Jews

The book, divided into three sections - Diaspora, Holocaust, Israel, discusses Jewish characteristics and traits, and issues and ideas relating to Jews which have arisen over the years, focusing on views and events in the 20th century. In the section "Holocaust" (pp. 135-260), discusses various aspects of the Holocaust and its aftermath, including the special relationship between Jews and Germans before World War II and the breakdown of that relationship due to antisemitism, and the attitudes and activities of Europeans, including the Dutch, Belgians, Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians, Romanians, Bulgarians, and Ukrainians as participants (or resisters) in the Holocaust. Evaluates favorably the European Jewish leadership during the Holocaust. Suggests that the Jewish memory of the Holocaust tends to overlook the suffering of other victims of the Nazis (Russians, Poles, Gypsies, etc.) and that it takes too much space in Jewish memory and education. Discusses, also, anti-Zionism expressed by American journalists (Jewish and non-Jewish) as symptomatic of Jewish self-hatred and of antisemitism. Includes bibliographical references (pages 351-358) and index. 364 pages ; 23 cm