The Holocaust: History, Memory, Meaning, and Legacy

This course explores the historical roots, ideology, experiences, and lasting impact of the Holocaust. Students examine pre-twentieth-century antisemitism and its evolution into modern racial antisemitism and Nazism, including a close study of Mein Kampf and the translation of ideology into persecution and genocide. 

Through case studies such as the Warsaw Ghetto, Treblinka, and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the course analyzes ghettoization, deportation, extermination, and resistance, as well as survivors’ postwar challenges. It also considers theological, philosophical, literary, and artistic responses—especially Elie Wiesel’s Night—to address questions of faith, morality, memory, and trauma. 

Finally, the course examines Holocaust denial, distortion, and contemporary antisemitism, encouraging critical reflection on how the Holocaust is remembered and debated today. 

increasing antisemitism throughout the world cannot be understated.  Join us! 

Instructor: Rabbi Fred Guttman