In Memoriam: Franklin H. Littell, 1917-2009

Abstract

On July 23, 1998, Yehuda Bauer interviewed his friend Franklin Littell at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, where two scholars frequently led seminars on Holocaust. The interview provides an overview of Littell's primary concerns in Holocaust studies and concludes with remarks that succinctly capture character, outlook, and aspirations of this remarkable man. Littell--a scholar, organizer, and Christian--died on May 23, 2009, at age of ninety-one. Underscoring that his motivation in studying Holocaust was above all prevent premature closure, Littell ended 1998 interview by declaring his intent to keep this thing [the memory of Holocaust] irritating--you know, be harpoon that fish can't escape. (1) Those who knew Littell may hear his voice in those words, a voice that was earthy and earnest, intense and impassioned, edged at times with laughter and humor, but one that always cut chase. His eyes glistened with insight. His embrace and grip expressed warm friendship, and his feisty, intrepid spirit inspired courage. These characteristics invited others join him in his work, work that was governed by conviction that unredeemable atrocities of Holocaust and of all genocides must provoke resistance against injustice and indifference that produce them. A scholarly presence such as Littell's--a necessary irritant with a harpoon--is cause for celebration in a world such as ours, in which brutality cries out for aroused conscience and energized political will against injustice. All who care about human rights and who work in field of Holocaust and genocide studies have abundant reason be grateful him. His absence reminds one of how exceptional he was and of how much world needs scholars, organizers, and other committed people support his causes. The catalog of United States Library of Congress contains thirty-four Littell entries. The earliest titles, from 1950's, suggest that this ordained Methodist minister, who held a doctorate in theology and religious studies, might have had a conventional professorial career. During this early period, he concentrated on church history in United States, with an emphasis on Protestant Christianity and church-state relationships. However, much more was gestating. A visit Nazi Germany in 1939 made an indelible impression on Littell, which was deepened and intensified by his work in postwar Germany, where he served as chief Protestant advisor for U.S. occupation forces. These experiences led Littell's 1960 book The German Phoenix: Men and Movements in Church in Germany and honed harpoon that Littell would thrust at his own Christian tradition. Two books loom largest in Littell's body of works. Christian scholars Edward Flannery and James Parkes preceded Littell in documenting their tradition's culpability for antisemitism, but Littell's 1975 monograph, The Crucifixion of Jews, was, nonetheless, groundbreaking in that it drove home Christian responsibility for and complicity in Holocaust. Written in aftermath of military attacks on State of Israel in 1967 and 1973, Littell's book also staunchly defended the right of Jewish people self-identity and self- definition. (2) Littell often referred Holocaust as an alpine event, his way of identifying its unprecedented, watershed significance. In his view, Holocaust constituted most severe crisis--one of his favorite terms--to afflict Christian tradition. That tradition's teaching of contempt about Judaism and Jews had contributed mightily genocide against Jewish people, he believed. Only profound contrition and reform, including fundamental theological revision that tackled Christian New Testament's anti-Judaic themes, could restore integrity post-Holocaust Christianity. Littell's belief that Christianity faced a monumental credibility crisis was not based solely on his knowledge of centuries-old history of Christian hostility toward Judaism and Jews. …