There are a few books by Rabbi Richard L. Rubenstein that I think you should try to get ahold of.
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He has insights into post-Holocaust Judaism that might interest you.
The first is "After Auschwitz," which is a collection of essays. There are 2 editions of this book; the second is relatively recent. The Preface of that one should be read too; he was unable to get a job at any Jewish institution for decades due to his radical views.
The second is entitled "The Cunning of History." I first read this 28 years ago, and somehow have never been able to get over it. This book is quite short.
Below is a paragraph from that book that I think is very important.
This is one long paragraph in the original, but I've broken it up for readability:
"One of the elements conditioning the compliant Jewish response to the process of extermination [specifically in Hungary in 1944, where the Jews knew well what was coming] was their own history.
The last time the Jews had taken up arms against an enemy was during the Judaeo-Roman wars of 66-70 C.E. and 131-135 C.E. On both occasions, they fought valiantly and lost disastrously. Those who during the first Judaeo-Roman war had counseled submission and surrender were installed by the victors as the religious and political leaders of the Jewish people.
The religious leaders of the European diaspora for almost two thousand years were the spiritual heirs of the Pharisees and rabbis who rose to political and religious dominance only after they had been selected by the Romans as their 'loyal and nonseditious agents.'
Thus, diaspora Judaism began in the aftermath of a catastrophic military defeat and survived by developing a culture of surrender and submission in consequence of that defeat. Until the bloody wars with the Romans, the Jews had been a violent, troublesome, rebellious nation.
Their transformation from a warrior people of the sword into a submissive people of the book led by plebian scribes and scholars took several generations. By the year 200 C.E., Jewish character had undergone one of the most radical pshychological and cultural transformations in history.
Rabbinic Judaism is the result of that transformation. It shaped Jewish character and conditioned Jewish responses in the diaspora for two thousand years.
Long after Western Jews were secularized and considered themselves 'emancipated' from their ancient traditions, they continued as an organized community to respond to their overlords as had those who surrendered to the Romans. No matter how grave the provocation, the Jewish community instinctively avoided violent response. They sought to avert hostile action by bribery, petitions for mercy, or appeals to the religious or moral sentiments of their adversaries."
He has insights into post-Holocaust Judaism that might interest you.
The first is "After Auschwitz," which is a collection of essays. There are 2 editions of this book; the second is relatively recent. The Preface of that one should be read too; he was unable to get a job at any Jewish institution for decades due to his radical views.
The second is entitled "The Cunning of History." I first read this 28 years ago, and somehow have never been able to get over it. This book is quite short.
Below is a paragraph from that book that I think is very important.
This is one long paragraph in the original, but I've broken it up for readability:
"One of the elements conditioning the compliant Jewish response to the process of extermination [specifically in Hungary in 1944, where the Jews knew well what was coming] was their own history.
The last time the Jews had taken up arms against an enemy was during the Judaeo-Roman wars of 66-70 C.E. and 131-135 C.E. On both occasions, they fought valiantly and lost disastrously. Those who during the first Judaeo-Roman war had counseled submission and surrender were installed by the victors as the religious and political leaders of the Jewish people.
The religious leaders of the European diaspora for almost two thousand years were the spiritual heirs of the Pharisees and rabbis who rose to political and religious dominance only after they had been selected by the Romans as their 'loyal and nonseditious agents.'
Thus, diaspora Judaism began in the aftermath of a catastrophic military defeat and survived by developing a culture of surrender and submission in consequence of that defeat. Until the bloody wars with the Romans, the Jews had been a violent, troublesome, rebellious nation.
Their transformation from a warrior people of the sword into a submissive people of the book led by plebian scribes and scholars took several generations. By the year 200 C.E., Jewish character had undergone one of the most radical pshychological and cultural transformations in history.
Rabbinic Judaism is the result of that transformation. It shaped Jewish character and conditioned Jewish responses in the diaspora for two thousand years.
Long after Western Jews were secularized and considered themselves 'emancipated' from their ancient traditions, they continued as an organized community to respond to their overlords as had those who surrendered to the Romans. No matter how grave the provocation, the Jewish community instinctively avoided violent response. They sought to avert hostile action by bribery, petitions for mercy, or appeals to the religious or moral sentiments of their adversaries."
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