Genocide: - DIIS

Investigating the Final Solution
Torben Jørgensen
Investigating the Final Solution
In 1993, the Nestor of Holocaust studies, Raul Hilberg, asked the question:
Where are Holocaust studies today? And answered the question himself
with the words: In the limelight.
Between 1985 and 1995 as much material in this fi eld was published as in
the period between 1945 and 1985. It is, even for specialists, almost impossible
to get a complete overview of the extensive literature. However, as
will become clear in the course of this article, this is not the equivalent of
saying that the Endlösung has been covered thoroughly.
As an introductory remark it would be sensible to explain why I use the
term Endlösung rather than holocaust in this article. The word holocaust,
spelt either with a capitalised fi rst letter or not, originates from the Hebrew
word olah and was imported into English via translations of the Bible from
Greek in the Middle Ages (Greek: Holokauston). In modern holocaust history
the word is often seen to have theological overtones but in fact the
word has not been used in the Protestant and Jewish bibles since around
1600. In the fi rst half of the 20th century in common, secular usage in English
holocaust referred to massacres, wars and catastrophes and had no religious
connotations. After the Second World War the word was often used
in connection with atomic war. The Israeli Research Centre, Yad Vashem,
started using the term from about 1951, it referring specifi cally to the Nazi
terror; sometimes specifi cally to connote the Jewish genocide and at other
times referring also to other massacres, genocide and terror. From here the
word has slowly made its way into the English language, typically spelt
with a capitalised fi rst letter, and most frequently refers specifi cally to the
Jewish genocide. This development was strengthened in the years after the
showing of the NBC television series “Holocaust” (1979), where the word
was cemented in the consciousness of the public of the western world. Yet
the literal meaning of the word remains unclear. Even if it is no longer – as
in the 1950s and 1960s – used in connection with atomic destruction, the
word is still being used to describe a whole range of massacres, violations
of human rights, etc. Even when holocaust is used with specifi c reference
to the historical event of “the killing of the European Jews”, the signifi -
263