Jesus and the Holocaust: Reflections on Suffering and Hope

by Joel Marcus

Good Friday, April 14, 1995, may unexpectedly go down in history as the day when the world found a spiritual salve for its war-torn wounds. As Christians solemnly remembered the Crucifixion of Jesus, as Jews reenacted the Passover, and as the world observed the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II and the Holocaust, something special transpired at St. Mary's Cathedral, in Glasgow. In the seven homilies he delivered there, author Joel Marcus humbly offered his reflections on the hope of healing the world's aching heart--especially the pain of the Holocaust.



Collected in Jesus and the Holocaust are Dr. Marcus's meditations on the sufferings and death of Jesus, examined under the dark shadow of the Holocaust two thousand years later. Reflecting on Bible passages in light of stories and poems of the Holocaust, the author comes to realize what Jesus has to do with the Holocaust. Through difficult personal reflection, Marcus--a Jew by birth, Christian by choice--discovered that in the shared suffering of Christians and Jews, a common bond exists for healing the hurt all have experienced through the death of Christ and the horror of the Holocaust. By recognizing this bond and empathizing with one another, the cycle of blame and violence can be stopped.



This short series of meditations is ideal for reflections throughout Lent and will be a signal to the world that hope springs from suffering. Both Jews and Christians will find encouragement in these soul-searching homilies.

Genres: Religion

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This week, around the time of the Dutch Remembrance of the Dead and Liberation Day, I read Jesus and the Holocaust by Joel Markus, a “Jew by birth, Christian by choice” New Testament scholar. This collection of seven Good Friday meditations weaves together Gospel readings, sermons, poetry, diary fragments, and drawings by victims to set the Holocaust alongside the Cross, fifty years after the end of the war. While it still leaves many questions unanswered, its honesty feels almost soothing, as it brings Jewish and Christian perspectives closer together, even in the midst of tragedy. In the end, it left me with plenty of food for thought.