Jewish “Culpability”: Redefining Heroism in the Context of the Holocaust

This article considers representations of Jewish “culpability” during the Holocaust. Despite the undoubtedly contentious nature of the topic, I take as my starting point that the actions of the victims of the genocide were not all beyond moral reproach. This is not to confuse cause and effect but, rather, to acknowledge the nuances of the atrocity. Analyzing the representation of these ambiguities in a wide range of literature and film, I argue that conceptions of heroism are insufficient in this context because, in their insistence on action over complicity, they inadvertently condemn millions of victims who were violently coerced into submission. Instead, I suggest that the focus of fictional accounts should be on complexity, not heroism.