Emil L. Fackenheim: A Jewish Philosopher's Response to the Holocaust

Religion, Theology and the Holocaust

by David Patterson

In this revealing book, David Patterson explores Fackenheim’s rigorous pursuit of a philosophical response to the tragedy of the Holocaust. Fackenheim’s writing sheds light on the tensions between Jewish thinking and German philosophy, illustrating how elements of the latter were used by the Nazis to justify Jewish annihilation.

211 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Patterson holds the Hillel Feinberg Chair in Holocaust Studies in the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at The University of Texas at Dallas. A member of the World Union of Jewish Studies and the Association for Jewish Studies, he has delivered lectures at numerous universities and community organizations throughout the world. He is a participant in the Weinstein Symposium on the Holocaust, a member of the Facing History and Ourselves International Board of Advisors, and a member of the Scholars' Platform for the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre, Cambridge, England. He also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Stephen S. Weinstein Series in Post-Holocaust Studies, published by the University of Washington Press.

He has also translated literary works by Turgenev, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy.

Reviews

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still searching for a reconciliation of God with the Holocaust. Fackenheim is the closest I've come but I still find something lacking in his philosophy. However he was brilliant and well worth investing the time to read and contemplate his words.