Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Eastern Europe

261 Pages·1994·4.867 MB·English

by  Randolph L. Braham

Anti-Semitism and the Treatment
of the Holocaust
in postcommunist Eastern Europe
Edited By
Randolph L. Braham
The Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies
Graduate Center/The City University of New York
and
Social Science Monographs, Boulder
Distributed by
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS, NEW YORK
1994
EAST EUROPEAN MONOGRAPHS, NO. CDV
Holocaust Studies Series
Randolph L. Braham, Editor
Hie Institute for Holocaust Studies
Hie Graduate School and University Center
Hie City University of New York
Previously published books in the Series:
Perspectives on the Holocaust, 1982
Contemporary Views on the Holocaust, 1983
Genocide and Retribution, 1983
The Hungarian Jewish Catastrophe: A Selected and Annoted
Bibliography, 1984
Jewish Leadership During the Nazi Era: Patterns of Behavior
in the Free World, 1985
The Holocaust in Hungary - Forty Years Later, 1985
The Origins of the Holocaust Christian Anti-Semitism, 1985
The Halutz Resistance in Hungary, 1942-1944,1986
The Tragedy of Hungarian Jewry: Essays, Documents,
Depositions, 1986
The Treatment of the Holocaust in Textbooks, 1987
The Psychological Perspectives of the Holocaust and of Its
Aftermath, 1988
Reflections of the Holocaust in Art and Literature, 1990
Studies on the Holocaust in Hungary, 1990
Hie Holocaust Studies Series is published in cooperation with the Institute
for Holocaust Studies. These books are outgrowths of lectures, conferences,
and research projects sponsored by the Institute. It is the purpose of the
Series to subject the events and circumstances of the Holocaust to scrutiny
by a variety of academics who bring different scholarly disciplines to the
study.
Hie first three books in the Series were published by
Kluwer-Nijhoff Publishing of Boston
Copyright © 1994 by Randolph L. Braham
ISBN 0-88033-302-2
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 94-67901
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Introduction v
Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust in the Politics of
East Central Europe
Randolph L. Braham 1
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust
in Postcommunist Bulgaria
Frederick B. Chary 31
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust in
Postcommunist Czechoslovakia (The Czech Republic)
Fred Hahn 57
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust
in Germany
Ruth Bettina Birn 79
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust
in Hungary
Istvan Deak 99
Anti-Semitism and Jewish Identity in Postcommunist
Hungary
Andrds Kovâcs 125
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust in
Postcommunist Poland
Abraham Brumberg 143
IV Table of Contents
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust in
Postcommunist Romania
Raduloanid 159
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust in
Postcommunist Slovakia
Raphael Vago 183
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust in
theUSSR/CIS
William Korey 207
Anti-Semitism and the Treatment of the Holocaust in
Postcommunist Yugoslavia
Radmila Milentijevic 225
Contributors 251
INTRODUCTION
This volume-the fifteenth in the Holocaust Studies Series of
the Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies-is the outgrowth of
lectures offered under the auspices of the Institute during the
1992 academic year. The lectures were devoted to an in-depth
evaluation of a disturbing phenomenon-the reassertion of xeno­
phobic nationalism and the concomitant rise of anti-Semitism in
postcommunist East Central Europe. Following the dissolution
of the communist regimes and the subsequent disintegration of
the Soviet bloc, anti-Semitism, xenophobic nationalism, and
ethnic rivalries resurfaced with a virulence often reminiscent of
the interwar era. The end of the cold war notwithstanding,
nationalist extremism has once again emerged as a major threat
to the peace and security of Europe. Embraced by a variety of
rightist groups and parties, ranging from sundry skinhead and
neo-Nazi movements eager to resurrect the National Socialist
system to chauvinists bent on ethnic cleansing, the rightist
extremists have once again blended xenophobic nationalism
with anti-Semitism as a core element of their ideology.
Following the collapse of the communist system, the nation­
alist extremists of the former Soviet bloc nations, including those
in the successor states of the USSR, openly adopted the ideologi­
cal tenets of the anti-Semitism long practiced by their counter­
parts in the West. A relatively large number of them are former
communist officials and secret police agents eager to retain or
regain their former privileges. The xenophobic extremists are
actively supported-and often led-by fascists and even war
criminals who repatriated from the West where they had been
supported during the Cold War as vocal anti-communists. A
common denominator of the ideological tenets of the newly
v
VI Introduction
emerged rightist extremists is the blending of traditional strains
of anti-Semitism with the political-ideological strains that were
developed by the Western “historical revisionists,” the charla­
tans who specialize in the denigration and outright denial of the
Holocaust. In pursuit of their objective, the xenophobic extrem­
ists take full advantage of the new political culture of their
particular societies which-with the possible exception of the
Czech Republic-lack a tradition of genuine democracy, let alone
a liberal tradition of tolerance and pluralism.
As a rule the democratically elected leaders of the various
countries, especially during their visits to the West, publicly
condemn the views and actions of the extremists; they are more
lenient with the nationalists-populists whose anti-Semitism is
more covert and appeals to the traditional patriotic, national-
Christian values of the non-westemized segments of their in­
digenous populations. For reasons of political expediency rather
than from personal conviction, these leaders, along with other
moderate political figures, condone the anti-Semitic messages
of the nationalist-populists by their silence, even when they do
not publicly support them.
The political influence and power of the populists and
extremists vary from country to country. The variations gener­
ally reflect the social and political traditions of the specific
former communist societies and the effectiveness with which
they dealt-and are dealing-with the transition from a Soviet-
style system to a market-oriented Western-type parliamentary
democracy. The similarities and differences that characterize
these countries’ political and socioeconomic systemic evolution
are reflected in the studies included in this volume. While many
changes have taken place since the end of 1992 when these
studies were completed, the essential features of the issues they
analyze remain basically unaltered.
As is the case with all collective works, the studies included
in this volume differ in approach and interpretation, reflecting
the scholarly interests and specialization of the authors. Their
views do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or of the
Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies.
Introduction vii
I am indebted to the authors for their participation in the 1992
lecture series of the Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies
and for the expertise with which they prepared their papers for
this publication. For its permission to reproduce my piece “Anti-
Semitism and the Holocaust in the Politics of East Central
Europe,” scheduled to appear in issue 8 (2), 1994 of Holocaust
and Genocide Studies, I thank Oxford University Press.
The publication of the Holocaust Studies Series would not be
possible without the generous support of many friends. I am
particularly grateful in this respect for the generous support of
Elizabeth and Jack Rosenthal, the mentors of the Institute that
bears their name, Gabor Vârszegi, and the members of the
Advisory Committee headed by Marcel Sand. I am also grateful
to Dr. Frances Degen Horowitz, President, and Dr. Alan Gartner,
Dean of Research and University Programs, of the Graduate
School and University Center of the City University of New
York, for their consistent support of Jewish and Holocaust-
related studies. Last but not least, I am thankful to my wife,
Elizabeth, who carried much of the burden of editing and
proofreading.
Randolph L. Braham
March 1994

Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
in the Politics of East Central Europe
Randolph L. Braham
Anti-Semitism has always been a sensitive barometer in the
politics of East Central Europe. It accurately reflected, for
example, the gradual erosion of the democratic principles and
institutions the states of the region adopted in the wake of the
post-World War I settlements. Endemic in the area, anti-Semi­
tism became particularly virulent during the interwar period
when, under the influence of the Third Reich, its traditional
religious component was strengthened by a more modem secu­
lar-racial content, paving the way to the destruction of the Jews
during the Second World War.
Shortly after the war, the traditional and modem components
of anti-Semitism were reinforced, and partially displaced, by
new ideological-political strains. These evolved through the
perversion of the two central factors in contemporary Jewish
history, which were expected-nalvely in retrospect-to sound the
death knell of anti-Semitism: the Holocaust and the subsequent
establishment of the State of Israel. The perversion was first
orchestrated by loosely organized extremist forces of the Right
and then adopted-and exploited at various levels of intensity-by
extremist forces of the Left, including the current and former
communist states. Although guided by different ideological
perspectives and conflicting political interests, these extremist
forces embraced the, new strains in contemporary antj-
<s<>rniticrrt- onri-,7iorjsm and its corollary opposition to Israel,
and' the distortion, denigration, or outright denial of the
1
2 Randolph L. Braham
Holocaust-with equal zeal. While the drive to distort and actu­
ally deny the Holocaust was begun by the Right, the campaign
against Zionism and Israel was initiated by the Lett during the
late 1940s.1 In the course of time, tne two strains were tused with
the more traditional religious and racial forms of anti-Semitism
and used in various combinations by both extremes in accor-
re- jmûh thair pnrtirnlar iflfQlQgjcal and political needs.
In the Western world, the twin elements of contemporary
anti-Semitism have been exploited with varying degrees of
intensity and success primarily by sundry New Right, neo-Nazi,
and white supremacist groups. By far the most pernicious and
intellectually dishonest among them are the so-called “historical
revisionists,” the charlatans who specialize in the falsification of
history, including the denial of the Holocaust.2 The political-
ideological underpinning for their nefarious positions was often
provided by East European fascists who gained refuge in the
West as champions of anti-communism. These former collabo­
rators, many of whom had been actively involved in various
aspects of the anti-Jewish drive during the Nazi era, provided,
and continue to provide, the Holocaust deniers and their allies
not only with “historical documentary substantiation” of their
anti-Jewish positions, but also with ideological justification for
their political agenda.
The leftist forces of the West, including the many formerly
Moscow-oriented communists. Trotskvites. and New Left groups,
focused their drive with almost equal intensity against Zionism
and Israel. Although tftese lettist forces have differed in the
course of time on their position on the Holocaust, they have
nearly always ignored, denigrated, or distorted the tragedy that
befell the Jews in accordance with their shifting political inter­
ests. Thfc-USes andabuses of anti-Semitism and of the Holocaust
in thp former Soviet bloc nations reflected the changing domes­
tic and-foreiga-policy requirements of the communist regimes.
Since the end of the Second World WartHësëpolicies underwent
two fundamental shifts, each accompanied by systemic changes
affecting political, governmental, and socio-economic struc­
tures. The first pertained to the formation, and the second to the