated the Americans’ thinking. Dismissing the ethnic exclusivity that massively epitomized the holocaust, Peter argues that the policy of mass killing was initially directed towards the Soviet prisoners of war, also abbreviated as POW. In Hitler’s five years as a ruler, most of the concentration areas and camps were concentrated with his opponents, including socialists. Besides, he also argues that the gypsies’ massacre was also equitably the same as the Jews. Hitler also sought to clear the Slavic population from European countries. When reports of murder and other atrocities against the Jewish, he argues that no accord killing the Jews was a solution existed. During the time, just like other races, American Jews recognized themselves mainly by their political association, social status, and other formations.[3]
For people, the holocaust is a complex concept, and dealing with it is more complicated. He believes that its causes and consequences are highly mixed up. Besides, he holds that centering this event as relating to American Jews has led to the erosion of a broader social awareness, which was the stamp of his post-holocaust era. [4] Equally, Novick also states that guarding the memory of this event is a Jewish tradition and that forgetting it would be extremely hard. He asserts that the Hebrew encourages ‘remembering’ the death as a practice of commemorating them. As such, he holds the view that the holocaust allows the American Jews the opportunity to remember most of their people who died during the holocaust.[5] In this regard, he says that the Jewish people, hence, enjoined by this event to remember their departed families, friends, and loved ones. In this way, mourning and commemorating the death are, in many ways, the Jewish custom. He also argues that one of the most striking things he finds attractive about Jewish’s Holocaust celebration is its Christian and un-Jewish nature.[6]
The post-holocaust United States has frequently been used as a compelling emblem. At every successive phase, the understanding of this event has been embedded and shaped on the contemporary values and philosophical ideals. Peter agrees that the holocaust and its related issues have repeatedly been used to serve specific reasons and interests. The level of information given in his work also helps to unearth, by looking at such mundane aspects, familiar aspects of history. For him, the absence of this event for years from the American way of life is striking and noted with curiosity. The most cited explanation for the holocaust’s absence in American life and culture for years is American Jews’ guilt for not doing more to save their European families and friends. For the most part, he argues that the holocaust has increasingly worked to inform the Jewish’s worldview and provide a platform for what he calls ‘collective self-definition.’ He also argues that their awareness of the event gives them a ‘moral capital.’ Novick similarly argues that the holocaust has served to unity the American Jewish people in different fronts, mainly because it provides them with a ‘collective memory,’ from where they echo their sentiments.[7]
American Account of the Holocaust
Novick also dismisses the idea of a national account of the holocaust. He also argues that there is no standard phrase that can describe or criteria for designing this concept. At a general level, he argues that it is something that constitutes a public statement regarding a collective understanding. It is also something that is used to appreciate the entire or part of history, in this case, the holocaust.[8] He also says that for something to meet the threshold of a national narrative, it must be part of the country’s history. For him, being part of a nation’s history does not imply the ‘significance’ of the event or having consequences for the country.[9] For this reason, he says that there are various nations linked to the holocaust in ways that makes the event part of their national narrative. He argues that, by and large, one of such countries is Germany. He calls it the nation of the criminals and agents of Germany Jews massacre. In many ways, the place of the holocaust is intrinsically linked to the German national and political cultures. Thus, there is no single doubt that the holocaust, as a national account, has remained at the center of German’s culture for decades. Here, in Germany, most of the people have the same link to the victims of the holocaust as killers. Besides, several questions also have to do with the place of this event in Germany’s national account and story of the Jewish people. It is also the case for Poland, where much of the killings of the Jewish people also happened. As such, just like Germany, Poland also had a central link and construction of the holocaust.[10]
In the case of America, Novick argues that none of these forms have a clear and close relationship with the Holocaust crimes. Hence, he proposes that the holocaust does not, in many ways, form part of the American history and national account. Like European countries, where many of the people had close ties and relationships with the perpetrators of the crimes, America did not have any connections. Novick also argues that America’s geographical location, as well as distance, put it far from Berlin, where the killings took place. In this sense, and from the most practical sense, American’s positions placed it far from the topography of terror in Europe. Thus, for most of Americans, the idea of the holocaust as forming part of their history and national account lacks an evident foundation, as it is in Europe. For most part, Novick maintains that the holocaust, as a symbol, has come to represent the Nazis and their atrocities. The Nazi regime and its brutalities were, in several ways, a negative part of the Europeans for many decades. However, he agrees that the effects of the holocaust served to integrate the American Jews, making them more visible and poised within the American life and social context.
The other criteria that Novick provides are that whenever a national narrative emerges, there is always a plausible reflection of the people’s voice and the collective consciousness of all within a particular country. On this basis, Novick asks if the different holocaust symbols and discourses that emerged in America could qualify as national narratives. In responding to this question, he argues that indeed, the United States has come out more firmly as the mother of the holocaust depictions. These symbols have been broadly conveyed and propagated across the nation, with other representations having spread rapidly around the globe. Besides, he equally states that though the matters of school programs and curricula in America are often left to the educators, a large and growing number of educational institutions teach subjects related to the holocaust and its consequences. Thus, with this event being part of the American educational system, it is an evident indication that the holocaust is a national narrative. The same can be said about the many festivities and commemorations, which mark the holocaust. These cerebrations are often held each year across the United States. For instance, he argues that these celebrations are usually held in Washington, with parallel observances performed in different state capitals and other places within America. The holocaust’s memorial museum at the center of Washington also proves that the event had a unique association with the American people. In other cities, including New York, other museums and commemoration centers have been put up, further giving evidence of the holocaust’s significance in the country.[11]
Moreover, apart from the several holocaust monuments across America, Novick argues that the American media has also broadly covered the event, over the years. These media focus and coverage also depict that the event occupies a special place in the country. In this sense, the media representation of this event has received a broad audience, with most people identifying themselves with the holocaust. For example, the movie titled ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ is a television series that has attracted diverse audiences, both in and outside the United States. All this evidence presents a robust prima facie case, illustrating that the holocaust is a significant part of the American’ national narrative.’[12] Without any contradiction, and as evidenced above, the Jews have a unique place in the United States and play an increasingly influential part in the country’s cultural life.
From his point of view, Novick suggests that any attempt to deny the holocaust would be denying that the Nazi genocide of Jews did not take place. Also, making the mistake of denying the occurrence of this event would be saying that the Nazi’s Final Solution aimed to deport the Jews and did not try to eliminate them. A denial statement would also mean that the Nazi regime never used extinction areas, gas spaces, and prisoner camps to carry out the millions of reported Jewish murders. Such a statement would also suggest that the number of Jews killed during the holocaust was considerably lower than what is reported. Thus, nearly seven decades after this event, many of the American Jews continue to remember it as an essential part of their history and being Jewish.[13] Other consequences of the holocaust included pain and suffering of children those who perished during the event.
Trans-generational Holocaust Effects
According to Nir, trauma is the most significant effect of the holocaust. He argues that the pain originating from this event has also increasingly affected not only its survivors, but also their children. He similarly says that the effects of this pain can be identified in the political, communal, national, and public dialogue, including the artistic works seen in various media expressions in the United States.[14] At one hand, he calls the outcomes of the holocaust as leading to leading to trans-generational effects. On the other hand, he also talks about the increased degree of co-dependence in children-parent associations. Due to the trauma, mainly from separation of kids from their parents, survivors have not always been able to separate from or even let their children go. On their part, children have also frequently noted their parents’ reliance on them.[15] Another significant effect is the experiences and feelings of horror, resulting from the psychological nightmares of the holocaust’s victims. Due to children’s thought process and internal practices, internalizing their parents’ feelings has always presented challenges. As such, their parents’ experiences have made these children to develop traits that are renascent of these feelings.[16] On the social front, he suggests that children of the holocaust survivors have a different approach of learning and constructing their worlds, often with varied representations and symbols through learning from the affected family members. Equally, he suggests that most of these children were brought up under excessive restrictions because of their families’ fears and apprehensions about the world.[17] Nir also says that the majority of the Jews, including the American Jews, after the holocaust were brought up under what he refers to as ‘parental over-protectiveness.’ Guilt has been yet another vital dimension resulting from the holocaust. As for Nir, most of the survivors often become overwhelmed with the feelings of guilt, mainly over the deaths of their families and loved ones. In many cases, guilt has presented significant challenges in the ways that survivors form and develop familial bonds. For instance, parents, overwhelmed by their past experiences, tend to shy away and fail to address their kids’ emotional issues efficiently.[18] In general, Nir also says that emotional hardships and lack of proper communication abilities encountered by children of survivors, especially with their parents, have continued to affect their everyday works and functioning adversely. Nir identifies that learning has been one area that has suffered the highest effect, including learning disabilities, lack of inspiration, as well as poor academic performances.[19]
Holocaust and Jewish Identity
According to Magid, the frequently discussed aspect of the holocaust has become a vital identity for the American Jewish people. In other words, this event is today part of the American way of life. The modern American Jewish people often identify themselves from three main ways, including the institutionalizing the event as part of the American history, literature, as well as the symbolizing it as a popular feature of the American practice or culture.[20] He proposes that the holocaust has played a massive role in self-fashioning as well as shaping American Jews, mainly in light of the broader trends in developing the modern American Jewish identity.[21] Today, most American Jews do not identify themselves in racial or ethnic lines. Like other Americans in the country, they have developed robust ways of identifying as both Americans and Jews. Most, if not all, have both Jewish and non-Jewish families, including parents, grandparents, cousins, as well as uncles. Most of them also practice other religious practices. Besides, many of their views and attitudes towards marriage have significantly changed, mainly because they often intermarry and have no reservations marrying from other ethnic groups.[22]
The Jewish identity and the representation of the holocaust also take a special place in the American national discourse and narrative. Magid says that the holocaust worked to dissimilate the American Jews. For instance, he argues that most of the American Jews have reinvented and re-discovered central themes in their religion. Due to the holocaust, most of them have had to design new ways of life and rebrand themselves to fit within a globalized world. For this reason, most of the American Jews intermarry in attempts to gain collective identity.
Conclusion
This paper sought to analyze the effects of the holocaust on American Jews in the history of religion in the United States. As seen from the above discussion, the event had unmatched consequences while leaving scores of people injured and dead. However, as already highlighted, among those most affected were the Jewish. They lost not only their properties but also their loved ones. The holocaust has been defined from the introduction as an organized, rigid, and state-orchestrated oppression and killing of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi rulers and their agents. The Nazi regime, which had assumed power in Germany in 1933, held that its country and people were superior to any other races. For this reason, Germans considered the Jews as racially weak and inferior to them. They also treated Jewish as aliens, who threatened their country. Before 1933, Jews were more than nine million people. Most of them lived in areas where the Nazis had had a significant influence. Almost a decade later, nearly two million Jews had been killed as part of Nazi’s ‘Final Solution.’ As the Nazi influence continued across the European region, millions of Jews were killed. It is estimated that nearly 3 million prisoners died due to illness, neglect, mistreatment, and hunger. In total, over 6 million Jews perished during the holocaust.
Bibliography
Magid, Shaul. “The Holocaust and Jewish identity in America: Memory, the unique, and the universal.” Jewish Social Studies: History, Culture, Society 18, no. 2 (2012): 100-135.
Nir, Bina. “Transgenerational Transmission of Holocaust Trauma and Its Expressions in Literature.” Genealogy 2, no. 4 (2018): 49.
Novick, Peter. “The Holocaust in American Life.” (1999).
Novick, Peter. “The American National Narrative of the Holocaust: There Isn’t Any.” New German Critique 90 (2003): 27-35.
[1] Peter, Novick, “The Holocaust in American Life,” (1999)
[2] Ibid, 474
[3] Ibid, 475-476
[4] Ibid, 478
[5] Ibid, 478
[6] Ibid, 478
[7] Ibid
[8] Peter, Novick, “The American National Narrative of the Holocaust: There Isn’t Any,” New German Critique 90 (2003): 27-35.
[9] Ibid, 27
[10] Ibid, 28
[11] Ibid, 30
[12] Ibid, 31
[13] Ibid, 33-34
[14] Bina, Nir, “Transgenerational Transmission of Holocaust Trauma and Its Expressions in Literature,” Genealogy 2, no. 4 (2018): 49.
[15] Ibid, 6
[16] Ibid, 3
[17] Ibid, 4
[18] Ibid, 6
[19] Ibid, 9
[20] Shaul, Magid, “The Holocaust and Jewish identity in America: Memory, the unique, and the universal.” Jewish Social Studies: History, Culture, Society 18, no. 2 (2012): 100-135.
[21] Ibid, 101
[22] Ibid, 101-102