The Destruction of Dutch Jewry in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume VI

Historical Research or Slander? on R. Hilberg’s Book

Bruno Bettelheim, Hannah Arendt, and Raul Hilberg in their writings unjustly and without hard evidence accuse the victims of the Holocaust of “passivity,” submission, and lack of resistance. Hilberg, in particular, in The Destruction of European Jewry, mercilessly slights and slanders the Jews, not only during the Holocaust but also during the preceding nineteen centuries. His main fault lies in the fact that as a historian he permitted himself so casually to be venomous without attempting to verify his sources and facts. In effect, his is not a serious study seeking out the truth, but a derisive outlet for frustration, resentment, and anger.