Description
Book SynopsisDuring the Second World War, Mennonites in the Netherlands, Germany, occupied Poland, and Ukraine lived in communities with Jews and close to various Nazi camps and killing sites. As a result of this proximity, Mennonites were neighbours to and witnessed the destruction of European Jews. In some cases they were beneficiaries or even enablers of the Holocaust. Much of this history was forgotten after the war, as Mennonites sought to rebuild or find new homes as refugees. The result was a myth of Mennonite innocence and ignorance that connected their own suffering during the 1930s and 1940s with earlier centuries of persecution and marginalization.
European Mennonites and the Holocaust identifies a significant number of Mennonite perpetrators, along with a smaller number of Mennonites who helped Jews survive, examining the context in which they acted. In some cases, theology led them to accept or reject Nazi ideals. In others, Mennonites chose a closer embrace of Germa
Trade Review
"In addition to standing as an important historical study, European Mennonites and the Holocaust should prompt Anabaptists in North America — particularly white Anabaptists — to reflect on their own legacies of anti-Jewish prejudice and discern how to stand against antisemitism as part of their antiracist commitments." -- Alain Epp Weaver * Anabaptist World *
"The value of this book reaches well beyond telling tales of depraved Mennonites. Several chapters reflect on the thinking and rationalizations which emboldened Mennonites to reject historic Anabaptism." -- David Giesbrecht * Roots and Branches *
"European Mennonites and the Holocaust adds telling details to the picture of Mennonites during the Nazi era … The contributors do not shrink from addressing the gray eras, especially the question of who can be regarded as a ‘Mennonite’ and where boundaries are to be drawn." -- Astrid von Schlachta * The Mennonite Quarterly Review *
"For readers who may feel overwhelmed by the volume of books and articles that have appeared in recent years, European Mennonites and the Holocaust offers an excellent summary of the current state of scholarship. Anyone looking for an entry point into the rapidly growing literature on this sober, if controversial, topic would do well to start with this collection." -- John D. Roth, Goshen College * Directions *
"This collection will be a precious source for further archival research about these connections for future generations of Mennonite historians." -- Sergei I. Zhuk, Ball State University * Journal of Mennonite Studies *
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction – Neighbours, Killers, Enablers, Witnesses: The Many Roles of Mennonites in the Holocaust Doris L. Bergen, Mark Jantzen, and John D. Thiesen Introduction to Chapter 1 – Mennonites and Nazi Crimes: Gerhard Rempel's Call for Historical Reckoning Doris L. Bergen 1. Mennonites, War Crimes, and the Holocaust Gerhard Rempel, edited by Doris L. Bergen with John D. Thiesen 2. Enjoying the Entitlements of German Freedom: German Mennonites and Nazi Church-State Policy James Irvin Lichti 3. Antisemitism and the Concept of Volk: The Mennonite Youth Circular Community at the Beginning of the Nazi Dictatorship Imanuel Baumann 4. German Mennonite Theology in the Era of National Socialism Arnold Neufeld-Fast 5. Dutch Mennonite Theologians and Nazism Pieter Post 6. Mennonite Collaboration with Nazism: A Case Study of the Responses of Mennonites in Deutsch Wymyschle, Poland, to the Plight of Local Jews during the Early Nazi Occupation Period (1939–1942) Colin Neufeldt 7. Mennonites in Ukraine before, during, and Immediately after the Second World War Dmytro Myeshkov 8. A Portrait of Khortytsya/Zaporizhzhia under Occupation Aileen Friesen 9. Dutch Mennonites and Yad Vashem Recognition Alle G. Hoekema 10. Identity and Complicity: The Post-Second World War Emigration of Chortitza Mennonites Erika Weidemann 11. A Usable Past: Soviet Mennonite Memories of the Holocaust Hans Werner 12. Selective Memory: Danziger Mennonite Reflections on the Nazi Era, 1945–1950 Steve Schroeder List of Contributors Index
