The New Holocaust Silence

The New Holocaust Silence

Part I -The Six Millionth and First Victim

A guest post by the Refrocked Bray of Fundie

Caveat: I am no spokesman for Orthodox or Kharedi Jewry. I am however an Orthodox, even quasi-Kharedi Jew. The questions and answers I express are my own attempts to make sense of what I find to be a troubling phenomenon.

Psychologists described the phenomenon of Holocaust silence. It was the reluctance of survivors to speak about their war experiences in the decades following the Holocaust.

But over sixty years have passed since the Holocaust ended. The last of the adult survivors are old and infirm. There are many G2s and even G3s among us who had no first hand experience of the wars brutalities. Yet, among my Kharedi brethren there is a new Holocaust silence. We do not observe Yom HaShoah or even call the devastation HaShoah. Moreover although many kharedi leaders composed kinos=elegies about the Holocaust to be recited and wept over on Tisha B’Av there are still many places where they are skipped and even where they are read it is done in a pro forma way. As the new “minhag” spreads of reading only selected kinos so as to better understand the poetry and history of the kinos one would have thought that just as some kinos have been deleted other kinos should have been added. The logical choice for new additions would be kinos that deal with the aspects of golus and Jewish suffering closer to home historically. In other words one would’ve thought that ALL the holocaust kinos should be recited and explained carefully before recitation on Tisha B’Av. So why this reluctance to remember and mourn the holocaust?

Unresolved Theodicy: In secular circles a whole field of Holocaust Theology emerged in the wars aftermath. To the best of my knowledge only two Orthodox writers of note have published anything about the Holocaust. One was a pamphlet and one an article. Not a single book length work. Many survivors lost their faith during the war or in its aftermath. The Holocaust raises many more questions about a just and kind G-d than we have adequate answers for. Now for some believers there are no questions just as for some skeptics there are no answers. But for the majority, many of the questions are profoundly troubling and the answers don’t quite hit the spot. So perhaps, following the Ra’vads advice to the Rambam that he ought not to start things that he can’t finish nor pose questions that can’t adequately answer, kharedim willfully rob themselves of opportunities to pose these questions. This may explain the tacit conspiracy of silence in kharedi circles. The hush of no Yom HaShoah, little or no Holocaust studies in Yeshivas and Batei Yaakov, little or no kinos on Tisha B’Av is intended to quiet the restless and leave the unresolved, and perhaps irresolvable, questions unasked . After all It’spikuakh nefesh. We wouldn’t want HaShem, kholila to become the wars six millionth and first victim.

Tomorrow: Part II -Avoiding The Wrong Lessons.