Thursday, May 5, 2011

Our May Meeting

Another great evening, talking about books and other topics.
BOOKS DISCUSSED LAST NIGHT:

Our first reviewer, Alex Redner, reported on The Sunflower, by Simon Wiesenthal, the famous Nazi hunter.  Alex has been kind enough to provide me with his notes about this book, which are reprinted in full at the bottom of this post.
The Sunflower was Wiesenthal’s first book. It is an account of his experiences during World War II, but its larger mission is to explore, as the subtitle suggests, “the possibilities and limits of forgiveness.” This newly expanded second edition of the book includes not only Wiesenthal’s own thoughts on the topic, but also responses to his thought-provoking question from a constellation of writers, thinkers, clerics, and other Holocaust survivors.  Please read Alex’s summary below for more details about this great book.
Not surprisingly, Wiesenthal’s book provoked a lively discussion within our own group. First, Simon Wiesenthal is a great hero not only to Holocaust survivors, but also to great many Jews and “righteous gentiles” across the world.  Any book that sheds light on the genesis of his life-long pursuit of Nazi war criminals, and on his own thoughts about accountability and forgiveness, is of great interest to the legions of his fans.  Second, questions about forgiveness for the unspeakable crimes committed by the Nazi, and by their willing accomplices – Who were the culprits? Who has the right to forgive them? Is forgiveness warranted? – will be debated as long as there are people in the world who remember the six million Jews murdered during WWII.
Finally, there was brief mention of Wiesenthal’s best known triumph: his tracking down of Adolph Eichmann, which led to Eichmann’s capture by Mossad agents in a suburb of Buenos Aires on May 11, 1960.  Eichmann was spirited out of Argentina alive, tried for war crimes in a riveting trial followed around the world, and eventually convicted, sentenced, and executed.  Because Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. Navy Seals just two days before our meeting, there was an inevitable, albeit short, discussion of the comparisons between the two cases.  Our conclusion was that the two cases were dissimilar, and that the times have changed.
Next, our congregation president, Meryl Raskin, reviewed a novel by Jenna Blum, called Those Who Save Us.  This is the story of Trudy,     a present-day history professor in Minneapolis, who collects oral histories about WWII from both Germans and Jews, and of her mother, Anna, a German woman who lived through WWII, married an American soldier, and emigrated to this country. Through Trudy’s interviews, and flashbacks to Anna’s life in her hometown of Weimar, the novel gradually, suspensefully, and skillfully reveals a tangled story of Anna’s love affair with a Jewish doctor who dies in Buchenwald (and who turns out to be Trudy’s father); of Anna’s coerced affair with a high-ranking Nazi (whom Trudy incorrectly suspects of being her father); and of Anna’s (and Trudy’s) life after the war, shedding new light not only on the atrocities of the Nazi era, but also on the anti-Semitism over the years, from the standpoint of those who practice it and those who are victimized by it.  Surprisingly, given its subject matter, this is a quick, entertaining, and highly recommended novel.
Next, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, our resident expert on all matters Jewish, Phil Silverman, gave us a short, but insightful, report on the role of Jews in both the Confederate and Union armies.  Specifically, Phil summarized for us American Jewry and the Civil War, by Bertram Korn (Rear Admiral Bertram Korn was the first Jewish chaplain to attain flag rank in any of the United States armed forces; he was also the long-time rabbi of Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, and the author of 12 books on the history of Jews in America), and General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse, by Joseph Glatthaar.  In addition, Phil touched upon the infamous General Order No. 11, issued by Ulysses S. Grant on December 17, 1862, which expelled all Jews from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.  (The Order was subsequently countermanded by Abraham Lincoln.)
As with every topic on last night’s agenda, we could have easily spent the entire evening talking about the Jewish experience during the Civil War.  Because of time constraints, we had just enough time to whet our appetites for further readings and discussions on the timely topic, as we re-live the Civil Was experience from a 150-year perspective.
Finally, we wrapped up our evening with a bit of fluff, in the form of Calvin Trillin’s novel Tepper Isn't Going Out, reviewed for us by Janie Siman-Glatt and Helene Geiger.  First, we were surprised to learn that a guy named Calvin Trillin is Jewish.  Trillin, who was born in Kansas City, is quoted in Salon.com as saying:  “I should say that in Kansas City, Calvin Trillin is a very common Jewish name.” (Keep in mind that he is a humorist.)  Second, we learned about the art and science of alternate-side street parking in New York City, and about the perils of asking for “a nice whitefish” at Russ & Daughters on Houston Street in the Lower East Side.  Third, we learned that this is a laugh-out-loud book, and a great read for the summer, especially for those of us who have spent a little time in New York City, and have tried, G-d forbid, to park there.
Alex Redner’s Notes for his presentation last night:
“THE SUNFLOWER”
By
Simon Wiesenthal,
(Revised, second edition)

About the author.
Simon Wiesenthal was born in 1908, in Galicia, a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire, (Southeastern Poland). He graduated from the Polytechnique Engineering School in Lwow, just before the war started. After Lwow was occupied by German armies in July of 1941, he was imprisoned in several Labor camps, starting in Janowska camp in Lwow; he was moved to Buchenwald and later to Mauthousen where he was eventually liberated.
After defeat of Germany, he joined the American Commission for War crimes.
He founded the Jewish Historical Documentation Center in Vienna, to track the escaping German war criminals. His work was instrumental in bringing over 1000 German Nazi war criminals to justice.
Among many distinctions, he received US gold medal for humanitarian work, sixteen honorary doctorates, published several books.
His first book, The SUNFLOWER, was written shortly after the war, in the sixties. The book was translated into many languages, and I was able to read an early French version.
The Sunflower relates suffering of daily survival of prisoners, and the bestiality of SS guards. The Janowski labor camp was described in 4 books, the most detailed is “WHY”, written by Leon Richman, also a prisoner, one of few survivors, and also by a young engineer, who survived volunteering to “work” in Germany as a Pole.
Work-squads were routinely marched by their SS escorts to various work assignments. One day, a group of prisoners was led to the building that became a hospital caring for wounded German soldiers. Unexpectedly, a nurse came out and ordered a JEWISH prisoner to follow her. She led Simon to the bedside of a wounded SS man, heavily bandaged, with very little time left. The SS man literally grabbed Simon’s hand and related to Simon his actions against Jews. The story took hours, and toward the end he begged for Simon’s FORGIVNESS.
 Throughout the narration, Simon was identifying his family, friends and thousands of victims with the victims of the SS man. He was unable to expressly grant forgiveness to the dying SS man, since in his view, he COULD only EXPRESS FORGIVENESS FOR CRIMES against him, but could not absolve for crimes committed against so many innocent victims. Simon had some doubts, was not sure if he did the right thing refusing forgiveness to a man who confessed to his crimes, and begged for forgiveness on his deathbed. Years later, after liberation, he even visited the dead SS mother. He did not want to disillusion the grieving mother that mourned a son that she considered a good man…..
After many years, and after participating in numerous trials of unrepentant NAZI war criminals, Simon Wiesenthal wonders:  “Will we ever be able to prevent the creation of mass murderers???   (95)
YOU who have just read this sad and tragic episode in my life, can mentally change place with me and ask yourself the crucial question, WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE?”
The second edition (English translation) was printed in 1998.
This second edition includes an important addition, a very uncommon feature:
It includes comments and responsa to the key question raised by Mr. Wiesenthal in his book: “Limits of Forgiveness”
Does anyone has the right to express forgiveness for crimes committed by a Nazi responsible for atrocities and murders of innocent Jewish victims, even if the perpetrator confesses to his crimes?
The answer to this question is discussed by members of clergy, political leaders, writers and victims of prosecutions. More than 50 opinions are expressed in this new section, including comments by The Dalai Lama, (p129) Cardinal Koenig, (p182)  Rabbi Kushner, (p183)  Primo Levi, (p191) Admiral Albert Speer,(p245)  Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, (p193)  Bishop Desmond Tutu (266) Sidney Shachnow (241) just to mention some opinions expressed by experts in related fields, intimately familiar with the Holocaust…