"Identity Politics and Suffering: Post-Holocaust Judaism and the Contemporary Moment": Martin Kavka
On November 11th, 2021 Dr. Martin Kavka came to William and 玛丽 to discuss the work of the twentieth-century Jewish philosopher Emil Fackenheim and the implications of his work for our contemporary moment. Dr. Kavka provided a framework for understanding Fackenheim's idea of the commanding voice of Auschwitz which is fundamental to post- Holocuast Jewish studies. In Fackenheim’s key work God’s Presence in History, he states,
Any Jew, then or now, making normalcy his supreme goal should have been, and
still should be, in flight from this singled-out condition in total disarray. In fact, however,
secularist no less than religious Jew have responded with a reaffirmation of their
Jewish existence such as no social scientist would have predicted even if the
holocuast had never occurred . . . The times, however, aare not normal times. A Jew
at Auschwitz was not a specimen of the class “victim of prejudice” or even “victim of
genocide.” He was singled out by a demonic power which sought his death absolutely,
i.e., as an end in itself. For a Jew today merely to affirm his Jewish existence is to
accept his singled-out condition; ist is to oppose the demons of Auschwitz: and it is to
oppose them in the only way in which they can be opposed-with an absolute
opposition.” (Fackenheim 81).
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From here, Dr. Kavka discussed the implications of his reading of Fackenheim and suggested that Fackenheim’s failure to appreciate the overlap between post-Holocaust Jewish responses and the resistance of other targeted minority groups like Black Americans and Palestinians neglects a major opportunity for minority groups to achieve a deeper understanding of the risks and power of their parallel resistance movements.
I found Dr. Kavka to be an engaging and insightful lecturer. His openness to critique and support for students' questions demonstrated his love of learning. He made the content of his lecture digestible to the entire audience, not just those who have a deep understanding of Jewish studies. Furthermore, his lecture made a Jewish studies concept applicable to and insightful for any attempt to gain a deeper understanding of modern social movements.
