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Jan 27 2012
History And Meaning Of The Word `Holocaust': Are We Still Comfortable
With This Term?
Posted: 01/27/2012 7:22 am
What's in a name?
When it comes to remembering the millions of victims of the Nazi quest
to "purify" Germany during World War II, names are often all that
remain.
So why do we call the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of
others "The Holocaust"?
This usage came about gradually. The lower-case "holocaust" has
described the violent deaths of large groups of people probably since
the 18th century, according the Oxford English Dictionary. Before
World War II, the word was used by Winston Churchill and others to
refer to the genocide of Armenians during World War I. In 1933,
"holocaust" was first associated with the Nazis after a major book
burning. And after Word War II, the "Final Solution" was often called
a holocaust. By the 1960s, according to the Jewish Magazine, it became
common to refer to the Nazi genocide of Jews as "The Holocaust." The
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum notes three events that led to
this shift: the English translation of Israel's Declaration of
Independence in 1948, which mentions the "Nazi holocaust"; the
translated publications of Yad Vashem, the "world center for Holocaust
research, education, documentation and commemoration" in Jerusalem;
and English newspaper coverage of the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann.
But what does "holocaust" mean?
`The word is not clearly defined,' said Marshall J. Breger, a
professor of law at the Catholic University of America and Vice
Chairman of the Jewish Policy Center, who has organized educational
interfaith trips to Auschwitz. Does it refer only to the Jewish
victims of the Nazis? Are other victims of the Nazis included? What
about the Ukrainians starved by Stalin? Or the Armenians murdered by
the Ottomans? Does the Holocaust not include them, too? In other
words, who owns the word and the memory it contains?
`The only problem I have with the word," Breger said, "is that it's a
cause for fighting, not a cause for clarifying.'
"Holocaust" comes from the the Greek word holokauston, itself a
translation of the Hebrew olah, meaning "completely burnt offering to
God," implying that Jews and other "undesirables" murdered during
World War II were a sacrifice to God.
While Shoah, the Hebrew word for "catastrophe," is the preferred name
-- Yad Vashem now advocates using Shoah to refer to the near
destruction of European Jewry and the word is used throughout Israel
-- Jews have not entirely avoided the sacrificial moniker. Itzik
Gottesman, Associate Editor of Forverts, the Yiddish version of the
Jewish Daily Forward, said in an e-mail that the Yiddish word for the
Holocaust is Khurbn, coming from a Hebrew word that refers to the
destruction of the ancient Temples in Jerusalem. This was the word
used by survivors of the Nazi project, who often referred to their
ordeal as der letster khurbn, the "most recent destruction." The Nazi
genocide, in this context, is but the latest in a string of epic
catastrophes.
There was a definite religious connotation for survivors, said Michael
Berenbaum, director of the Sigi Ziering Center for the Study of the
Holocaust and Ethics at the American Jewish University. As they knew,
Jewish sages taught that the underlying spiritual reason for this
destruction was the baseless hatred of one Jew for another. In this
context, the word "holocaust" implies some measure of guilt.
At this point, the word is too entrenched in popular vocabulary to
change, he said. Now, "Holocaust" is used to refer generally to Nazi
atrocities during World War II. In 2006, the United Nations instituted
an International Day of Commemoration, declaring, "the Holocaust,
which resulted in the murder of one-third of the Jewish people along
with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning
to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and
prejudice."
Still, the magnitude and uniqueness of this catastrophic event in
Jewish history transcends the meaning of words and defies
understanding. Yes, many of Nazi's victims were consumed wholly by
flame. But was this some sort of divine retribution for the sins of a
nation?
"I wouldn't want to know the God who sacrificed these people," Berenbaum said.
The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the
Holocaust, observed on Friday (Jan. 27), the anniversary of the
liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, is dedicated
this year to remembering the children who perished at the hands of the
Nazis.
What's in a name?
When it comes to remembering the millions of victims of the Nazi quest
to "purify" Germany during World War II, names are often all that
remain.
So why do we call the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of
others "The Holocaust"?
This usage came about gradually. The lower-case "holocaust" has
described the violent deaths of large groups of people probably since
the 18th century, according the Oxford English Dictionary. Before
World War II, the word was used by Winston Churchill and others to
refer to the genocide of Armenians during World War I. In 1933,
"holocaust" was first associated with the Nazis after a major book
burning. And after Word War II, the "Final Solution" was often called
a holocaust. By the 1960s, according to the Jewish Magazine, it became
common to refer to the Nazi genocide of Jews as "The Holocaust." The
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum notes three events that led to
this shift: the English translation of Israel's Declaration of
Independence in 1948, which mentions the "Nazi holocaust"; the
translated publications of Yad Vashem, the "world center for Holocaust
research, education, documentation and commemoration" in Jerusalem;
and English newspaper coverage of the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann.
But what does "holocaust" mean?
`The word is not clearly defined,' said Marshall J. Breger, a
professor of law at the Catholic University of America and Vice
Chairman of the Jewish Policy Center, who has organized educational
interfaith trips to Auschwitz. Does it refer only to the Jewish
victims of the Nazis? Are other victims of the Nazis included? What
about the Ukrainians starved by Stalin? Or the Armenians murdered by
the Ottomans? Does the Holocaust not include them, too? In other
words, who owns the word and the memory it contains?
`The only problem I have with the word," Breger said, "is that it's a
cause for fighting, not a cause for clarifying.'
"Holocaust" comes from the the Greek word holokauston, itself a
translation of the Hebrew olah, meaning "completely burnt offering to
God," implying that Jews and other "undesirables" murdered during
World War II were a sacrifice to God.
While Shoah, the Hebrew word for "catastrophe," is the preferred name
-- Yad Vashem now advocates using Shoah to refer to the near
destruction of European Jewry and the word is used throughout Israel
-- Jews have not entirely avoided the sacrificial moniker. Itzik
Gottesman, Associate Editor of Forverts, the Yiddish version of the
Jewish Daily Forward, said in an e-mail that the Yiddish word for the
Holocaust is Khurbn, coming from a Hebrew word that refers to the
destruction of the ancient Temples in Jerusalem. This was the word
used by survivors of the Nazi project, who often referred to their
ordeal as der letster khurbn, the "most recent destruction." The Nazi
genocide, in this context, is but the latest in a string of epic
catastrophes.
There was a definite religious connotation for survivors, said Michael
Berenbaum, director of the Sigi Ziering Center for the Study of the
Holocaust and Ethics at the American Jewish University. As they knew,
Jewish sages taught that the underlying spiritual reason for this
destruction was the baseless hatred of one Jew for another. In this
context, the word "holocaust" implies some measure of guilt.
At this point, the word is too entrenched in popular vocabulary to
change, he said. Now, "Holocaust" is used to refer generally to Nazi
atrocities during World War II. In 2006, the United Nations instituted
an International Day of Commemoration, declaring, "the Holocaust,
which resulted in the murder of one-third of the Jewish people along
with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning
to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and
prejudice."
Still, the magnitude and uniqueness of this catastrophic event in
Jewish history transcends the meaning of words and defies
understanding. Yes, many of Nazi's victims were consumed wholly by
flame. But was this some sort of divine retribution for the sins of a
nation?
"I wouldn't want to know the God who sacrificed these people," Berenbaum said.
The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the
Holocaust, observed on Friday (Jan. 27), the anniversary of the
liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, is dedicated
this year to remembering the children who perished at the hands of the
Nazis.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/2012-01-24%2015:46:27_n_1229043.html
Jan 27 2012
History And Meaning Of The Word `Holocaust': Are We Still Comfortable
With This Term?
Posted: 01/27/2012 7:22 am
What's in a name?
When it comes to remembering the millions of victims of the Nazi quest
to "purify" Germany during World War II, names are often all that
remain.
So why do we call the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of
others "The Holocaust"?
This usage came about gradually. The lower-case "holocaust" has
described the violent deaths of large groups of people probably since
the 18th century, according the Oxford English Dictionary. Before
World War II, the word was used by Winston Churchill and others to
refer to the genocide of Armenians during World War I. In 1933,
"holocaust" was first associated with the Nazis after a major book
burning. And after Word War II, the "Final Solution" was often called
a holocaust. By the 1960s, according to the Jewish Magazine, it became
common to refer to the Nazi genocide of Jews as "The Holocaust." The
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum notes three events that led to
this shift: the English translation of Israel's Declaration of
Independence in 1948, which mentions the "Nazi holocaust"; the
translated publications of Yad Vashem, the "world center for Holocaust
research, education, documentation and commemoration" in Jerusalem;
and English newspaper coverage of the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann.
But what does "holocaust" mean?
`The word is not clearly defined,' said Marshall J. Breger, a
professor of law at the Catholic University of America and Vice
Chairman of the Jewish Policy Center, who has organized educational
interfaith trips to Auschwitz. Does it refer only to the Jewish
victims of the Nazis? Are other victims of the Nazis included? What
about the Ukrainians starved by Stalin? Or the Armenians murdered by
the Ottomans? Does the Holocaust not include them, too? In other
words, who owns the word and the memory it contains?
`The only problem I have with the word," Breger said, "is that it's a
cause for fighting, not a cause for clarifying.'
"Holocaust" comes from the the Greek word holokauston, itself a
translation of the Hebrew olah, meaning "completely burnt offering to
God," implying that Jews and other "undesirables" murdered during
World War II were a sacrifice to God.
While Shoah, the Hebrew word for "catastrophe," is the preferred name
-- Yad Vashem now advocates using Shoah to refer to the near
destruction of European Jewry and the word is used throughout Israel
-- Jews have not entirely avoided the sacrificial moniker. Itzik
Gottesman, Associate Editor of Forverts, the Yiddish version of the
Jewish Daily Forward, said in an e-mail that the Yiddish word for the
Holocaust is Khurbn, coming from a Hebrew word that refers to the
destruction of the ancient Temples in Jerusalem. This was the word
used by survivors of the Nazi project, who often referred to their
ordeal as der letster khurbn, the "most recent destruction." The Nazi
genocide, in this context, is but the latest in a string of epic
catastrophes.
There was a definite religious connotation for survivors, said Michael
Berenbaum, director of the Sigi Ziering Center for the Study of the
Holocaust and Ethics at the American Jewish University. As they knew,
Jewish sages taught that the underlying spiritual reason for this
destruction was the baseless hatred of one Jew for another. In this
context, the word "holocaust" implies some measure of guilt.
At this point, the word is too entrenched in popular vocabulary to
change, he said. Now, "Holocaust" is used to refer generally to Nazi
atrocities during World War II. In 2006, the United Nations instituted
an International Day of Commemoration, declaring, "the Holocaust,
which resulted in the murder of one-third of the Jewish people along
with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning
to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and
prejudice."
Still, the magnitude and uniqueness of this catastrophic event in
Jewish history transcends the meaning of words and defies
understanding. Yes, many of Nazi's victims were consumed wholly by
flame. But was this some sort of divine retribution for the sins of a
nation?
"I wouldn't want to know the God who sacrificed these people," Berenbaum said.
The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the
Holocaust, observed on Friday (Jan. 27), the anniversary of the
liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, is dedicated
this year to remembering the children who perished at the hands of the
Nazis.
What's in a name?
When it comes to remembering the millions of victims of the Nazi quest
to "purify" Germany during World War II, names are often all that
remain.
So why do we call the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of
others "The Holocaust"?
This usage came about gradually. The lower-case "holocaust" has
described the violent deaths of large groups of people probably since
the 18th century, according the Oxford English Dictionary. Before
World War II, the word was used by Winston Churchill and others to
refer to the genocide of Armenians during World War I. In 1933,
"holocaust" was first associated with the Nazis after a major book
burning. And after Word War II, the "Final Solution" was often called
a holocaust. By the 1960s, according to the Jewish Magazine, it became
common to refer to the Nazi genocide of Jews as "The Holocaust." The
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum notes three events that led to
this shift: the English translation of Israel's Declaration of
Independence in 1948, which mentions the "Nazi holocaust"; the
translated publications of Yad Vashem, the "world center for Holocaust
research, education, documentation and commemoration" in Jerusalem;
and English newspaper coverage of the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann.
But what does "holocaust" mean?
`The word is not clearly defined,' said Marshall J. Breger, a
professor of law at the Catholic University of America and Vice
Chairman of the Jewish Policy Center, who has organized educational
interfaith trips to Auschwitz. Does it refer only to the Jewish
victims of the Nazis? Are other victims of the Nazis included? What
about the Ukrainians starved by Stalin? Or the Armenians murdered by
the Ottomans? Does the Holocaust not include them, too? In other
words, who owns the word and the memory it contains?
`The only problem I have with the word," Breger said, "is that it's a
cause for fighting, not a cause for clarifying.'
"Holocaust" comes from the the Greek word holokauston, itself a
translation of the Hebrew olah, meaning "completely burnt offering to
God," implying that Jews and other "undesirables" murdered during
World War II were a sacrifice to God.
While Shoah, the Hebrew word for "catastrophe," is the preferred name
-- Yad Vashem now advocates using Shoah to refer to the near
destruction of European Jewry and the word is used throughout Israel
-- Jews have not entirely avoided the sacrificial moniker. Itzik
Gottesman, Associate Editor of Forverts, the Yiddish version of the
Jewish Daily Forward, said in an e-mail that the Yiddish word for the
Holocaust is Khurbn, coming from a Hebrew word that refers to the
destruction of the ancient Temples in Jerusalem. This was the word
used by survivors of the Nazi project, who often referred to their
ordeal as der letster khurbn, the "most recent destruction." The Nazi
genocide, in this context, is but the latest in a string of epic
catastrophes.
There was a definite religious connotation for survivors, said Michael
Berenbaum, director of the Sigi Ziering Center for the Study of the
Holocaust and Ethics at the American Jewish University. As they knew,
Jewish sages taught that the underlying spiritual reason for this
destruction was the baseless hatred of one Jew for another. In this
context, the word "holocaust" implies some measure of guilt.
At this point, the word is too entrenched in popular vocabulary to
change, he said. Now, "Holocaust" is used to refer generally to Nazi
atrocities during World War II. In 2006, the United Nations instituted
an International Day of Commemoration, declaring, "the Holocaust,
which resulted in the murder of one-third of the Jewish people along
with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning
to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and
prejudice."
Still, the magnitude and uniqueness of this catastrophic event in
Jewish history transcends the meaning of words and defies
understanding. Yes, many of Nazi's victims were consumed wholly by
flame. But was this some sort of divine retribution for the sins of a
nation?
"I wouldn't want to know the God who sacrificed these people," Berenbaum said.
The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the
Holocaust, observed on Friday (Jan. 27), the anniversary of the
liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, is dedicated
this year to remembering the children who perished at the hands of the
Nazis.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/2012-01-24%2015:46:27_n_1229043.html