Justice matters: legacies of the Holocaust and World War II

210 Pages·2004·1.192 MB·English

by  Mona Sue Weissmark

JUSTICE MATTERS
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JUSTICE
MATTERS
Legacies of the Holocaust
and World War II
Mona Sue Weissmark
1
2004
1
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Copyright © 2004by Oxford University Press,Inc.
Published by Oxford University Press,Inc.
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Oxford is a registered trademark ofOxford University Press
All rights reserved.No part ofthis publication may be reproduced,
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electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Weissmark,Mona Sue.
Justice matters :legacies ofthe Holocaust and World War II / Mona Sue Weissmark.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-19-515757-5
1. Holocaust,Jewish (1939–1945)—Influence. 2.Holocaust,Jewish (1939–1945)—Germany—
Influence. 3. Holocaust,Jewish (1939–1945)—Germany—Public opinion. 4. Public opinion—
Germany. 5. Children ofHolocaust survivors—Attitudes. 6. Children ofNazis—Germany—
Attitudes. I. Title.
D804.44.W45 2003
940.53'18—dc21 2003048685
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
on acid-free paper
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to my unknown relatives who perished in ob-
scurity:my aunts,my uncles,my cousins,my grandparents,my great-
grandparents,all ofwhom were killed at concentration camps.The young-
est died at about age four at Auschwitz, the oldest at eighty-seven at
Dachau,the others apparently killed at Treblinka and Buchenwald.Be-
cause their names were never recorded,their bodies never buried,I offer
this book as a memorial.May it convey my compassion for the injustices
they suffered.And I dedicate this book to Pastor Seebasz’s family—his
wife,sons,and daughters—for saving my father’s life.And finally to my
little daughter,Brittany Weissmark Giacomo.So that you may realize your
own legacy with a winged heart.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A program ofresearch spanning more than ten years is possible
only with much help.I am grateful to many people.
To my husband,Daniel Giacomo,whose love and care have kept me
steady in the wind.He is my research partner,without whom this book
would not be possible.
To my daughter,Brittany Weissmark Giacomo,whose birth and being
have stretched my heart.
To my former teacher at the University of Pennsylvania,Aron Kat-
senelinboigen,whose instruction and wisdom have guided my thinking
about justice matters.
To my former teacher at Harvard,Brendan Maher,whose method-
ological guidance and research have taught me how to test my thinking
about matters ofjustice.
To my former colleagues at Harvard,Myron Belfer,Emily Cahan,Jill
Hooley,and Robert Rosenthal,whose intellectual support and encour-
agement have enabled me to organize the first-ever meeting for the de-
scendants ofNazis and ofHolocaust survivors at the Harvard Education
Medical Center.
To Gerald Posner,author ofHitler’s Children,whose unselfish help and
generosity made it possible for me to locate the children ofNazis.
To Ilona Kuphal,the daughter ofa Waffen SS officer,whose kindness
and hard work made it possible for me to invite other children ofNazis to
participate in the meeting.
To my colleagues at Roosevelt University,Judith Dygdon,Stuart Fa-
gan,Ted Gross,Jonathan Smith,Ronald Tallman and Lynn Weiner,whose
support and encouragement have enabled me to organize the first-ever
viii Acknowledgments
meeting for the descendants ofslaves and ofslave owners at Roosevelt
University.
To my research participants,whose willingness and involvement have
enabled me to examine the emotional impact ofinjustice.
To the students in my research methods courses at Harvard and Roo-
sevelt,whose curiosity and enthusiasm have compelled me to learn more
about justice matters.
To the Mansfield family foundation, whose commitment and gen-
erosity have provided me with the opportunity to set up an Institute for
Social Justice at Roosevelt University.
To Joan Bossert,vice president and associate publisher ofOxford Uni-
versity Press,whose support and beliefin the manuscript brought it out
into the world.
To Kim Robinson,assistant editor ofOxford University Press,whose
skill and patience helped ready the manuscript for the Press.
To Melita Garza,columnist for the Chicago Tribune,whose help and
talent helped better the manuscript.
And to my childhood friends,Mara Lund and Beth Roth,whose sup-
port and tolerance have helped me bear the pains ofinjustice.
I am also grateful to Dieter Dettke,executive director ofthe Friedrich
Ebert Foundation in Washington D.C.;Miles Lerman,chairman emeri-
tus,United States Holocaust Museum;Bill Niven,Reader in German at
the Nottingham Trent University in Great Britain;and RudolfKlepfisz,
my father’s childhood best friend and fellow concentration camp sur-
vivor.
Finally,I am grateful to Michael Betzle and Ellen Fauser,both in Ger-
many,for helping me find Pastor Julius Seebasz’s daughter,Sister Renate
ofthe Convent ofthe Holy Name,in Great Britain;and Pastor Seebasz’s
son,Pastor Johannes Seebasz,in Bad Harzburg,Germany.
Mere words are but empty expressions in thanking Sister Renate,Pas-
tor Johannes Seebasz,and their family for saving my father’s life.They not
only saved his life but made my life possible. Their compassion for a
stranger’s anguish gives me faith.That faith lies in my heart.May it help
my little daughter Brittany go forth without a wound in her spirit.