Reflections on the Holocaust

The essays collected in this volume were written by Humanity in Action Fellows, Senior Fellows, board members and lecturers who have participated in its educational programs from 1997 to 2010. Humanity in Action programs focus on the obligation to understand genocide, particularly the Holocaust and other mass atrocities in the 20th and 21st centuries, and connect them to the complex challenges of diversity in contemporary societies. Interdisciplinary and intellectually rigorous,...
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The essays collected in this volume were written by Humanity in Action Fellows, Senior Fellows, board members and lecturers who have participated in its educational programs from 1997 to 2010. Humanity in Action programs focus on the obligation to understand genocide, particularly the Holocaust and other mass atrocities in the 20th and 21st centuries, and connect them to the complex challenges of diversity in contemporary societies. Interdisciplinary and intellectually rigorous, these programs explore past and present models of resistance to injustice and emphasize the responsibility of future leaders to be active citizens and accountable decision makers. Each essay in this volume reflects upon the difficult necessity of understanding, teaching and memorializing the Holocaust. In addition, the essays consider our responsibility, as citizens living under democracies, to draw moral and ethical lessons from the Holocaust, as well as other mass genocides. These essays do not set out to find answers. Instead, in the spirit of Humanity in Action, they challenge the reader to ask questions, to think critically and to act courageously. This volume of essays highlights the dangers of standing by, tolerating injustice and turning a blind eye.