Introductory Topics in Middle East and North African Studies (290-4-1)
Topic
The Holocaust and Its Memory in Israel
Instructors
Maayan Hilel
Crowe Hall, 5-155
Office Hours: Thursday 5:00 - 6:00
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-335: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
The Holocaust and its Memory in Israel
This course examines the origins, development, course, and consequences of the most comprehensive genocide in history and the ways it has been remembered by Israeli society. The first part of the course will focus on the persecution of Jews during the first half of the 20th century culminating in their genocide between 1939-1945. We will discuss Nazi ideology; the complex interface between the Nazi regime's espousal of racism and the motivation of perpetrators on the ground; the interface between politics and law; the victims' reactions to persecution; conditions of life in the ghettos and camps; the response of the international community; and the aftermath of the war. In the second part of the course, we will examine Israeli society's different and even contradicting attitudes toward the Holocaust. We will probe how the establishment of the State of Israel, the 1950s mass immigration, and the evolving Arab-Israeli conflict shaped Israelis' understanding and memory of the Holocaust. We will analyze various primary documents and watch videos throughout the course.
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area