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connection.
Psychoanalytic thinkers point to his
Soon after, he engaged in conversa-
family and their bad parenting, what
tion with a group of Jewish militants
Rosenbaum refers to as "the
who proposed assassinating Nazi war
Menendez defense of Hitler." Others
criminals. He disagreed, but one of
identify Jews in his life who may have
their questions — whether, if he was
inspired his boundless hatred: Nazi
living in Weimar Germany, he would
hunter Simon Wiesenthal theorizes
have thought it was legitimate to kill
that it was the effect of an attack of
Hitler — stayed with him. He was
syphilis, caught from a Jewish prosti-
also struck by reading Milton
tute.
Himmelfarb's essay in Commentary,
Bauer tells the author that "Hitler
"No Hitler, No Holocaust," and
is not inexplicable. But the fact that
something is explicable does not mean
sought to answer for himself questions
it has been explained." For
about who Hitler was and why he did
Fackenheim, Hitler
what he did.
is beyond explana-
Known as a journalist
tion; no explanation
who turns subjects inside
could explain the
out, Rosenbaum writes
enormity of his
the weekly "The Edgy
crimes. Lanzmann
Enthusiast" column in
feels adamantly that
the New York Observer,
Hitler can't be
where he voices his some-
understood, for
times quirky obsessions.
understanding might
The author of a novel
imply forgiveness.
and three collections of
Once involved in
essays who now also
the maze of explana-
writes for the New York
tions and decades-
Times Magazine and
long arguments
Esquire and teaches at the
among scholars,
Columbia Graduate
School of Journalism,
Ron Rosenbaum: Explaining Rosenbaum refocus-
es his goal, from try-
Rosenbaum began
the
ing to uncover a sin-
researching this topic
inexplicable.
gle answer to trying
with the aim of writing a
to understand the
novel about Jews who
personal agendas as well as the inter-
planned to assassinate Hitler in the
pretations of the explainers. His ability
1920s, but became fascinated with the
to see many sides of the same argu-
issues and shifted to nonfiction.
ment at once gives this provocative
In doing research, Rosenbaum trav-
work a talmudic-like quality.
eled to Germany, Austria, England,
When asked if there's one view
France and Israel to visit archives and
closest to his own, the journalist long
to meet with the leading explainers,
used to asking the questions doesn't
including British historian Hugh
answer directly, but says that he felt it
Trevor-Roper, biographer Alan
was particularly important to restore
Bullock, scholar Daniel Goldhagen
the vision of the late historian Lucy
whose book Hitler's Willing
Davidowicz, whose 1975 book The
Executioners was greeted critically in
War Against the Jews is often ignored.
the scholarly community, filmmaker
In contrast to Browning who sees
Claude Lanzmann, revisionist David
Hitler as wavering in his decision-
Irving, scholar Christopher Browning,
making — "nebbish Hitler," as
theologian Emil Fackenheim and
Rosenbaum describes — Davidowicz
Hebrew University professor Yehuda
claimed that Hitler made his decision
Bauer, a founder of the discipline of
about the Final Solution as far back as
Holocaust studies.
November 1918, while recuperating in
Trevor-Roper presents a sincere
a military hospital, and that he never
Hitler convinced of his righteousness
changed his mind.
in carrying out the Final Solution, act-
Has Rosenbaum's outlook changed
ing for the good of Germany. Bullock
after spending more than 10 years
claims he was manipulative and cold-
working on his book? "You can't help
blooded. Some put the blame on situ-
taking a darker view of human nature
ations in Hitler's life; others point to
if you spend a lot of time focusing on
circumstances in Germany and say
nightmarish events. On the other
that if there had been no Hitler, the
hand, I didn't have much of a
society would have produced someone
Pollyanna-ish, bright view of human
else to execute the Final Solution.
nature before either."
Himmelfarb believes the opposite.
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