About this book
The Judaism of Sinai and the Judaism of Auschwitz are
merging, resulting in new visions of Judaism that are only beginning to take
shape.
Each of the chapters of this book outlines an aspect of
this work-in-progress, this Torah of Auschwitz, and we will see just how the
ways of Sinai are being recast, the old wells re-dug.
Jewish survival will not be assured until the
grandchildren of survivors and others of their generation can begin to take the
darkness of the Shoah and turn it into a song, absorbing the absurdity of a
silent God while loving life nonetheless.
Advance Praise for Embracing Auschwitz
“As the Holocaust shifts from living wound to fitful
memory, the urgent question is not just how to remember but why. In Embracing Auschwitz, Rabbi Joshua Hammerman gives us a compelling and
provocative answer. His ‘Torah of Auschwitz’ celebrates the life-affirming
values of heroism, persistence, faith, Jewish unity and defense, and universal
justice. Embracing Auschwitz is an essential contribution to our understanding of what
we as a people need to carry from the 20th into the 21st century.”
—Yossi Klein Halevi,
Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem
author, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor
“I hate the title of this book and there are tens of
passages which make me wince and grit my teeth in order to go on. Yet this is
an important book and should be read by every Jew who cares about
Judaism—because its central point is true and it offers wisdom to guide us into
the Jewish future. Hammerman’s fundamental thesis is that the Holocaust must be
incorporated into the fabric of Jewish religion. Our understanding of every tradition
and ethical commandment must be reshaped by its light. This book shows how to
do this. Thankfully, he makes clear that the correct application of this
concept is not to magnify death and the feeling of victimization. Rather it is
to respond with greater intensity of human responsibility and to savor life
even more for its fragility and vulnerability. This is not to mention other
exciting challenges in the book. Take his bold proposal—for the sake of
creating an indissoluble bond—to grant every Jew in the world a vote in Israel.
I don’t agree but this is a proposal that makes waves and is worth fighting
over. In short, damn the torpedoes and wrecks along the way. Full speed ahead.
Read this book. Criticize its faults. Absorb its truths. The life you inspire
may well be your own.”
—Rabbi Dr. Irving
“Yitz” Greenberg,
founding director of the President’s Commission on the
Holocaust,
Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Museum
founding President of the Jewish Life Network
“With immense insight and unstinting honesty, this work
looks hard at the Holocaust’s enduring meaning for Jewish identity
and the world. In examining the past in all its complexities, Rabbi
Hammerman suggests a hopeful path for our complex Jewish community. Like many
of Rabbi Hammerman’s sermons and other writings, it is eye opening and thought provoking.
Embracing Auschwitz will make you think and feel—no walk in the park, but a journey well worth taking and embracing.”
—U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
“A powerful meditation on what Judaism could be in this
time.”
—Peter
Beinart, author, The Crisis of Zionism
“Starting with a jarring book title, Joshua Hammerman
captures our imagination and re-pivots our approach to dealing with the horrors
of the Holocaust. As a gifted journalist and spiritual leader, he makes his
case with a clear voice and open heart, showing us that we can fulfill the
biblical mandate to ‘choose life’ by doing so with new forms of joy and
sanctity. Hammerman’s brave new vision challenges us and demands our
attention.”
—Gary Rosenblatt, Editor At
Large, The Jewish Week
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