Voices From the Holocaust

Preface

PREFACE To the extent that the interviews appearing in this book are successful, a measure of trust between the conversants may be presumed by the reader. That each of the participants accorded me his or her trust is in every case a gift I treasure. To reflect on the thought that each of these people with whom I talked is a friend is a satisfaction undeserved but deeply appreciated. Many volumes of interviews on the Shoah have been published -compilations centering on a single theme: survivors , their children, even children of Nazis. This work has a wider scope. Here, major figures of the Holocaust, some more directly involved in the actual Event than others, all of whom have reflected on its significance from a variety of valuable perspectives jlaw, theology, philosophy, literature, memorialization), speak their minds, their hearts. I gratefully express my appreciation for their willingness to share and my appreciation for who they are. Sharon Hessler's contribution to the completion of this book goes far beyond typing. Her smile and her friendship have been a great asset to me, and to Sharon I want to acknowledge a sincere "Thank you." The interview with Dorothee Soelle was published in Encounter , volume 49, Spring 1988. The interview with Leon Wells was published in Bridges, volume 1, Fall/Winter 1989. The Leo Eitinger interview was published in Martyrdom and Resistance, November to December 1983. For EDDY L. HARRIS "One friend in a lifetime is much." -Henry Brooks Adams ...