Photo Post: The Einsatzgruppen
Judaism, Jewish Books, Holocaust, Photography, Photo Post July 17th, 2007
Last Shabbos, after services Tamara and I invited our friend Jonathan over for a late afternoon lunch. I’m not sure exactly when but at some point either before or after the food, Tamara pulled out this book about the Holocaust by Michael Berenbaum entitled “A Promise to Remember: The Holocaust in the Words and Voices of its Survivors “. It’s a brilliantly put together book that is highly interactive. The book is filled with a variety of things that can be pulled out and looked at, like photographs, letters and other documents from the era. It’s an interesting, albeit disturbing read which I highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance, because it does do an incredible job of connecting the reader to the subject matter.
The photograph above is one I took of a handout from the book. I came across it looking through a section discussing the Einsatzgruppen. I found this photo extremely disturbing actually the translation (which you can read by clicking on the image), is what kicked me in the balls. I’m fairly secure in my sense of Jewishness these days but still not when it comes to the Shoah because I can’t even begin to imagine what living through something like that would be like. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, if there’s one thing that makes me question my worthiness as a convert its the Holocaust. I guess that somewhere in the back of my mind I’m always wondering, if I ever come, anywhere close to living up to what it is these people died for.
Anyhow, this post really isn’t about me. I just found the subject matter extremely penetrating and thought that maybe some of the other Jews by Choice (or anyone I guess) who read my blog, might as well.
Technorati tags: Jewish History, Shoah, Holocaust, WW2, anti-Semitism, photo, photography
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July 17th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
(OK, what is it with these anti-spam words. First “santa” and now “tinsel”)
TG, you said:
I’m fairly secure in my sense of Jewishness these days but still not when it comes to the Shoah because I can’t even begin to imagine what living through something like that would be like.
But who can? I mean, aside from those who experienced it? Or maybe the next generation that grew up with first-hand stories from family who survived the horror.
I certainly understand what you mean about the “worthiness” issue, but I guess I am saying that I don’t think this is an issue for converts specifically.
I can say that my experiences in 2005 visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau and Babiy Yar, as well as meeting an Auschwitz survivor in western Ukraine, had a lot to do with finally cementing the Jewish identity that had been bubbling within me for years.
Maybe I felt that the best way I could honor the horrific sacrifice these people endured was by embracing the very covenant, culture, and history that the Nazis tried to wipe out.
I don’t know if that makes sense, but I do know that I was incredibly honored when my rabbi, in what seemed like a completely spontaneous gesture, handed me our Holocaust Torah scroll (salvaged from the ruins a small town in Czechoslovakia) as I received the Torah at my conversion ceremony. It is the heavier of our congregation’s scrolls, and at that moment, it was heavy in more ways than one.
July 18th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
I’m glad that it’s not an issue for you. Also although I agree with you about this not being a problem specific to converts. I do personally feel that there’s a difference between Jews by birth and Jews by choice in terms of
expectations. A Jew by birth is born into this situation (presumably not of their own free will), converts on the other hand are choosing to enter a covenant and with that comes different challenges at least in my opinion. I suspect that we may have different criteria in terms of what it means to actually be living up to the commitment. That’s not to say that mine are better or yours are better but I do think that we approach things differently and that might have something to do why I feel the way I do and you feel the way you do about the subject.
Having said that who knows, besides this is all just food for thought and mostly mine at that.
July 19th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
I’m glad you liked that book, or at least found it interesting. It’s one of my favorites and I love all the primary sources and interactivity too.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Tamara; I like pretty much all of your Jewish books and I think together we have one heck of a Jewish home library.