Obituary

In Memoriam: Joseph Robert White

I am sorry to share the very sad news that Dr. Joseph (Joe) White, historian in the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, passed away suddenly in early May.

After earning B.A. and M.A. degrees at Georgia State University, Joe first came to the Museum while doing research on his University of Nebraska Ph.D. dissertation, entitled “IG Auschwitz: The Primacy of Racial Politics,” which he completed in 2000 under the direction of Prof. Alan Steinweis. Of the thesis, Steinweis later remarked: “Even more impressive than the breadth and depth of White’s research is the quality of his writing. White’s text offers a highly detailed and evocative narrative of life in the factory and camp.”

In 2001, White won a fellowship at the Center to work on a follow-up project with the prospective title “Racial Policy and Terror in the Wartime German Press.” Like many former fellows, he dreamed of eventually coming back to the Museum and contributing to the Center’s work. He succeeded in 2004, returning as a research assistant for the Museum’s multi-volume Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos.

White applied extensive knowledge of the history of Germany, Europe, the Holocaust, and especially the system of camps and ghettos to his work. He contributed to or co-authored more than ninety scholarly entries or essays, employing his masterful analysis of primary and secondary sources as well as his fluency in German and French. As editor of the Encyclopedia’s third volume, White oversaw the research and output of a team of content experts, conducted photographic research, edited numerous contributions, tracked all contributions, and managed the complex indexing for the completed work.

In a 2001 article in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, White described hitherto overlooked connections between British POWs and Jews in Auschwitz, finding that the POWs offered some assistance. In a second article (2002), White showed convincingly that even if the Allies had tried to bomb the gas chambers and crematoria at Birkenau the results likely would have fallen far short of what proponents of bombing have maintained. The killing would have gone on in other ways.

Working with Museum colleagues, White played a crucial role in discerning the significance of the Kurt Hoecker photo album—a collection of personal photographs of the last adjutant to the Auschwitz commandant—when it came to light in 2007. White was able to establish the dates of several key events depicted in the photos, such as the visit of Air Force General Erich Quade and the opening ceremonies of the SS Troop Hospital (Lazarett). He also identified several SS officers based on their uniforms, facial features, and known dates of service at Auschwitz.

During much of his tenure at the Museum, White also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland University College, teaching thirty-one online and blended courses to a diverse student body, including many active-duty U.S. military personnel. He served as content expert for the design and teaching of advanced courses on the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, World War II, and twentieth-century European history. Besides specific expertise on the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Nazi camp system more broadly, Joe also developed a deep interest in the history of Nazi art-looting and postwar restitution. Articulate and personable, he related well to students of all backgrounds.

Joe was a wonderful colleague and a tireless and meticulous scholar. Always enthusiastic about his work and willing to help others in any capacity, he left an indelible mark on the projects on which and the people with whom he worked. The Museum called upon Joe to lecture at colleges and other venues across the United States, and he often presented with local survivors. He was sought after for his appealing combination of knowledge and collegiality. In interacting with staff, fellow scholars, and the general public, he not only shared his learning and insights but also managed to instill a sense of curiosity that led many to delve deeper into Holocaust history.

This is a great loss to the academic family of the Mandel Center...