After the fall of communism in 1989, the issue of Jewish property restitution in Eastern Europe gradually reemerged. Its main proponents were Polish and Czech Jews, but the subject was raised in Jewish organizations as well. As a result, in … [Read More]
Manfred Gerstenfeld
The Small Shoah: Jews in Post-war Netherlands, by the political scientist Isaac Lipschits, was published in 2001 in Holland, where it became a bestseller. In its first chapter the author writes: “In the liberated Netherlands, the Jews were not endangered … [Read More]
By 1943 the Allies were convinced they were going to win the war. They started preparing for the invasion of ltaly and for moving into northern Europe. Simultaneously, they initiated detailed contingency planning in many fields. Among these was the … [Read More]
For decades it was inconceivable that the issue of financial restitution for Jewish properties looted and stolen during the Second World War would be reopened, other than by historians. A few years ago, however, this subject rather suddenly received major … [Read More]
How does the Israeli media deal with the Shoah and related news items? According to Yair Sheleg, Jewish affairs reporter for Ha’aretz daily, the Israeli media’s attitude on most issues is determined by its business structure and the society it … [Read More]
Rabbi Michael Melchior was the Minister for Israeli Society and the World Jewish Community in Ehud Barak’s cabinet from 1999 to 2001. Thereafter until 2002, as Israel’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, he was responsible inter alia for Israel’s relationship … [Read More]
The attitude of the Catholic Church toward the Jews has radically changed in recent decades, followed by a transformation in its position vis-a-vis Israel. Aharon Lopez, Israel’s former ambassador to the Vatican, illustrates this turnaround by citing two events. “In … [Read More]
Holocaust psychologist Nathan Durst claims that Hitler showed how, with respect to the Jews, the most murderous fantasies could be realized. Comparing anti-Semitism to negative attitudes levied against other groups is therefore grossly misguided. Jews must be extremely wary whenever … [Read More]
In her 1993 book, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory, historian Deborah Lipstadt examines Holocaust denial: the myth that the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis never occurred. Once the deniers have absolved the … [Read More]
The publicity focus on Holocaust issues in the last decade may cause one to mistakenly assume that its main aspects have, by now, been well researched. Yehuda Bauer, the director emeritus of the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad … [Read More]