DiscoveringtheHolocaust:AHuluSeries
WalterG.MossI’vejustcompletedwatchingtheHulufive-partseries“DeutschesHaus,” aka“The InterpreterofSilence.”It’sbasedona2018GermannovelbyAnnetteHess,wholater becameoneofGermany’smostsuccessfulTVscreenwriters.Eachoftheepisodes (aboutanhourlong)centeronayoungGermanwoman,EvaBruhns(Katharina Stark),whoactsasaPolish-GermaninterpreteratthefamousFrankfurtAuschwitz Trial(1963-1965).It’sthefirsttimeex-SSofficersareaccusedofmurderousactions atPoland’sAuschwitzConcentrationCamp,andthetrialreceivedamplemedia attention.Evaultimatelylearnsthatasaninfantshelivedwithherfamilyat Auschwitz,whereherfatherservedasacook.
I’vebeentotheAuschwitzcampinsouthernPoland,wheremassivenumbersofJews, aswellaslessernumbersofotherswereexecuted.Accordingto Episode4 “over 20,000men,women,andchildrenweremurderedherewithoutareason.”I’vealso visitedtheHolocaustMuseuminWashington,D.C.WhatAuschwitz,theD.C. HolocaustMuseum,andnow DeutschesHaus allscreamouttousisHow?Why?
HowcouldtheNazisandalltheiraccomplicesbesocold-hearted,somerciless,so evilastokillmillionsofpeople,especiallybutnotexclusivelyJews,inAuschwitz andtheotherdeathcampsoperatedbytheNazis?Andtheseriesdoesnotplaydown theevil,butthroughcourttestimony--oftentranslatedbyEva--revealsmuchof it.
Hereisasampletakenfromoneofthe Germanjudges’concludingremarks: Forbehindthatgate[ofAuschwitz]openedupahellscapethatisimpossibleforthehuman braintoimagineandthatwordsfailtodescribe.Thedefendants...areaccusedofmurdering numerouspeopleattheAuschwitzconcentrationcamp...JewsandChristians,Polesand Germans,Russianprisonersofwarandmembersofotherfaiths,peoplefromalloverEurope. Overthecourseofthemanymonthsofthistrial,thecourtexperiencedinspiritallofthe sufferingandanguishthatthesepeopleenduredandthatwillforeverbeassociatedwiththe nameAuschwitz....[Forexample,]thehollow,questioning,bewilderedandterrifiedeyesof thechildren...whotooktheirlaststepsinAuschwitz.
Atthetrialtheaccuseddenytheirguilt,usuallyclaimingtheydidnotdowhat witnessessaidtheydidandonlyoccasionallyreplyingthattheywerejustfollowing orders.Ononeoccasionthewifeofoneofthedefendants saystoEva,“Therearelies beingtoldinthere,andyou'retranslatingthoselies.”Evaasks,“Whywouldthe witnessestelllies?”Thewifeanswers,“Forfinancialreasons,ofcourse.Andyou're partofthat.Youareinvolvedinslanderinglaw-abidingcitizens.Iknowthatatsome point,you'lldeeplyregretthis.”
ThewifereflectswhatwehavetoooftenseeninourownTrumpiantimes:therefusal ofmanypeopletoacceptreality,toacceptthetruth.(Inlate2023,66percentof Republicansstillbelieved,inthefaceofoverwhelmingfactstothecontrary,thatthe 2020electionwasstolenfromDonaldTrump.)InHitler’sday,asinourown,too manypeople simplydonotwanttofaceuptotruths,whetherpresentorpast. Psychologistsrefertothisphenomenonas “confirmationbias.” Inanarticlethree yearsagoI cited varioussourcesthatagreedwithRickShenkman’sobservationin
PoliticalAnimals:HowOurStone-AgeBrainGetsintheWayofSmartPolitics--“the evidenceisabundantthatpublicopinionisoftennotrational.”
Inadditiontoconfirmationbias,thereisthetendencyofpeopletoparticipatein “groupthink”andtofeardifferingfromthepowerful.Evalearnsthatononeoccasion thechiefdefendantattheAuschwitztrial“madedisparagingremarks”aboutaspeech ofHitler’spropagandaministerGoebbels.Eva’sparentssentoffacomplaintto GermanofficialsandEva’smom toldher,“Ifwehadn'treportedhim...then someonemighthavereportedus.Itmightwellhavebeenatestofourloyalty.That's whatitwaslikebackthen.Wewerejustscared,Eva.Wewerescaredofbeing sentto thecampourselves.Tothegas.”Eva’sdadchimesin,“Otherpeoplewouldhave replacedus.Youhavenoideahowmanytherewere.Theywereeverywhere!”
Evatellsherparentsthattheywerewrongto“feedthosemurderers!Youshouldhave poisonedthemall.”Buthermomresponds,“Don'tbesonaive.Theywouldhave killedyourfatherandmeandyouand[oldersister]Annegret.]We'renoheroes.”
Whileherparents’excusesmightseemlametous,theyhaveapointinpleadingwith EvatounderstandthehistoricalcontextoftheNaziperiodandthewaryears.To understandhistoryand whypeopleactedastheydid,weneedempathy.Thisdoesnot meansympathizingorsidingwiththosewhoseactionswecondemn,but understandingwhytheybelievedandbehavedastheydid.Beforewerushto judgmentaboutthecharacterofpeopleofearliertimes,wemustaskourselveshow differentwewouldbe,towhatextentwewouldstandapartfromtheculturalnorms of ourcontemporaries?
Althoughtheremaybesimilaritiesbetweendifferenthistoricaleras--andeven betweenoccurrencesindifferentcountries--everyperiodinanycountrypossessesits ownuniqueness.AndsotounderstandtheGermanWW2-Holocaustandwhythe Naziscouldbesoevilastokillmillionsofpeopleinthedeathcamps--andwhythe restofGermansocietycouldletthishappen--weneedtostudyandunderstandthe NaziperiodandWW2.
OneplacetostartisRichardGrunberger’s The12-YearReich (1971).Thebookhas 30chapters,thelastofwhichisentitled“TheJews.”Theotheroneslookatvarious otheraspectsofNazilife,e.g.“Justice,”“TheFamily,”and“Press andRadio.” Lookingatjustonechapter,wegainsomeinsightintoNazisociety.Inthechapter “Denunciation,”weread:“Denunciationtookplaceatalllevelsofsociety... .The fearofdenunciationgrippedallthosewhohadanysympathyforJews....The emotionaltensionbroughtaboutbywarnaturallyintensifiedthemoodofsuspicion andincreasedtheflowofdenunciation.”
Tounderstand--butnotexcuse--theexistenceofthedeathcampsandhowGermans couldhavetoleratedtheirexistence,wemustmakeanimaginaryandempatheticleap toanearliertimeandplace.Afterdoingso,wecanstillhopethatwewouldhave actedmorenobly(like DietrichBonhoeffer,forexample),butwhoknows?Perhaps likeEva’sparents,wemighthavelaterregrettedthatwewere“noheroes.”
OurrecentyearsofTrumpismshouldespeciallygiveuspause.AlthoughtheTrump phenomenonisunique,someoftheparallelsbetweenitandNazismare alarming.So
tooareour nationalrefusalstoacknowledgeourownholocausts againstNative AmericansandBlacks(slavery,lynchings,segregation,etc).
AfewyearsagoIwrote “HistoriansCan'tLeavetheTeachingofHistoryto Politicians.” InitImentionedthe“1619Project,”whose“purposewastoindicate howcentraltoU.S.historywereslaveryanditsaftermath.”Theessayalsonotedthat Trumpreferredtotheprojectasa“RacismWitchHunt,”andthat“eightstates... havepassedlegislationthatbanstheteachingthattheUSAisinherentlyracist,biased, ordiscriminatory.”Tennessee,forexample,forbadeanydiscussionofracethatmight causeastudent“discomfort,guilt,anguish,oranotherformofpsychologicaldistress.” (Morerecently, otherstatespassedsimilarlegislation.)Inaddition,stateandlocal officialsincludingschoolboardsatthoselevelscriticizedordenouncedteachingideas associatedwithCriticalRaceTheory(CRT),adecades-oldcomplexsetofideasoften simplifiedandmisunderstoodbyindividualslikeformerPresidentTrump.Hecalledit “divisive,”andthenissuedanexecutiveorderforbiddinganytrainingthatsuggested theUSAwasfundamentallyracist.
The“DeutschesHaus” seriesisnotexclusivelyabouttheFrankfurtAuschwitzTrial. Butthatistheheartofit.Inaddition,however,therearethefamilydynamics dealing withEva,herparents,oldersister,andyoungerbrother.Andtherearesomesubplots involvingEva’sboyfriend(andhisfamily),andothersinvolvedinthetrial,especially themaindefendantandhisfamily,aswellasoneoftheprosecutors,whohasa relationshipwithaprostitute.
Yet,themainvalueoftheseriesistostimulateourthinkingabouthowwedealwith ourpast.Likepeopleinmanyothercountries,theGermansnotonlyhavepast momentstheycanbeproudof,butotherstheyshouldbeashamedof--intheNazicase, deeplyso.PassingalawliketheonethatTennesseeapprovedof--forbiddingany discussionofracethatmightcauseastudent“discomfort,guilt,anguish,oranother formofpsychologicaldistress”--wouldhavebeenflatwronginGermany’scase.A questionforusnowintheUSAis,“Shouldanystateenactsuchalaw?”
OrshouldweacknowledgeourpastsinsandthenrenewtheworkofMartinLuther King,Jr.tocreateasocietywhere hisdream mighthaveachanceofbecomingtrue? “LittleBlackboysandBlackgirlswillbeabletojoinhandswithlittle Whiteboysand Whitegirlsassistersandbrothers....Wewillbeabletotransformthejangling discordsofournationintoabeautifulsymphonyofbrotherhood.”