Teodycea w czasie Zagłady. Wojenne kazania rabina Szlomy Zalmana Unsdorfera

Abstract

Many analyses of the Holocaust’s influence on Jewish theology emphasize the dimension of the lack of continuation. From this perspective, the Holocaust, as an unprecedented event, made the Jewish theology face new inquiries, at the same time radically questioning the traditional answers. The wartime letters written by Orthodox rabbis who were witnesses to and victims of the intensifying repressions constitute a fascinating primary source, the analysis of which makes it possible to paint a picture of the transformation of Jewish theology in reaction to the Holocaust. Krawcowicz presents an interpretation of rabbi Szlomo Zalman Unsdorfer’s wartime sermons, laying stress on the many dimensions in which Unsdorfer’s thought is a continuation of selected threads of rabbinical tradition and the way in which it fits into the framework of the traditional Jewish theological responses to historical catastrophes ratherthan reach beyond them.