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Description
In speaking about the Holocaust, people often say that we should 鈥淣ever Forget鈥� 鈥� but what do we choose to remember? The genocide of European Jewry during the Holocaust enacted a horrific human toll and devastated Ashkenazi civilization in Europe. An emphasis on Yiddish, the language spoken by ten million Ashkenazi Jews on the eve of World War II, demands that we focus on victims, survivors, and resistors, rather than perpetrators or liberators.
Since ancient times, Jews have used the written word to document, deplore and commemorate catastrophes. Reading and discussing these texts allows us to better understand how Jewish writers confronted the historical events they confronted. We will focus primarily on Yiddish texts addressing the Holocaust, but will put them in the context of Jewish literary responses to catastrophe since the Book of Lamentations.
By focusing on Yiddish and Hebrew texts, this module puts Jews at the centre of the story of their own suffering. It delves into messy emotions, including anger, which writers might not have felt comfortable expressing in a language that was easily accessible to non-Jews. We will explore these topics, and consider the ways that the written word can be used to process trauma. Examining ancient and modern texts in different genres, this module engages with a variety of powerful perspectives on catastrophe and considers the ways that literature can help us negotiate some of the most painful moments in history.
All texts will be available in English translation.听
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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