A Memorial Day for the Books Annihilated in the Holocaust: History and Reason

This article focuses on a Memorial Day ceremony that was regularly held during the State of Israel’s first two decades to honor the holy books destroyed during the Holocaust. The ceremony aimed to commemorate the Nazis’ attempt to destroy Judaism, not just the Jewish people. At the forefront of thes...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hershkowitz, Isaac (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill 2024
In: The review of rabbinic Judaism
Year: 2024, Volume: 27, Issue: 2, Pages: 193-213
Further subjects:B Jewish books
B Holocaust
B Shmuel Zanwil Kahana
B Mount Zion
B fasting in Judaism
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This article focuses on a Memorial Day ceremony that was regularly held during the State of Israel’s first two decades to honor the holy books destroyed during the Holocaust. The ceremony aimed to commemorate the Nazis’ attempt to destroy Judaism, not just the Jewish people. At the forefront of these efforts was Shmuel Zanwil Kahana, who sought to create a mystical atmosphere during the ceremony. His goal was to approach the new altar, represented by the furnace at Mount Zion, and offer a sacrifice of exilic literature to arouse a new spirit within the people of Israel. Despite his almost occult practices and liturgy, Kahana did not achieve the results for which he hoped. His attempts to build the nation through the destruction of its exilic spirit did not succeed.
ISSN:1570-0704
Contains:Enthalten in: The review of rabbinic Judaism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700704-20240010