Jewish responses to the Shaoh

Elie Wiesel ‘The Trial of God’

Elie Wiesel lost faith in God. His book Night contained extracts related to his experience and his loss of faith.

Ignaz Maybaum-Israel as the suffering servant

He argued that the Holocaust was the third Churban, or destruction. The others were the destruction of the Temples. He also said that the Jews were being punished for the sins of the world. They suffered atonement for the sins of mankind.

This stance was controversial. He also likened Israel to the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. The speakers are the stunned kings of nations who will bear witness to the messianic age and the final vindication of the Jewish people following their bitter exile.

In the Face of God, After Auschwitz, he said that the Holocaust was part of God’s providential plan. Without the Holocaust. The medieval institution of their life would not been reconstructed. Hitler was a tool in the hands of God as Judaism developed and they were able to go back to Israel. The dead are martyrs.

Eliezer Berkovitz

The hiding of the divine face and freewill. As God gave humans freewill, he hides his face as he cannot interfere. However this is a problem as God has intervened before in Jewish history.

Faith after Holocaust. If God did not respect human freedom, men and women would cease to be human.

Freedom and responsibility are the preconditions of human life.

Fackenheim

The Holocaust represent a new revelation. It is not due to sin.

Israel should still believe in God, he is still present. Cannot understand his ways and they are not open to discussion.

God is so mysterious that you cannot question him.

Jews are forbidden to hand Hitler posthumous victory. This is done by Jews giving up on God. To say no to Hitler, is yes to God of Sinai. To say no to the God of Sinai, is to say yes to Hitler.