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Denison Journal of Religion Volume 1 Article 2 2001 Abraham Joshua Heschel and Theology after the Holocaust Matthew aE net Denison University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.denison.edu/religion Part of the Ethics in Religion Commons, and the Sociology of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Eanet, Matthew (2001) "Abraham Joshua Heschel and Theology after the Holocaust," Denison Journal of Religion: Vol. 1 , Article 2. Available at: http://digitalcommons.denison.edu/religion/vol1/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Denison Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Denison Journal of Religion by an authorized editor of Denison Digital Commons. THE DENISON JOURNAL OF RELIGION Eanet: Abraham Joshua Heschel and ITheology after the Holocaust Abraham Joshua Heschel and Theology after the Holocaust Matthew Eanet "Life in our time has been a nightmare for many of us, tranquility an interlude, happiness a fake. Who could breathe at a time when man was engaged in murdering the holy witness to God six million times?"1 hen Abraham Joshua Heschel entered the national spotlight as a pro- found religious thinker and strident social activist, he bore the garb W and look of an Eastern European Jew. A man of short stature, Rabbi Heschel looked the way religious Eastern European Jews have for hundreds of years: the traditional dark-colored suit with the white fringes of his prayer shawl hanging out beneath his sport coat, a skullcap hidden beneath a black full- brimmed hat, and a long, thick gray beard. An American leader, Heschel was, in every sense, a European Jew, steeped in the traditional Jewish communities of both Warsaw and Vilna. His yearning for modernity brought him to the University of Berlin in 1927, where he eventually obtained a Ph.D. in philosophy. From Berlin, he and other members of the Jewish intelligentsia took part in the resur- rection of Frankfurt's Jewish community. However, in the course of a few years, everything changed for Rabbi Heschel. Forcibly returned to an uncertain future in Poland, he bore witness to the roots of the destruction of the European Jew: / speak as a person who was able to leave Warsaw, the city in which I was born, just six weeks before the disaster began. My desti- nation was New York; it would have been Auschwitz or Treblinka. I am a brand plucked from the fire on which my people were burned to death. I am a brand plucked from the fire of an altar of Satan on which millions of human lives were exterminated to evil's greater Published by Denison Digital Commons, 2001 1 Denison Journal of Religion, Vol. 1 [2001], Art. 2 THE DENISON JOURNAL OF RELIGION ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL AND THEOLOGY AFTER THE HOLOCAUST glory, and on which so much else was consumed: the divine image rabbi is Moses."7 For Heschel, a philosopher of religion constantly exploring the of so many human beings, many people's faith in the God of justice depth of polarity and duality, the Holocaust was no different. The glory and and compassion, and much of the secret and power of attachment to sanctity of the Jewish tradition and the horror of Auschwitz exist in a polar rela- the Bible bred and cherished in the hearts of men for nearly two tionship. Neither may be ignored or discarded. In the enduring quest for integri- thousand years [italics mine].2 ty, both command our attention and demand our response. Heschel framed his For the modern Jew (and many Christians), the Holocaust presents a chal- task within these two poles, of Auschwitz and Sinai, of destruction and revela- lenge unlike any other: How may we, the Chosen People, continue to have tion: "the Jewish philosopher must look for agreement with the men of Sinai as faith in the God of Israel? Virtually every Jewish theologian must grapple with well as with the people of Auschwitz."8 the daunting task of addressing the death of six million Jews. To be sure, the Holocaust is not a starting point for theology, but it is an important marker along I. A Response in Words and Actions the way. A valid theological perspective must address the Holocaust in a cogent Upon his arrival in America, Heschel quickly and concertedly learned the and authentic manner without blaming the victims. English language. After a few short years, he was publishing books and articles The present inquiry addresses Heschel's response to the Holocaust in three on a variety of subjects, including religion, Judaism, prayer, humanity, the rela- key areas: his life, his writing, and his theological perspective, in particular the tionship between the divine and the human, and other related topics. Tying twin concepts of Divine Exile and Divine Pathos.3 It explores the possibility that, together his writing is a commitment to rescuing not only the Jewish soul but although he never explicitly sought to do so, Heschel provides our contempo- also the human soul. It reflects his desire not only to save Judaism from extinc- rary generation with a meaningful and worthwhile response to the murder of six tion but to save humanity from it as well. For Heschel, both Jews and Judaism million Jews. Taken in their entirety, these three responses form a cogent had suffered tremendously in the Holocaust. The even greater challenge was encounter with the Holocaust, marked by a genuine quest for integrity. survival after the destruction. In particular, he railed against the twin evils of Before embarking upon an inquiry into the character and nature of assimilation and the 'dumbing down' of the religious life. Heschel's post-Holocaust theology, we must first ask whether he even has one The entirety of Heschel's literary career is a response to the Holocaust inso- at all. If by this question we mean: Did Heschel ever consciously articulate a far as it attempts to rekindle, reclaim, and reawaken the Jewish soul to the sub- direct or systematic response to the challenge of Auschwitz, framed by a coher- lime mystery of the world. Its goal is to touch the inner life of each reader, ent religious system, then the answer is No.4 He fails to provide the reader with Jewish or not, in order to prevent the type of environment that led to genocide.9 a comprehensive approach to the Holocaust. However, the challenge of six mil- Heschel's general response to the Holocaust, embodied in each of his books lion murdered is prevalent throughout his thought.5 His post-Holocaust theolo- and articles, is to maintain faith in God, humanity, and Judaism. gy is woven across the entirety of his life and his writings. Heschel's writing as response takes two major forms, prophetic rebuke and The destruction of European Jewry had a profound effect on Heschel. In his Jewish renewal. Taken together, they form the focal task of his writing, reawaken- own words, he was "a brand plucked from the fire."6 Heschel was acutely ing of the individual soul. Heschel's writing is a poetic reflection of his own life. aware that the Holocaust distinctly and concretely affected his outlook and con- According to Heschel, "books...[are] windows, allowing us to view the author's sequently his writing and lecturing. His religious perspective—his philosophy of soul."10 Heschel's critique of society is not a detached one; it is rooted in the atroc- Judaism — represents a profoundly human response to the catastrophe. ity of the Holocaust and the prophetic stream running through the Jewish tradition. However, understanding Heschel as somebody exclusively concerned with According to Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi Heschel was "one of the truly the Holocaust would be a mistake. "No Religion Is an Island," the same article great men of our day and age, a truly great prophet."11 Heschel was not praised quoted above, begins with the following prefatory statement: "I speak as a because he protected the status quo. Instead, he sought integrity and truth in member of a congregation whose founder was Abraham, and the name of my spite of these conditions. This quest frequently led to conflict with the prevailing http://digitalcommons.denison.edu/religion/vol1/iss1/2 2 Eanet: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Theology after the Holocaust THE DENISON JOURNAL OF RELIGION ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL AND THEOLOGY AFTER THE HOLOCAUST social order—the defining element of prophetic critique.12 For Heschel, the I was a stranger in this country. My words had no power. When I Holocaust was the product of humanity, an atrocity committed against all peo- did speak, they shouted me down. They called me a mystic, unrealis- ple at the hands of all people. In response, he committed himself to addressing tic. I had no influence on leaders of American Jewry.16 the moral and spiritual bankruptcy of humanity and providing a path back to If this was the case in the early 1940s, it was soon to change. With the suc- holiness. As Kaplan and Dresner point out: cess of his theological and philosophical treatises, his public prominence soon Instead of emphasizing the horrors, Heschel proclaimed the increased. Doors slammed in the face of Heschel, the immigrant, were now prophets' antidotes to cruelty and racism: fervent devotion to holi- held open for Heschel, the intellectual. It was through his scholarship that ness, compassion, and ethical responsibility.13 Heschel became a figure of national prominence. A profound commitment to social action marked the last twenty years of His response to the Holocaust was not one of destitution and paralysis. His Heschel's life. He assumed leadership roles in the Civil Rights movement as well was a call to action.
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