THEOLOGY AFTER THE HOLOCAUST

Rabbi Samuel is teaching  Theology after the Holocaust for Comm University, which is held every Sunday in February at St.  Ambrose.  Call St. Ambrose for details.

 

 

This new series will explore how Jewish and Christian theological thought have changed as a result of the Nazi genocide of the Jews. Questions like: How could God allow such evil to manifest itself in the world?  What are the theological implications of a God who is absent when evil runs amuck in the world? How can we talk about God in an age that many theologians—Jewish and Christian—characterize as the “death of God”? How is prayer possible or even meaningful in the face of senseless suffering? What kind of lessons can be learned from those religious leaders who either acted on behalf of the victims or chose to ignore their people’s suffering? Can the traditional texts of the Bible answer the ultimate questions posed by the existence of radical evil? How do Jewish and Christian post-Holocaust thinkers grapple with these issues? What are the points of their convergences as well as their theological divergences?  Who are the main thinkers to have emerged from both faith communities? What kind of lessons may we learn from each faith tradition?

Part I -- Jewish Responses to the Holocaust – This class will focus on Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Kabbalistic thinkers. Specifically, we will examine sections from Martin Buber’s book, “Good and Evil” and “The Eclipse of God” that focuses in part on the mystical concept of Tzimtzum—where God “disappears” from the world.  Other Jewish thinkers will include Richard Rubenstein’s “After Auschwitz.” In addition we will also study some of Rabbi Yitz Greenberg’s novel idea that the Holocaust “shattered God’s covenant.”

 

Part II –– The Social Psychology of Scapegoating-- This class will focus on one the ideas of the French anthropologist and literary scholar, Rene Girard, who explains the Jobian tale in light of the ancient ritual of the scapegoat. Comparisons will also be made to how the scapegoat ritual was practiced in many ancient societies.

 

Part III Forgiveness after the Holocaust: Its Possibilities and Limitations.  – We will discuss Simone Wiesenthal’s controversial book, “The Sunflower,” which tells the story about a dying Nazi soldier named Karl, who begs Wiesenthal for forgiveness. Wiesenthal asked many of the world’s most important theologians, social philosophers, and writers to answer his question: Is forgiveness is possible for someone who commits mass murder? We will compare different responses within the Jewish and Christian community.

 

Part IV – The Theology of the Righteous Gentile – Many simple and pious non-Jews believed that rescuing Jews constituted an important part of their Christian theology. This class will focus on the religious values20and teachings that motivated people to risk their lives and the lives of their families for the sake of saving endangered Jews in Europe. Selections Corrie ten Bloom’s book, “The Hiding Place”, will serve to illustrate lessons to be learned from a courageous family that stood up to the Nazi menace.