Holocaust and redemption: Jewish identity in the thought of Emil L. Fackenheim

Many thinkers consider Emil L. Fackenheim's post-1967 thought marginal because it seeks to uncover religious meaning in the events of the Holocaust and the founding of the State of Israel. I find Fackenheim's later thought to be of compelling relevance for North American Jewry precisely because the Holocaust and the State of Israel are two major wellsprings of contemporary Jewish identity. I contend that a renewed encounter with Fackenheim can indeed be fruitful for North American Jews.

This study will present facets of Fackenheim's thinking in a way that points to their relevance to questions of Jewish identity today. I will show that Fackenheim's attempts to uncover religious and philosophical meaning in the Holocaust and the founding of the State of Israel—however incomplete and problematic his formulations may be—are important for contemporary North American Jews seeking to come to terms with these two monumental events of the twentieth century.