Ordinary Men: Perpetrators, Bystanders, and Victims in the Holocaust
Dr. Eli Rubin
Our stereotypical image of the Holocaust is of villainous Nazi soldiers killing Jewish victims in gas chambers. However, historical research has shown that much of the killing was perpetrated by non-Germans, or Germans who were not fanatical Nazis. What were the motivations of “ordinary people” to so brutally kill others, who in many cases were their own neighbors, or at least to not stop the killing? Dr. Eli Rubin, professor of history at Western Michigan University, discusses the topic in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Recorded 01/29/2018
Dr. Rubin teaches general education and upper level undergraduate courses on modern European and German history, as well as a range of graduate courses. His work includes post-war German history, specializing in the history of East Germany, World War II, material culture, spatiality, consumption, technology, environment, memory and everyday life history. Presented Monday, January 29, 2018, at Oshtemo Branch Library, Kalamazoo, MI.
Categories: Timely Topics
Tags: culture; history