Resources on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust

These Museum resources highlight aspects of Holocaust history as it relates to the choices and actions of religious communities. They may be of particular interest to university and seminary faculty, as well as community and religious groups. These resources provide deeper knowledge of the role religious communities played in the Holocaust and the ways in which religious communities have addressed this history since the end of the Holocaust.

The German Churches and Other Religious Communities in Nazi Germany

Holocaust Encyclopedia

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• ​The German Churches and the Nazi State

• Hermann Ludwig Maas

• Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany: From the 1890s to the 1930s

• Nazi Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses

• Role of German Clergy and Church Leaders

• Martin Niemoeller: Biography

• Martin Niemoeller: “First they came for the socialists...”

Past Museum Programs

• The Danger of Indifference: ‘Then They Came for Me.’ Facebook Live event, June 10, 2020.

• Doris Bergen. “Between God and Hitler: German Military Chaplians and the Holocaust.” Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Annual Lecture, 2010.

• Robert P. Ericksen. “Christian Complicity? Changing Views on German Churches and the Holocaust.” (PDF) Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Annual Lecture, 2007.

Religious Communities across Europe & North America During the Holocaust

Holocaust Encyclopedia

• Le Chambon-sur-Lignon

• Charles E. Coughlin

• Father Jacques

• Martha and Waitstill Sharp

• Quakers

Experiencing History (Primary Sources in Context)

• ​American Christians, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust

Past Museum Programs

• The Holocaust-Era Archives of Pope Pius XII: The State of the Question, Virtual panel discussion co-sponsored by Boston College and Yad Vashem, Oct. 17, 2021.

• Reconsidering the Catholic Church and the Holocaust. Virtual panel discussion, April 8, 2021.

• Courageous Acts Inspired by Faith. Facebook Live event, March 2020.​

Coming to Terms with the Past: How People of Faith Have Addressed the Legacy of Antisemitism and the Holocaust

Holocaust Encyclopedia

• Antisemitism in History: From the Early Church to 1400

• Blood Libel

Tools for Classrooms and Communities

• Guide for Christian Communities Commemorating Yom Hashoah (PDF)

• History of Antisemitism film

• Podcast with Susannah Heschel, Voices on Antisemitism Podcast, 2007.

• “Religion and Identity.” Teaching about Antisemitism: Educational Modules based on Audio Podcasts.

Past Museum Programs

• Antisemitism, Christianity and the Holocaust Reckoning with the Past and Working in the Present, Virtual panel discussion co-hosted by the Washington National Cathedral, Oct. 14, 2021.

• “Religious Persecution 75 years after the Holocaust.” Public Program, 2020.

• “What Did Faith Communities Stand For?” Public Program, 2017.

• Mehnaz Afridi. “Redefining Antisemitism Through the Stories of Jews and Muslims during the Holocaust.” Mona and Otto Weinmann Annual Lecture, 2016.

• Susannah Heschel. “Jewish-Christian Dialogue in the Postwar Era.” (Audio) Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Annual Lecture, 2013.

Jewish Religious Life

Holocaust Encyclopedia

• Introduction to Judaism

Experiencing History (Primary Sources in Context)

• Jewish Perspectives on the Holocaust

• Jewish Religious Life and the Holocaust

• Documenting Life and Destruction Series, 13 vols, 2010-2018.

Past Museum Programs

• Resilience After Liberation. Facebook Live event, April 14, 2020.

• The Survivor Haggada. Curator’s Corner.

External Resources 

• American Academy of Religion (AAR)

• Conference of Center on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR)

• Dialogika (Online Library of Jewish-Christian Documents)

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The Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust are supported by Lilly Endowment Inc; the Hoffberger Family Foundation; and by Joseph A. and Janeal Cannon and Family.