18
FRONTLINES
Latin Fear
HEIDI PRESS
Continuing democracy is the only hope
for the Latin American Jewish community.
24
CLOSE-UP
Sim on Wiesentha l Cente r
Mideast Mindset
The face of Hitler looms over Europe: "It could have been a lot worse."
A Fair Portrayal of Pope Pius
A Lonely Voice Cries Out
Silence Taken For Assent
PETE SHEEHAN
PROFESSOR SIDNEY BOLKOSKY
istory has shown that works of
literature can drastically change
people's perceptions of events — for
good or for evil.
Whether the 1963 play, "The Deputy,"
by Rolf Hochhuth, has served to change
people's perceptions of Pope Pius XII is a
matter of dispute.
Some have praised the play, which
depicts Pius XII as silent and indifferent
to the plight of the Jews during Adolf
Hitler's genocidal campaign. Others see
the play as an example of how drama can
sway people's minds away from the truth
and inspire bitterness and injustice.
The question of whether Hochhuth's
play presents a fair portrayal of Pius XII
has received more attention in recent years
as various events have strained relations
between Catholics and Jews.
Jewish leaders have repeated the
charges of the pope's alleged silence while
the organs of the mass media have either
explicitly or implicitly affirmed the
charges. Even many Catholics seem to have
accepted the notion. On the other hand,
some efforts have been made to articulate
a different view of Pius' role.
Pope John Paul II, who as a young man
in Poland — a country also savaged by
Hitler's Third Reich — worked actively
against the Nazis and in efforts to help
Jews, recently spoke up for his
predecessor's record. Jesuit Father Robert
A. Graham, a noted historian, has re-
searched and written on the records from
the Vatican archives on Pius' efforts on
behalf of Jews.
Other efforts are under way. The
Catholic League for Religious and Civil
t his trial in Jerusalem, Adolf
Eichmann described his feelings
at the Wanssee Conference where
the administrative plans for the implemen-
tation of the Final Soution were formaliz-
ed: "Here now . . . the most prominent peo-
ple had spoken, the popes of the Third
Reich." Not one voice was raised in protest.
"At that moment!' Eichmann said, "I
sensed a kind of Pontius Pilate feeling, for
I felt free of all guilt."
It seems unlikely Eichmann realized
the bitter irony that accompanied that com-
parison — as Pilate washed his hands of
responsibility for the death of Jesus, so now,
Eichmann washed his hands of responsibil-
ity for the impending death of the Jews.
Most significant in this testimony,
however, Eichmann implied that had one
of these authorities — SS, army or civil ser-
vice — raised any objection or questioned
the order for the annihilation, he, too,
might have goaded his conscience and
challenged the new policy. But "as far as
[he] could see, not a one of them objected!'
And so, he thought, if these esteemed
leaders did not demur, who was he to
object?
What Eichmann would have done had
such disapprovals been voiced remains
speculation. But the fact that he raised the
point at his trial, time and again when ask-
ed about crucial decisions that led to the
Final Solution, must draw the attention of
any of us concerned with the question of
conscience during the Holocaust.
If it seemed improbable that opposition
might have been expressed at the Wanssee
Conference, such obstacles arose all over
Europe where voices of moral authority
H
Continued on Page 16
Pete Sheehan is senior reporter for the Long Island
Catholic. This article first appeared in Columbia,
the Knights of Columbus magazine.
A
Continued on Page 12
Sidney Bolkosky is a professor of history at the
University of Michigan-Dearborn.
LILA ORBACH
Media images
of the Palestinian
rioting have ugly
connotations
for our children.
30
INSIDE WASHINGTON
Dukakis Supporter
JAMES D. BESSER
Hyman Bookbinder plans to leave
the Committee and join Dukakis.
44
SPORTS
Piston Power
MIKE ROSENBAUM
Oscar Feldman is reaping the return
on his investment in the Detroit Pistons.
49
LIGHTSIDE
Knock On Wood
CAROL COTT GROSS
Watching for the evil eye
is a hidden task for many individuals.
TRENDS
Dealing With Stereotypes
56
SHIRA DICKER
Throwing around convenient terms
leads to inconvenient thinking.
80
ANN ARBOR
Working Jewelry
SUSAN LUDMER-GLEIBE
One local jeweler loves the hustle
and bustle of the marketplace.
DEPARTMENTS
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122
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CANDLELIGHTING
June 10, 1988
8:49 p.m.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
7