Building Bridges Among Abraham's Childrenhonors the extraordinary career of Professor Michael Berenbaum, a luminary in Holocaust studies, museum design, filmmaking, and interfaith dialogue. With contributions from renowned scholars and close friends, the short and highly readable essays in this collection delve into the core themes that have defined Professor Berenbaum's work: biblical and postbiblical narratives, rabbinic thought and action, Jewish commitment to education, interreligious relations, and Holocaust remembrance. From his role in building the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to his pioneering work in preserving survivor testimonies through film, Professor Berenbaum's influence is profound and multifaceted, and the compelling essays in this volume serve as a tribute to a scholar whose enduring legacy continues to make a global impact.
Contents Acknowledgments The Editors Preface: Blessing an Illustrious Student: The Scholarship of Michael Berenbaum Richard L. Rubenstein Foreword: Giving Thanks for an Amazing Colleague: Michael Berenbaum as an Educator, Museum Builder, and Filmmaker Jeffrey Herbst Introduction: Creating a Multi-Focused Festschrift: Michael Berenbaum as a Multi-Talented Bridge-Builder Edward McGlynn Gaffney Part One. Expressing Deep Thanks: Personal Tributes from Old Friends 1. Expanding Horizons of Jewish Thought and Modelling Integrity: The Lifelong Impact of a Campus Rabbi on a College Freshman Jane Eisner 2. Grasping and Expressing Foundational Insights: An Anchor and a Pillar in Holocaust Studies John K. Roth 3. Creating Living Memorials after the Catastrophe: Michael Berenbaum’s Contribution to Holocaust Education Irving Greenberg 4. Befriending Our Family, Loving Books, and Building Museums: A Capacious Mind and a Generous Soul Stuart E. Eizenstat 5. Learning Most from One’s Students: The Highest Standard of Teaching Excellence Carol Rittner, RSM 6. Learning from a Patient Teacher: My Steady Friend Michael Berenbaum Jeanette Friedman Sieradski 7. Teaching Teachers of the Shoah: The Recurring Impact of a Mentor and Friend Harriet Sepinwall 8. Opening Doors of Opportunity for Other Filmmakers: A Better Understanding of Hollywood Deborah Oppenheimer Part Two. Searching for Meaning in Ancient Texts: Biblical, Talmudic, and Midrashic Narratives and Theology Painting: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel Eugène Delacroix 9. Wrestling with God and Contending with Fire: Jacob at the Jabbok and Moses at the Burning Bush Henry F. Knight 10. Harvesting the Berry Tree: A Midrash for Michael Berenbaum (on Pirke Rabbi Eliezer 30–31) Burton L. Visotzky 11. Marking Jewish Identity in a Famous Memoir: Page One of Elie Wiesel’s Night David Patterson 12. Seeing through the Prism of the Shoah: Biblical, Talmudic, and Hasidic Characters of Elie Wiesel Joel Rappel 13. Honoring Father and Mother: An Impossible Possibility? H. Martin Rumscheidt 14. Searching for Wisdom: Ethical Guidance in Proverbs, Psalms, Prophets, and Midrash Joseph Blenkinsopp 15. Probing Deeply for Common Ground: Jewish Scholarship on Jesus the Jew Edward Kessler 16. Transforming a Symbol: The Scandal of the Cross Donald P. Senior, CP 17. Rereading “His Blood Be Upon Us”: The Blessing of the Blood of Life in Matthew’s Gospel Frederick A. Niedner 18. Arranging Readings in the Lectionary: The Problem of “Troublesome Readings” in the Liturgy Dianne Bergant, CSA Part Three. Rebuilding a Culture after a Catastrophe: Rabbinic Thought and Action Painting: Rosh Hashanah Arthur Szyk Photos: Standing in the Need of Prayer: Beth Tefilla and Egalitarian Worship 19. Restoring Credibility and Revelation in a World Still Full of Atrocities: Religion, Ethics, and Culture after the Shoah Irving Greenberg Poem: “god” Robert Krell 20. Rethinking Theology after the Shoah: God as a Universal Force of Transformation and Healing Michael Lerner 21. Understanding Jewish Law: Fundamental Purposes, Modern Approaches to Its Observance, and Three Psalms in Its Praise Elliot N. Dorff 22. Acting Justly and Pursuing Peace: The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism David Saperstein 23. Agonizing and Preaching Boldly in the Pulpit: Rabbi Isaac Herzog in Dublin and Jerusalem Marc Saperstein 24. Discerning a Role for God’s Law and Popular Governance: Rabbi Hayyim David Halevi on the State of Israel and Democracy David Ellenson 25. Searching Our Souls and Confessing Our Sins: Small and Large Confessions for Yom Kippur Arik Ascherman Sculpture: Marble Bas-Relief of Rabbi Maimonides, United States Capitol Building Brenda Putnam Photos: Speaking in God’s Name in Public Fora: Rabbis Protesting on the Streets, in Congress, and in a Cemetery against Genocide, Racism, and Modern Warfare, 1943–1968 Part Four. Promoting Growth in Understanding: Jewish Commitment to Education Sculpture: Rabbi Maimonides, Córdoba, Spain Amadeo Olmos Ruiz Photos: Searching for Wisdom Wherever It May Be Found: Images of Jewish Learning 26. Building Edifices of Jewish Knowledge: Michael Berenbaum and the Third Encyclopaedia Judaica David N. Myers 27. Introducing College Students to Jewish Customs and Beliefs: The Importance of Jewish Studies Programs Richard Libowitz Poem: “They Sat in the Back” Hannah Daniel 28. Searching for Holocaust Insights: Museums as Living Memorials and Dual Narratives in Holocaust Education Holli Levitsky 29. Trusting and Contending in Jewish Education: Curricular Integration and Interaction Gordon Bernat-Kunin 30. Sustaining Jewish Commitment to Education as a Central Value: Holocaust Education and Museum Building Edward Jacobs 31. Celebrating Freedom in the Cradle of Liberty: The National Museum of American Jewish History Jonathan D. Sarna 32. Illuminating Inclusive Freedom and Equipping Modern Abolitionists: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Woodrow Keown, Jr. and Christopher Miller Appendix: “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (The Black National Anthem) James Weldon Johnson 33. Helping Teachers to Teach and Students to Learn: Facing History and Ourselves Margot Stern Strom Part Five. Reconnecting Abrahamic Collegiality and Building Beautiful Bridges: Interreligious Encounters Sculpture: Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time Joshua Koffman Photos: Healing Wounds: Journeys of Friendship—Auschwitz, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Rome 34. Abandoning Ancient Enmity and Seeking Covenantal Partnership: The Relationship between Judaism and Christianity Irving Greenberg 35. Learning through Dialogue: The Work of the ICCJ from Seelisburg to the Present John T. Pawlikowski, OSM Appendix A: An Address to the Churches—Ten Points of Seelisberg International Conference of Christians and Jews (August 1947) Appendix B: Address to International Council of Christians and Jews Pope Francis (June 30, 2015) 36. Replacing the Teaching of Contempt for Jews: Jules Isaac and Historical Truths about Jesus and the Jewish People of His Time Norman C. Tobias Appendix A: Eighteen Points to Rectify Christian Teaching about Jews and Judaism (1947) Jules Isaac Appendix B: Memorandum on Private Audience of Jules Isaac with Pope John XXIII, June 13, 1966 Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla 37. Repenting for Sins against Jews and Harvesting Fruits of Mutual Respect: International Dialogue between Jews and Catholics after Vatican II Cardinal Kurt Koch Appendix: Pope Francis to Executive Committee, World Jewish Congress (November 22, 2022) Pope Francis 38. Repudiating the Teaching of Contempt for Jews and Ending a Catholic Mission to Convert Jews: Nostra Aetate and the Jubilee Statement on Conversion Noam E. Marans 39. Sustaining a Quiet Revolution: Popes and Jews since the Shoah Dennis B. McManus 40. Confronting Racial Antisemitism and Rejecting Contempt for Jews: Reform of Catholic Preaching and Teaching about Jews Eugene J. Fisher 41. Establishing an Enduring Friendship: Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum and Cardinal Johannes Willebrands Judith Hershcopf Banki 42. Doing the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Orthodox Jewish Statements on Jewish-Christian Relations David Rosen 43. Rereading Dabru Emet and Its Successors: Jewish Statements on Christians and Christianity David Fox Sandmel Appendix: Reading Dabru Emet and Its Successors: Jewish Statements on Christians and Christianity National Jewish Scholars Project (September 20, 2000) 44. Gathering the Fruits of a Half-Century on Reflection on the Shoah: The Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches Marcia Sachs Littell 45. Attending to Complicity, Identity, and the Integrity of “And”: The Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches Henry F. Knight 46. Repairing a Damaged Relationship: A Half-Century of Jewish-Lutheran Dialogue Darrell Jodock and Emily Soloff Poem: “Night Voices” Dietrich Bonhoeffer 47. Rethinking the Current Goal of Jewish-Christian Relations: Reconsideration Rather Than Reconciliation Amy-Jill Levine 48. Moving beyond “Holy Wars”: Interreligious Dialogue as a Tool for Forging Sustainable Peace Christoffer H. Grundmann 49. Creating Spiritual Remedies for Our Social Pathologies: Reflections of a Religious Peacebuilder Yehezkel Landau 50. Rejecting Revenge and Preserving Our Humanity: My Journey from the Parents’ Circle to a Treatise on Peace Yitzhak Frankenthal Poem: “Mending Wall” Robert Frost 51. Healing a Mother’s Broken Heart: Letters to My Son and the Family of His Assassin Robi Damelin 52. Expanding Dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims: A Step Closer to Human Fraternity, World Peace, and Living Together Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, M.Afr. 53. Evaluating Jewish-Muslim Relations in the Middle Ages: Golden or Ghastly? Reuven Firestone 54. Outing White Supremacy as a Threat to Jews and Muslims: Strategies for Confronting a Common Enemy Salam Al-Marayati 55. Challenging Group Bias: Benefits of Contact and Dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims Faisal Kutty 56. Educating Muslims about the Shoah: Memory and Meaning in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Mehnaz M. Afridi 57. Knowing a Person by Her Actions to Help Others: The Discovery of the Prophet in His People Ingrid Mattson 58. Striving for Justice and Protecting Human Life: The Universality of People-Centered Human Rights Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im Photos: Building and Maintaining Beautiful Bridges: Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge Stained Glass: Stained Glass: Rainbow Shabbat The Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman Part Six. Remembering for Our Future: The Shoah Photos: Piercing the Darkness and Seeing Beyond the Shadows of the Shoah Judy Glickman Lauder Yellow Star, Theresienstadt Railroad Tracks from Warsaw to Treblinka, Poland Arbeit Macht Frei, Dachau Concentration Camp, Germany Shoes, Auschwitz Majdanek Death Camp, Poland Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland Chimneys Poem: “O The Chimneys!” Nelly Sachs 59. Seeing within and beyond Shadows: A Memoir of a Personal Journey Judy Glickman Lauder 60. Seeing Darkness and Light through a Camera Lens: Judy Glickman Lauder’s Images of the Shoah Michael Berenbaum Multi-Media Art: The Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman Treblinka/Genocide, Detail Wall of Indifference, Detail Bones of Treblinka A. Historical and Scientific Research 61. Studying the Holocaust: Why It Still Matters Christopher R. Browning 62. Committing Makeshift Murder: The Disorganized Holocaust Peter Hayes 63. Heeding Warnings from Holocaust History: The Perils of Fake News and Statelessness Timothy Snyder 64. Resisting Forced Labor in Warthegau and Galicia: A Tale of Two Cemeteries Martin C. Dean 65. Opposing and Protesting: Forgotten Individual Jewish Resistance in Nazi Germany Wolf Gruner 66. Meeting Himmler: Norbert Masur’s Negotiation of the Release of Jewish Women from Ravensbrück Stanley A. Goldman 67. Confronting Evil: Ilya Ehrenburg and the Holocaust Joshua Rubenstein Poem: “Kol Nidre” Abraham Sutzkever 68. Navigating Broad Seas and Difficult Straits: Michael Berenbaum’s Passage from Tikkun Olam to Grey Zones Jonathan Petropoulos 69. Honoring the Righteous Among the Nations: Yad Vashem’s Department of the Righteous Irena Steinfeldt 70. Searching for Goodness and Supporting Courage: The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous Stanlee J. Stahl 71. Saving Jewish Lives with Schutzpasses and Protected Houses: Carl Lutz’s Rescue Operation in Budapest Susanne M. Reyto 72. Honoring Heroic Courage to Care: Lessons to Learn from Raoul Wallenberg Irwin Cotler 73. Granting Visas for Life: Courageous and Righteous Diplomats Eric Saul 74. Confronting a Mixed Record: The Italians and the Holocaust Susan Zuccotti 75. Heeding Dangers of Holocaust Distortion in Eastern Europe: The Case of Lithuania Efraim Zuroff 76. Collaborating with Germany in the Final Solution: The Shoah in Bulgarian-Occupied Greece Paul Isaac Hagouel 77. Remembering an Orphan of Holocaust Studies: The Romaniote Jews of Ioannina Marcia Haddad Ikonopoulos 78. Listening to Sounds from Silence: Healing the Trauma of Child Holocaust Survivors Robert Krell 79. Hoping that “A Remnant Shall Return”: Survival of “Displaced Persons” Abraham J. Peck 80. Discovering Memories My Parents Never Spoke Of: Silence, Nachas, and Resilience in the Life of a Second-Generation Survivor Rosalie Berger Levinson 81. Healing an On-Going Trauma: Burdens of the Second Generation Klara Firestone 82. Opening a New Frontier in Holocaust Studies: New Approaches to Geoscience and Archaeology Richard A. Freund 83. Finding the Mass Graves of Jews Killed by Bullets: The Work of Yahad—In Unum Patrick Desbois B. Ethical, Philosophical, and Theological Reflections 84. Clarifying Shoah Historiography: Jewish Religious and Theological Reflections Zev Garber 85. Comparing Genocides: An Opportunity to Learn to Care about Humanity Israel W. Charny 86. Defining Genocide and Preventing Future Genocides: Never Again for Any Ethnic Group Carol Rittner, RSM 87. Holding Important Issues in Tension: Uniqueness, Integration, and Historical Context Omer Bartov 88. Paying Attention to Antisemitism Today: Are Twenty-Nine Million Reasons Enough? Yehuda Bauer 89. Taking Alarm at American Nazis in a Virginia College Town: Racist and Antisemitic Ideology, Rhetoric, and Symbols at the Charlottesville Rally Deborah E. Lipstadt Poem: “Prayer for the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh” Alden Solovy 90. Coming to Terms with the Holocaust: Appearances and Truths in Germany Günther Jikeli C. Diplomatic, Legal, and Political Issues 91. Abandoning Jewish Refugees from Nazi Germany: Evian, Kristallnacht, and the SS St. Louis Stuart E. Eizenstat 92. Recalling Nuremberg at Seventy-Five: The Greatest Criminal Trial in Modern History Michael Bazyler Poem: A Wagon of Shoes / א פור פון שיכלעך Abraham Sutzkever 93. Remembering an Elided Ally: Soviet Contributions to the International Military Tribunal Francine Hirsch 94. Looming Larger Than Life: Benjamin Ferencz and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials Hilary Earl 95. Learning from the Nuremberg Trials: Ongoing Lessons for Our World Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella 96. Seeking Compensation for Slave and Forced Labor in World War II: A History Deborah Sturman 97. Blocking Claims for Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art: Judicial Abandonment of Federal Policy in World War II Jennifer Anglim Kreder 98. Finding Hope for Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art?: The Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016 Raymond J. Dowd 99. Digitizing the Nazi Theft of European Jewish Culture: The Jewish Digital Cultural Recovery Project Deidre Berger and Wesley Fisher 100. Probing the Provenance of Nazi-Confiscated Art and Achieving Harmonious Resolution of Conflicts: The Washington Principles and the Terezín Declaration Richard Aronowitz and Eileen Brankovic D. Memorials and Museums: Research Centers and Archives of Survivor Testimony Photos: Building a Living Museum, Learning Names, and Inviting Bystanders to Become Upstanders 101. Probing What the Holocaust Has to Do with America: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Chaim Potok 102. Connecting with the Conscience of Museum Visitors: The Ethical Orientation of the USHMM Ralph Appelbaum and Paul Williams 103. Telling the Story, Getting It Right: The Permanent Exhibition of the USHMM and the Claude Lanzmann Shoah Collection Raye Farr 104. Constructing Virtual Tombstones: The Photo Archive of the USHMM Judith Cohen 105. Advancing Study and Teaching of the Holocaust: The Research Center of the USHMM Wendy Lower 106. Struggling to Preserve Memories: The Creation of the USHMM Edward Tabor Linenthal 107. Making the “Most Lethal” Nazi Death Camp Unforgettable: The Construction of the Belzec Memorial Andrew Baker 108. Building a Living Museum in the Balkans: The Memorial of the Jews of North Macedonia Edward McGlynn Gaffney Appendix: Museums and Exhibitions Curated, Designed, or Developed by Michael Berenbaum 109. Reflecting on Loss, Memorial Art, and the Spaces in Between: The Berlin Denkmal and New York City’s 9/11 Memorial James E. Young 110. Giving Voice to Holocaust Survivors: Interviewers of the Shoah Foundation Karen Jungblut and Ari C. Zev 111. Preserving Survivor Testimony and Expanding Horizons of Holocaust Education: USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive® and Documentary Films June Beallor 112. Domesticating Holocaust Memory: “House” and “Home” at the USHMM and USC Shoah Foundation Oren Baruch Stier 113. Thinking Oral Historically: Persons, Places, and Events in Holocaust Testimony Michael Nutkiewicz E. Creative Arts: Poetry and Painting Poets Poems František Bass “Garden of Roses, Like a Boy in Bloom” Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Night Voices” Paul Celan “Deathfugue” Paul Celan “Nocturnally Pouting” Hannah Daniel “They Sat in the Back” Pavel Friedmann “The Butterfly” Pavel Friedmann “Terezín” Robert Frost “Mending Wall” Jacob Glatstein “I Have Never Been Here Before” Hirsh Glick “Quiet, the Night is Full of Stars” James Weldon Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Robert Krell “god” Primo Levi “Shema” Dan Pagis “Written in Pencil in the Sealed Boxcar” Eva Picková “Fear” Miklós Radnóti “Root” Nelly Sachs “Chorus of the Rescued” Nelly Sachs “O! The Chimneys!” Nelly Sachs “People of the Earth” Nelly Sachs “What Secret Cravings of the Blood” Eva Schulzová “Evening in Terezín” Alden Solovy “Prayer for the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh” Abraham Sutzkever “Burnt Pearls” Abraham Sutzkever “How?” Abraham Sutzkever “Kol Nidre” Abraham Sutzkever “A Wagon of Shoes” Elie Wiesel “Who Are You?” 114. Searching for Language Beyond Words: Holocaust Poetry Lawrence L. Langer 115. Defying Violence against Children: Poetry and Painting in the Terezín Ghetto Lori R. Weintrob 116. Embracing Refugees of the Passover, the Shoah, and Our Own Times: Marc Chagall’s Exodus and the Crucified Jesus Zac Koons 117. Listening with Love: My Father’s Visual and Narrative Memory Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett 118. Demanding Action—Not Pity: The Holocaust Art of Arthur Szyk Irvin Ungar F. Music 119. Rescuing Music Composed in Concentration Camps: The Institute for Concentrationary Musical Literature (ICML) Francesco Lotoro Appendix: Two Songs Composed in Concentration Camps 120. Preserving and Performing Jewish Music: The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony Noreen Green Appendix: Dachaulied (Dachau Song), Lyrics by Jura Soyfer, Music and English Translation by Herbert Zipper G. Cinema and Theater 121. Making Holocaust Films: Michael Berenbaum’s Cinematic Career Lawrence Baron Appendix: Filmography of Michael Berenbaum 122. Documenting a Complicated Story: Empty Boxcars and the Shoah in Bulgaria and Its Occupied Territories Edward McGlynn Gaffney 123. From Cursing Jews for the Death of Jesus to Blessing Our Brothers and Sisters: The Revised Oberammergau Passion Play Leonard J. Swidler 124. Searching for Ideas with Consequences: Illustrations of Holocaust Insights from Cinema and Theater John K. Roth 125. Honoring Persons with Courage to Care and Rejoicing in the Survival of the Persons They Rescued: A Photo Essay on Rescuers and Survivors The Editors Poem: “Shema” Primo Levi Part Seven. Schmoozing with the Mishpacha: Letters from the Family and an Afterword 126. Thanking Our Saba Jeremy and Hannah Grinblat 127. Wondering How My Abba Does It Mira Leza Berenbaum 128. Trading Insider Information on Best Dad Ever Joshua Boaz Berenbaum 129. Honoring My Courageous Father Philip Lev Bayer-Berenbaum 130. Appreciating My Favorite (and Only) Father-in-Law Tal Grinblat 131. Sharing Spiritual Lessons from my Father’s Life: Reflections on Parshat Re’eh on Abba’s 75th Birthday Ilana Berenbaum Grinblat 132. Celebrating Michael Melissa Patack 133. Rereading an Afterword: Things ""The World Must (Still) Know"" Michael Berenbaum Contributors Copyright Notices and Permissions IndexContents Acknowledgments The Editors Preface: Blessing an Illustrious Student: The Scholarship of Michael Berenbaum Richard L. Rubenstein Foreword: Giving Thanks for an Amazing Colleague: Michael Berenbaum as an Educator, Museum Builder, and Filmmaker Jeffrey Herbst Introduction: Creating a Multi-Focused Festschrift: Michael Berenbaum as a Multi-Talented Bridge-Builder Edward McGlynn Gaffney Part One. Expressing Deep Thanks: Personal Tributes from Old Friends 1. Expanding Horizons of Jewish Thought and Modelling Integrity: The Lifelong Impact of a Campus Rabbi on a College Freshman Jane Eisner 2. Grasping and Expressing Foundational Insights: An Anchor and a Pillar in Holocaust Studies John K. Roth 3. Creating Living Memorials after the Catastrophe: Michael Berenbaum’s Contribution to Holocaust Education Irving Greenberg 4. Befriending Our Family, Loving Books, and Building Museums: A Capacious Mind and a Generous Soul Stuart E. Eizenstat 5. Learning Most from One’s Students: The Highest Standard of Teaching Excellence Carol Rittner, RSM 6. Learning from a Patient Teacher: My Steady Friend Michael Berenbaum Jeanette Friedman Sieradski 7. Teaching Teachers of the Shoah: The Recurring Impact of a Mentor and Friend Harriet Sepinwall 8. Opening Doors of Opportunity for Other Filmmakers: A Better Understanding of Hollywood Deborah Oppenheimer Part Two. Searching for Meaning in Ancient Texts: Biblical, Talmudic, and Midrashic Narratives and Theology Painting: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel Eugène Delacroix 9. Wrestling with God and Contending with Fire: Jacob at the Jabbok and Moses at the Burning Bush Henry F. Knight 10. Harvesting the Berry Tree: A Midrash for Michael Berenbaum (on Pirke Rabbi Eliezer 30–31) Burton L. Visotzky 11. Marking Jewish Identity in a Famous Memoir: Page One of Elie Wiesel’s Night David Patterson 12. Seeing through the Prism of the Shoah: Biblical, Talmudic, and Hasidic Characters of Elie Wiesel Joel Rappel 13. Honoring Father and Mother: An Impossible Possibility? H. Martin Rumscheidt 14. Searching for Wisdom: Ethical Guidance in Proverbs, Psalms, Prophets, and Midrash Joseph Blenkinsopp 15. Probing Deeply for Common Ground: Jewish Scholarship on Jesus the Jew Edward Kessler 16. Transforming a Symbol: The Scandal of the Cross Donald P. Senior, CP 17. Rereading “His Blood Be Upon Us”: The Blessing of the Blood of Life in Matthew’s Gospel Frederick A. Niedner 18. Arranging Readings in the Lectionary: The Problem of “Troublesome Readings” in the Liturgy Dianne Bergant, CSA Part Three. Rebuilding a Culture after a Catastrophe: Rabbinic Thought and Action Painting: Rosh Hashanah Arthur Szyk Photos: Standing in the Need of Prayer: Beth Tefilla and Egalitarian Worship 19. Restoring Credibility and Revelation in a World Still Full of Atrocities: Religion, Ethics, and Culture after the Shoah Irving Greenberg Poem: “god” Robert Krell 20. Rethinking Theology after the Shoah: God as a Universal Force of Transformation and Healing Michael Lerner 21. Understanding Jewish Law: Fundamental Purposes, Modern Approaches to Its Observance, and Three Psalms in Its Praise Elliot N. Dorff 22. Acting Justly and Pursuing Peace: The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism David Saperstein 23. Agonizing and Preaching Boldly in the Pulpit: Rabbi Isaac Herzog in Dublin and Jerusalem Marc Saperstein 24. Discerning a Role for God’s Law and Popular Governance: Rabbi Hayyim David Halevi on the State of Israel and Democracy David Ellenson 25. Searching Our Souls and Confessing Our Sins: Small and Large Confessions for Yom Kippur Arik Ascherman Sculpture: Marble Bas-Relief of Rabbi Maimonides, United States Capitol Building Brenda Putnam Photos: Speaking in God’s Name in Public Fora: Rabbis Protesting on the Streets, in Congress, and in a Cemetery against Genocide, Racism, and Modern Warfare, 1943–1968 Part Four. Promoting Growth in Understanding: Jewish Commitment to Education Sculpture: Rabbi Maimonides, Córdoba, Spain Amadeo Olmos Ruiz Photos: Searching for Wisdom Wherever It May Be Found: Images of Jewish Learning 26. Building Edifices of Jewish Knowledge: Michael Berenbaum and the Third Encyclopaedia Judaica David N. Myers 27. Introducing College Students to Jewish Customs and Beliefs: The Importance of Jewish Studies Programs Richard Libowitz Poem: “They Sat in the Back” Hannah Daniel 28. Searching for Holocaust Insights: Museums as Living Memorials and Dual Narratives in Holocaust Education Holli Levitsky 29. Trusting and Contending in Jewish Education: Curricular Integration and Interaction Gordon Bernat-Kunin 30. Sustaining Jewish Commitment to Education as a Central Value: Holocaust Education and Museum Building Edward Jacobs 31. Celebrating Freedom in the Cradle of Liberty: The National Museum of American Jewish History Jonathan D. Sarna 32. Illuminating Inclusive Freedom and Equipping Modern Abolitionists: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Woodrow Keown, Jr. and Christopher Miller Appendix: “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (The Black National Anthem) James Weldon Johnson 33. Helping Teachers to Teach and Students to Learn: Facing History and Ourselves Margot Stern Strom Part Five. Reconnecting Abrahamic Collegiality and Building Beautiful Bridges: Interreligious Encounters Sculpture: Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time Joshua Koffman Photos: Healing Wounds: Journeys of Friendship—Auschwitz, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Rome 34. Abandoning Ancient Enmity and Seeking Covenantal Partnership: The Relationship between Judaism and Christianity Irving Greenberg 35. Learning through Dialogue: The Work of the ICCJ from Seelisburg to the Present John T. Pawlikowski, OSM Appendix A: An Address to the Churches—Ten Points of Seelisberg International Conference of Christians and Jews (August 1947) Appendix B: Address to International Council of Christians and Jews Pope Francis (June 30, 2015) 36. Replacing the Teaching of Contempt for Jews: Jules Isaac and Historical Truths about Jesus and the Jewish People of His Time Norman C. Tobias Appendix A: Eighteen Points to Rectify Christian Teaching about Jews and Judaism (1947) Jules Isaac Appendix B: Memorandum on Private Audience of Jules Isaac with Pope John XXIII, June 13, 1966 Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla 37. Repenting for Sins against Jews and Harvesting Fruits of Mutual Respect: International Dialogue between Jews and Catholics after Vatican II Cardinal Kurt Koch Appendix: Pope Francis to Executive Committee, World Jewish Congress (November 22, 2022) Pope Francis 38. Repudiating the Teaching of Contempt for Jews and Ending a Catholic Mission to Convert Jews: Nostra Aetate and the Jubilee Statement on Conversion Noam E. Marans 39. Sustaining a Quiet Revolution: Popes and Jews since the Shoah Dennis B. McManus 40. Confronting Racial Antisemitism and Rejecting Contempt for Jews: Reform of Catholic Preaching and Teaching about Jews Eugene J. Fisher 41. Establishing an Enduring Friendship: Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum and Cardinal Johannes Willebrands Judith Hershcopf Banki 42. Doing the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Orthodox Jewish Statements on Jewish-Christian Relations David Rosen 43. Rereading Dabru Emet and Its Successors: Jewish Statements on Christians and Christianity David Fox Sandmel Appendix: Reading Dabru Emet and Its Successors: Jewish Statements on Christians and Christianity National Jewish Scholars Project (September 20, 2000) 44. Gathering the Fruits of a Half-Century on Reflection on the Shoah: The Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches Marcia Sachs Littell 45. Attending to Complicity, Identity, and the Integrity of “And”: The Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches Henry F. Knight 46. Repairing a Damaged Relationship: A Half-Century of Jewish-Lutheran Dialogue Darrell Jodock and Emily Soloff Poem: “Night Voices” Dietrich Bonhoeffer 47. Rethinking the Current Goal of Jewish-Christian Relations: Reconsideration Rather Than Reconciliation Amy-Jill Levine 48. Moving beyond “Holy Wars”: Interreligious Dialogue as a Tool for Forging Sustainable Peace Christoffer H. Grundmann 49. Creating Spiritual Remedies for Our Social Pathologies: Reflections of a Religious Peacebuilder Yehezkel Landau 50. Rejecting Revenge and Preserving Our Humanity: My Journey from the Parents’ Circle to a Treatise on Peace Yitzhak Frankenthal Poem: “Mending Wall” Robert Frost 51. Healing a Mother’s Broken Heart: Letters to My Son and the Family of His Assassin Robi Damelin 52. Expanding Dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims: A Step Closer to Human Fraternity, World Peace, and Living Together Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, M.Afr. 53. Evaluating Jewish-Muslim Relations in the Middle Ages: Golden or Ghastly? Reuven Firestone 54. Outing White Supremacy as a Threat to Jews and Muslims: Strategies for Confronting a Common Enemy Salam Al-Marayati 55. Challenging Group Bias: Benefits of Contact and Dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims Faisal Kutty 56. Educating Muslims about the Shoah: Memory and Meaning in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Mehnaz M. Afridi 57. Knowing a Person by Her Actions to Help Others: The Discovery of the Prophet in His People Ingrid Mattson 58. Striving for Justice and Protecting Human Life: The Universality of People-Centered Human Rights Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im Photos: Building and Maintaining Beautiful Bridges: Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge Stained Glass: Stained Glass: Rainbow Shabbat The Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman Part Six. Remembering for Our Future: The Shoah Photos: Piercing the Darkness and Seeing Beyond the Shadows of the Shoah Judy Glickman Lauder Yellow Star, Theresienstadt Railroad Tracks from Warsaw to Treblinka, Poland Arbeit Macht Frei, Dachau Concentration Camp, Germany Shoes, Auschwitz Majdanek Death Camp, Poland Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland Chimneys Poem: “O The Chimneys!” Nelly Sachs 59. Seeing within and beyond Shadows: A Memoir of a Personal Journey Judy Glickman Lauder 60. Seeing Darkness and Light through a Camera Lens: Judy Glickman Lauder’s Images of the Shoah Michael Berenbaum Multi-Media Art: The Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman Treblinka/Genocide, Detail Wall of Indifference, Detail Bones of Treblinka A. Historical and Scientific Research 61. Studying the Holocaust: Why It Still Matters Christopher R. Browning 62. Committing Makeshift Murder: The Disorganized Holocaust Peter Hayes 63. Heeding Warnings from Holocaust History: The Perils of Fake News and Statelessness Timothy Snyder 64. Resisting Forced Labor in Warthegau and Galicia: A Tale of Two Cemeteries Martin C. Dean 65. Opposing and Protesting: Forgotten Individual Jewish Resistance in Nazi Germany Wolf Gruner 66. Meeting Himmler: Norbert Masur’s Negotiation of the Release of Jewish Women from Ravensbrück Stanley A. Goldman 67. Confronting Evil: Ilya Ehrenburg and the Holocaust Joshua Rubenstein Poem: “Kol Nidre” Abraham Sutzkever 68. Navigating Broad Seas and Difficult Straits: Michael Berenbaum’s Passage from Tikkun Olam to Grey Zones Jonathan Petropoulos 69. Honoring the Righteous Among the Nations: Yad Vashem’s Department of the Righteous Irena Steinfeldt 70. Searching for Goodness and Supporting Courage: The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous Stanlee J. Stahl 71. Saving Jewish Lives with Schutzpasses and Protected Houses: Carl Lutz’s Rescue Operation in Budapest Susanne M. Reyto 72. Honoring Heroic Courage to Care: Lessons to Learn from Raoul Wallenberg Irwin Cotler 73. Granting Visas for Life: Courageous and Righteous Diplomats Eric Saul 74. Confronting a Mixed Record: The Italians and the Holocaust Susan Zuccotti 75. Heeding Dangers of Holocaust Distortion in Eastern Europe: The Case of Lithuania Efraim Zuroff 76. Collaborating with Germany in the Final Solution: The Shoah in Bulgarian-Occupied Greece Paul Isaac Hagouel 77. Remembering an Orphan of Holocaust Studies: The Romaniote Jews of Ioannina Marcia Haddad Ikonopoulos 78. Listening to Sounds from Silence: Healing the Trauma of Child Holocaust Survivors Robert Krell 79. Hoping that “A Remnant Shall Return”: Survival of “Displaced Persons” Abraham J. Peck 80. Discovering Memories My Parents Never Spoke Of: Silence, Nachas, and Resilience in the Life of a Second-Generation Survivor Rosalie Berger Levinson 81. Healing an On-Going Trauma: Burdens of the Second Generation Klara Firestone 82. Opening a New Frontier in Holocaust Studies: New Approaches to Geoscience and Archaeology Richard A. Freund 83. Finding the Mass Graves of Jews Killed by Bullets: The Work of Yahad—In Unum Patrick Desbois B. Ethical, Philosophical, and Theological Reflections 84. Clarifying Shoah Historiography: Jewish Religious and Theological Reflections Zev Garber 85. Comparing Genocides: An Opportunity to Learn to Care about Humanity Israel W. Charny 86. Defining Genocide and Preventing Future Genocides: Never Again for Any Ethnic Group Carol Rittner, RSM 87. Holding Important Issues in Tension: Uniqueness, Integration, and Historical Context Omer Bartov 88. Paying Attention to Antisemitism Today: Are Twenty-Nine Million Reasons Enough? Yehuda Bauer 89. Taking Alarm at American Nazis in a Virginia College Town: Racist and Antisemitic Ideology, Rhetoric, and Symbols at the Charlottesville Rally Deborah E. Lipstadt Poem: “Prayer for the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh” Alden Solovy 90. Coming to Terms with the Holocaust: Appearances and Truths in Germany Günther Jikeli C. Diplomatic, Legal, and Political Issues 91. Abandoning Jewish Refugees from Nazi Germany: Evian, Kristallnacht, and the SS St. Louis Stuart E. Eizenstat 92. Recalling Nuremberg at Seventy-Five: The Greatest Criminal Trial in Modern History Michael Bazyler Poem: A Wagon of Shoes / א פור פון שיכלעך Abraham Sutzkever 93. Remembering an Elided Ally: Soviet Contributions to the International Military Tribunal Francine Hirsch 94. Looming Larger Than Life: Benjamin Ferencz and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials Hilary Earl 95. Learning from the Nuremberg Trials: Ongoing Lessons for Our World Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella 96. Seeking Compensation for Slave and Forced Labor in World War II: A History Deborah Sturman 97. Blocking Claims for Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art: Judicial Abandonment of Federal Policy in World War II Jennifer Anglim Kreder 98. Finding Hope for Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art?: The Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016 Raymond J. Dowd 99. Digitizing the Nazi Theft of European Jewish Culture: The Jewish Digital Cultural Recovery Project Deidre Berger and Wesley Fisher 100. Probing the Provenance of Nazi-Confiscated Art and Achieving Harmonious Resolution of Conflicts: The Washington Principles and the Terezín Declaration Richard Aronowitz and Eileen Brankovic D. Memorials and Museums: Research Centers and Archives of Survivor Testimony Photos: Building a Living Museum, Learning Names, and Inviting Bystanders to Become Upstanders 101. Probing What the Holocaust Has to Do with America: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Chaim Potok 102. Connecting with the Conscience of Museum Visitors: The Ethical Orientation of the USHMM Ralph Appelbaum and Paul Williams 103. Telling the Story, Getting It Right: The Permanent Exhibition of the USHMM and the Claude Lanzmann Shoah Collection Raye Farr 104. Constructing Virtual Tombstones: The Photo Archive of the USHMM Judith Cohen 105. Advancing Study and Teaching of the Holocaust: The Research Center of the USHMM Wendy Lower 106. Struggling to Preserve Memories: The Creation of the USHMM Edward Tabor Linenthal 107. Making the “Most Lethal” Nazi Death Camp Unforgettable: The Construction of the Belzec Memorial Andrew Baker 108. Building a Living Museum in the Balkans: The Memorial of the Jews of North Macedonia Edward McGlynn Gaffney Appendix: Museums and Exhibitions Curated, Designed, or Developed by Michael Berenbaum 109. Reflecting on Loss, Memorial Art, and the Spaces in Between: The Berlin Denkmal and New York City’s 9/11 Memorial James E. Young 110. Giving Voice to Holocaust Survivors: Interviewers of the Shoah Foundation Karen Jungblut and Ari C. Zev 111. Preserving Survivor Testimony and Expanding Horizons of Holocaust Education: USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive® and Documentary Films June Beallor 112. Domesticating Holocaust Memory: “House” and “Home” at the USHMM and USC Shoah Foundation Oren Baruch Stier 113. Thinking Oral Historically: Persons, Places, and Events in Holocaust Testimony Michael Nutkiewicz E. Creative Arts: Poetry and Painting Poets Poems František Bass “Garden of Roses, Like a Boy in Bloom” Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Night Voices” Paul Celan “Deathfugue” Paul Celan “Nocturnally Pouting” Hannah Daniel “They Sat in the Back” Pavel Friedmann “The Butterfly” Pavel Friedmann “Terezín” Robert Frost “Mending Wall” Jacob Glatstein “I Have Never Been Here Before” Hirsh Glick “Quiet, the Night is Full of Stars” James Weldon Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Robert Krell “god” Primo Levi “Shema” Dan Pagis “Written in Pencil in the Sealed Boxcar” Eva Picková “Fear” Miklós Radnóti “Root” Nelly Sachs “Chorus of the Rescued” Nelly Sachs “O! The Chimneys!” Nelly Sachs “People of the Earth” Nelly Sachs “What Secret Cravings of the Blood” Eva Schulzová “Evening in Terezín” Alden Solovy “Prayer for the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh” Abraham Sutzkever “Burnt Pearls” Abraham Sutzkever “How?” Abraham Sutzkever “Kol Nidre” Abraham Sutzkever “A Wagon of Shoes” Elie Wiesel “Who Are You?” 114. Searching for Language Beyond Words: Holocaust Poetry Lawrence L. Langer 115. Defying Violence against Children: Poetry and Painting in the Terezín Ghetto Lori R. Weintrob 116. Embracing Refugees of the Passover, the Shoah, and Our Own Times: Marc Chagall’s Exodus and the Crucified Jesus Zac Koons 117. Listening with Love: My Father’s Visual and Narrative Memory Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett 118. Demanding Action—Not Pity: The Holocaust Art of Arthur Szyk Irvin Ungar F. Music 119. Rescuing Music Composed in Concentration Camps: The Institute for Concentrationary Musical Literature (ICML) Francesco Lotoro Appendix: Two Songs Composed in Concentration Camps 120. Preserving and Performing Jewish Music: The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony Noreen Green Appendix: Dachaulied (Dachau Song), Lyrics by Jura Soyfer, Music and English Translation by Herbert Zipper G. Cinema and Theater 121. Making Holocaust Films: Michael Berenbaum’s Cinematic Career Lawrence Baron Appendix: Filmography of Michael Berenbaum 122. Documenting a Complicated Story: Empty Boxcars and the Shoah in Bulgaria and Its Occupied Territories Edward McGlynn Gaffney 123. From Cursing Jews for the Death of Jesus to Blessing Our Brothers and Sisters: The Revised Oberammergau Passion Play Leonard J. Swidler 124. Searching for Ideas with Consequences: Illustrations of Holocaust Insights from Cinema and Theater John K. Roth 125. Honoring Persons with Courage to Care and Rejoicing in the Survival of the Persons They Rescued: A Photo Essay on Rescuers and Survivors The Editors Poem: “Shema” Primo Levi Part Seven. Schmoozing with the Mishpacha: Letters from the Family and an Afterword 126. Thanking Our Saba Jeremy and Hannah Grinblat 127. Wondering How My Abba Does It Mira Leza Berenbaum 128. Trading Insider Information on Best Dad Ever Joshua Boaz Berenbaum 129. Honoring My Courageous Father Philip Lev Bayer-Berenbaum 130. Appreciating My Favorite (and Only) Father-in-Law Tal Grinblat 131. Sharing Spiritual Lessons from my Father’s Life: Reflections on Parshat Re’eh on Abba’s 75th Birthday Ilana Berenbaum Grinblat 132. Celebrating Michael Melissa Patack 133. Rereading an Afterword: Things ""The World Must (Still) Know"" Michael Berenbaum Contributors Copyright Notices and Permissions Index
Michael Berenbaumis a rabbi who lives for the healing of the world, a participant in interreligious dialogue, a teacher who learns most from his students, a scholar who revised an entire encyclopedia, a historian of the Shoah who seeks truths embedded in other genocides, an interviewer who empowered thousands of survivors to speak of their unbearable pain, a builder of museums that are living memorials, and a filmmaker who tells stories that move our hearts and souls. Edward McGlynn Gaffneyis a frequent contributor to the ASCHC. He formed a group of experts to offer historical guidance to Federal and State courts in cases involving claims of Nazi-looted art. He is producer-director ofEmpty Boxcars(a documentary on the Shoah in Bulgaria and occupied territories in Greece and North Macedonia) andHoly Land: Common Ground(a documentary on Israelis and Palestinians searching for peace). Marcia Sachs Littellis Emeritus Professor at Stockton University, where she founded America's first master of arts degree in Holocaust and genocide studies. Littell has written and edited dozens of books and articles and organized numerous conferences, workshops, and teacher training programs on the Holocaust. Engaged in interfaith work on the Shoah for decades, she is the immediate former president of the ASCHC. Michael Bazyleris the 1939 Law Scholar in Holocaust and Human Rights Studies at Chapman University School of Law. He has written many books relating to law and the Holocaust, includingHolocaust Justice: The Battle for Restitution in America's Courts(2003) andForgotten Trials of the Holocaust(2014).
Reviews for Building Bridges Among Abraham's Children: A Celebration of Michael Berenbaum
“I welcome the publication of this collection of essays for its valuable interdisciplinary exploration of many aspects of the Shoah. The appearance of this hefty volume is a happy coincidence with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the 1947 Seelisberg Conference, a watershed event in Jewish-Christian dialogue and a foundational event for the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ). John Pawlikowski and Norman Tobias provide crisp accounts of the vision and courage of our predecessors to replace the 'Teaching of Contempt,' outlined carefully by the renowned French historian Jules Isaac, one of the pioneers at Seelisberg. This book also contains a rich sample of current interreligious encounters among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, showing the potential for unequalled spiritual growth that can flow from reciprocity and even complementarity, while respecting our differences and integrity.” — Liliane Apotheker, President, International Council of Christians and Jews “The momentous reckoning with the Holocaust that followed World War II—what is celebrated and advanced in this powerful book—might well not have happened. If, as Michael Berenbaum suggests, the final stage of every genocide is denial, the eyes and conscience of Western culture might have remained where they were fixed in the immediate aftermath of the Shoah, which was profoundly turned away. The Nazis had committed the crime, but they could not have nearly succeeded in the elimination of the Jewish people if not for the broad complicity of religious anti-Judaism, historic antisemitism, and the West’s long tradition of self-exoneration. The post-war silence of denial was broken first by Jews themselves, lifting up what had occurred. The initial demand for a moral accounting of why the catastrophe happened was met by nearly three generations of work by historians, theologians, activists, and common people. This volume—gathering the testimony of a crucial cohort of witnesses, thinkers, and reformers—honors that profound principled achievement. That this festschrift is centered on the life’s work of Michael Berenbaum makes the point that, across the critical decades, few have done more than him to enable broad publics to confront the harsh truth of the Holocaust and its meaning, which has led to deeper reckonings with history itself. Honoring Professor Berenbaum for creating intellectual, imaginative, cinematic, and physical monuments to moral memory, this book is itself a monument to his magnificent work and life.” — James Carroll, Author of Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews, A History “This volume is large because there is so much to learn from and about Michael Berenbaum. He is a teacher and author, a producer of historic films and the visionary genius who served as project director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and as the first director of its world-class research center. There is another reason as well: it is a big book because there are so many people eager to tell their own part of this man’s story. Berenbaum has many admirers because he is a patient and deep listener.” — Rev. James L. Fredericks, Professor of Theology Emeritus, Loyola Marymount University “Following the Second Vatican Council and the promulgation of Nostra Aetate in 1965, many efforts have been made to foster dialogue between Catholics and Jews, which have born great fruit over the past six decades, with many Jews and Catholics growing closer together in friendship and working together to build a better society. Rabbi Michael Berenbaum was one of the pioneers working to assist the Catholic Church in the United States in the process of implementing Nostra Aetate in this country, and his contributions towards building genuine friendship and understanding among Catholics and Jews have laid strong foundations on which our dialogues continue to grow. Building Bridges Among Abraham’s Children: A Celebration of Michael Berenbaum gives the reader a sense of the truly monumental and vast contributions that Rabbi Berenbaum has made throughout his distinguished career. The comprehensive nature of this text reflects the breadth of his dedication. May this volume help readers to appreciate Rabbi Berenbaum’s legacy and inspire many to continue his work of education and advocacy as well as mutual understanding and friendship among members of all faith traditions.” — Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC “A marvelous collection of essays paying tribute to Professor Michael Berenbaum, a scholar who has made study of the Holocaust an imperative in education at all levels from middle schools to universities, all over the United States and around the globe.” — Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College “Thirty-three years ago, I was privileged to be part of the small community of artists and historians, architects and engineers who worked together to create the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The project that Michael Berenbaum directed transformed what a museum could be: a place where ordinary people enter as bystanders and leave as responsible upstanders. Today Michael remains the same friendly mensch he was then. He still listens carefully to narratives of people endangered in our troubled world. And he wears the same warm and welcoming smile. This collection of essays is a worthy celebration of a giant in the field of memorial and museum building. I am very happy for knowing him so long as a wise and cherished friend.” — Radu Ioanid, Ambassador of Romania to Israel “Michael Berenbaum is a multi-talented and multifaceted person: a rabbi, a theologian, a scholar, a museum builder, an educator, a filmmaker, a family man. He has contributed enormously to promoting Holocaust memory not just as a sacred memory, but as a point of departure for contemplation and even more for acting to preserve the human spirit via the Jewish tradition. Central to Michael’s entire oeuvre and life is his neshome. This volume is an intellectual treasure which consists of an impressive series of chapters which cover a broad variety of issues and topics taking Berenbaum’s activities as a point of departure. Through fascinating contributions by a broad variety of scholars—more than 120!—this volume provides helpful introductions to topics which range from research on a variety of aspects of the Holocaust and its documentation to education on and thought and action in the wake of the Shoah as well as the multiple ways of its memorialization; and from the meaning of ancient Jewish texts for today to new paths in Jewish thought and to interreligious dialogues. This volume will surely become a handbook to be used in university courses as well as in batei midrash and commemoration gatherings on Holocaust Remembrance Day.” —Dani Michman, Head of the International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem “What better tribute could there be for the accomplished scholar, beloved teacher and rabbi, and visionary filmmaker and commemorator of the Holocaust than a collection of insightful commentaries, and written and photographic tributes? The range, depth, and humanity of this Festschrift are worthy of its subject, and worth savoring by those who know and should know Michael Berenbaum.” — Martha Minow, Former Dean, Harvard Law School, 300th Anniversary University Professor, Harvard University “The breadth of scope of this extraordinary Festschrift is required by the multiple talents that led Michael Berenbaum to excel in many fields of endeavor and to connect many disciplines in a truly remarkable way. His awareness of the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic thought and action, his contributions to interreligious encounters among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, his prolific scholarship and writing, and his enormous achievement in the herculean labor of revising the Encyclopaedia Judiaca mark him as a public intellectual of the highest order. His capacity to lead the project of designing and building the US Holocaust Memorial Museum changed the way we think about museums and memory in general. His deep empathy with Holocaust survivors assisted the preservation of over 52,000 interviews by the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. This collection of essays enables us to appreciate and celebrate Berenbaum’s status as an amazing national and global treasure.” — John Sexton, President Emeritus, New York University “The editors have brought together in one inclusive volume the collective wisdom and insight of various preeminent scholars in the fields of Jewish Studies, Jewish-Christian Relations, and of Holocaust Studies to honor Michael Berenbaum’s extraordinary life and work. The essays succinctly offer readers a fundamental and accessible introduction to the foremost issues within these fields. Reading them, one soon comprehends the obstacles that the dialogue has overcome and the challenges that it still faces. They serve as an urgent warning about the past and a beckoning light for the future.” — Kevin P. Spicer, CSC, James J. Kenneally Distinguished Professor of History, Stonehill College, Chair, Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations
