Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum Historians long have analyzed the emergence of the “final
solution of the Jewish question” primarily on the basis of German
documentation, devoting much less attention to wartime Jewish
perceptions of the growing threat. Jürgen Matthäus fills this
critical gap by showcasing the highly insightful reports compiled
during the first half of World War II by two Geneva-based offices:
those of Richard Lichtheim representing the Jewish Agency for
Palestine and of Gerhart Riegner’s World Jewish Congress office.
Since the first days of war, Lichtheim’s predictions of Jewish dead
ran in the millions and increased progressively with the rising tide
of Nazi rule over Europe. His and Riegner’s perceptions of German
anti-Jewish policy resulted from shared goals and personal experiences
as well as from their bureaus’ range of functions and the massive
problems that impacted the gathering and communicating of information
on the unfolding Holocaust in German-controlled Europe. Beyond the
specifics of the wartime Geneva setting, these sources show how human
cognition works in times of extreme crisis and contribute to a better
understanding of the potential inherent in Jewish sources for gauging
perpetrator actions. The reports and contextual information featured
here reflect the first narratives on the Holocaust, their emergence,
evolution, and importance for post-war historiography.
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Jewish Organizations Report from Geneva on the Emergence of the “Final Solution,” 1939–1942
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9798216287346
Publisert
2025
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Bloomsbury USA
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter