A Season for Healing: Reflections on the Holocaust

Plot

Certain to evoke stong reactions, this imnpassioned, mediative essay is rooted in the authors belief that Jews need to come to terms with the Holocaust, to face their anger, to accept the Nazi genocide both as a specifically jewish tragedy and as a human event, part of the mass slaughter of the 20th century. Around this central premise she builds chapters on Jews' relations with Christians, black, Poles, and the Vatican; russian anti-semitism and the soviet conflict with Jewish emigration; Jews in American politics; and the tensions that divide Arabs and Israelis. On each emotionally charged issue, Roiphe strives to understand how opposing sides feel, to weight contrary claims and interests. Her objectivity makes this challenging, important essay a beacon in the discussion of controversies that have long divided Jews among themselves and from the world at large.