ABSTRACT
Throughout the history of modern man, with all its carnage and butchery, the Holocaust remains unparalleled for its human barbarism. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Holocaust presents a compelling challenge to scholars of religion, philosophy, psychology and literature. Even more important, however, the Holocaust is first and foremost an integral part of Jewish history, since it is an outgrowth of the uniqueness of this history and has changed the face of the Jewish people for generations to come. The Holocaust did not exist as a subject of research, historical or otherwise, in the Soviet Union, and Jews were rarely mentioned, directly or indirectly, in connection with German cruelty. Even Holocaust research in the West concerned itself very little with the Jews of the Soviet Union. The attitude of the local populace toward the Jews during the Holocaust is a complex and emotionally-charged issue with far-ranging political ramifications.
