An education in death
Yehuda Bauer spends fall 2000 semester at Clark teaching about the Holocaust and genocide
Dr. Bauer and his wife Elana were at Clark through December. His new book, "Rethinking the Holocaust," was released in January 2001.
By Angela Bazydlo
He appears to be a man of few words, not one for small talk. At age 74, he walks at a slow pace and keeps much to himself. However, Dr. Yehuda Bauer becomes a different person, animated and passionate, when he lectures. The topic of his lectures: death.
Bauer was this fall's Strassler Distinguished Visiting Professor at Clark's Center for Holocaust Studies. Bauer is a senior academic advisor and former director of the International Center for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem, a Holocaust memorial site in Jerusalem that includes a post-graduate institute and school for Holocaust studies. He has been a professor of Holocaust studies at Hebrew University for 40 years and has authored a dozen books in English and some 80 articles on the subject. A world-renowned scholar and much-admired public figure in Israel, Bauer has taught at Yale, the University of Honolulu in Manoa and Richard Stockton College in New Jersey.
In addition to teaching an undergraduate course at Clark, "Holocaust in Historical Perspective," and an advanced seminar, "The Fate of the Shtetl," Bauer lectured to whomever would listen about something nobody likes to talk about: murder. He considers himself to be one of the few people who have devoted their lives to the study of genocide. This, he says, further compounds the problem of creating open debate about this pressing world issue.
"When you open history books, you usually don't find much of this type of information," says Bauer. "It's frightening, bothersome, scary." However, Bauer says, if we don't acknowledge genocide, educate ourselves about it, and react to it when we see the tell-tale warning signs, we will encounter it in our own lives.
While on campus, Bauer gave three public lectures on genocide: "Holocaust and Genocide," "The Genocide of Armenians and Roma (Gypsies)" and "Is Prevention of Genocide and Genocidal Attacks a Practical Possibility?" His series compared past genocides, assessed genocidal acts in today's world and the problems associated with them, and discussed whether or not such brutal acts can be avoided.
The frightening statistics
Bauer's audiences were filled with many sad and serious faces. His lectures dealt with depressing statistics. Over the course of the last century, for example, 169 million people were murdered by governmental or quasi-governmental organizations. According to Bauer, 38 million of them were victims of genocide, and more than four times as many civilians than soldiers were killed. However, Bauer relays the information with passion, energy and the strength of his conviction, gesturing with his hands and arms to emphasize his points.
Although he draws comparisons between the Holocaust and genocides of other groups, such as the Armenians and the Gypsies, he instructs scholars not to compare the suffering of these persecuted groups.
"We feel compelled to compare genocides because we live in a society that lives by comparisons," Bauer says. He believes the suffering is not what made the Holocaust different. According to Bauer, it was the totality, the globality and Nazi ideology of the Holocaust that was unprecedented.
His lectures examine stark realities and human nature. According to Bauer, humans have choices. "We can be nice, wonderful angelic creatures or we can be murderers, planning murders. Both of these things are within us," he says.
Bauer also warns that genocidal acts can happen in any society. They can take a different form, and may not be repeated in exactly the same way, he warns. "But anything humans do to humans can be repeated. The Germans are no more prone to this than anyone else."
Facing the past
He believes some countries are in a state of denial about genocidal acts in their past. Although Bauer does not believe people have to take responsibility for the actions of others, he does believe people must acknowledge the acts of their predecessors. "You can't be in a position where you begin to deny these activities, because then you deny yourself," says Bauer, who adds that the Germans are making progress in rectifying the wrongs of their people.
To stop future genocides, Bauer encourages people to get involved, educate themselves and learn how to recognize the first signs of a coming disaster. He also believes people need to become politically aware and make sure their government will be active in fighting future genocides.
"I'm no prophet," Bauer says. "Unless we try to prevent them, genocides will reoccur. You can't hide. You can't not react. The danger is indifference."
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Clarknews Winter 2001
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