ABSTRACT

An exploration of the development of Holocaust research in Israel, this book ranges from the consolidation of Holocaust research as an academic subject in the late 1940s to the establishment of Yad Vashem and beyond.

Research on the story of historiography is often a work on books, on the "final products" that fill academic bookshelves yet, in Israeli Holocaust Research, Boaz Cohen illustrates that the evolution of holocaust research in Israel has a more human element to it. Drawing on knowledge gained through seven years of work in ten major archives in Israel, the author reveals a previously unseen picture of the development of Israeli Holocaust research "from below," and of the social and cultural forces influencing its character. In doing so, a new facet to the picture emerges, of the story beyond the archive and the people who see Holocaust research as their mission and responsibility.

This book will be a fascinating addition to the study of Holocaust research and will be of particular interest to students of history, historiography and Jewish studies

part I|22 pages

The emergence of Holocaust research

chapter 1|20 pages

“Our Holocaust”

The public context of Holocaust research

part II|31 pages

Forces influencing early Holocaust research

chapter 2|11 pages

Holocaust survivors and Holocaust research

chapter 3|10 pages

Yad Vashem as a Zionist research institute

The vision of Ben-Zion Dinur

chapter 4|8 pages

The Claims Conference and Yad Vashem

part III|131 pages

The formative years of Holocaust research

chapter 7|12 pages

The research department at Yad Vashem

chapter 8|13 pages

Infrastructure for research

Agreements and disagreements

chapter 9|8 pages

The beginning of university teaching

chapter 10|16 pages

The battle for Yad Vashem and Holocaust research

A four-scene drama

chapter 11|8 pages

Dinur's rearguard battle

chapter 12|7 pages

Scene two

the Robinson report and the institute for Holocaust research

chapter 13|15 pages

Scene three

the establishment of the “Commission for the Examination of the Activities of Yad Vashem”

chapter 14|6 pages

Scene four

the debate in the Knesset and its education committee

part IV|82 pages

Consolidation, change and controversy

chapter 15|19 pages

The 1960s

The maturation of Holocaust research

chapter 17|10 pages

Growth and progress

Changes in the world of Israeli research and their implications

chapter 18|17 pages

Leadership, rescue and academic teaching

chapter 19|16 pages

The agenda of Israeli Holocaust research

chapter |10 pages

Postscript

Israeli research in social and ideological context