History of the Holocaust, A

By Bauer, Yehuda
Scholastic Library Publishing, 2001, Paperback, 432 pp., ISBN: 0531155765, $17.95

Twenty years after the original edition, the eminent scholar Yehuda Bauer has revised his seminal work to include information obtained from archives recently opened in Europe and the United States.

Bauer's thesis that the Holocaust is a watershed event in human history is painstakingly presented in a history that begins with the origins of Judaism and describes how Jews have been perceived and treated from earliest times. This exhaustive text covers not only the events of the Holocaust, but the ramifications, including the establishment of the state of Israel.

The progression of Nazi ideology, in which victims became "completely devoid of humanity in the perpetrator's eyes," is also examined at length. In Bauer's view, the process was gradual and therefore could have been stopped in its tracks. Bauer makes us believe that knowledge of history can empower us to do better.

An extra bonus is a fascinating discussion of theodicy and the theological crisis many clergy faced after the war. However, this erudite volume is not for casual reading. The prose is dense and not liberally illustrated. Instead, a comprehensive index makes this an excellent reference source for high school students and adults.