© 1994 by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Articles |
Antisemitism and the Holocaust in the Politics of East Central Europe
Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies, Graduate Center, City University of New York
The uses and abuses of antisemitism and the Holocaust in the politics of East Central Europe during the Soviet and post-communist eras are described and analyzed. During the Soviet era, antisemitism (under the guise of anti-Zionism and anti-cosmopolitanism) and a distorted version of the Holocaust reflected the changing domestic and foreign policy interests of the communist regimes. In contrast, in the post-glasnost period they were—and continue to be—expolited primarily by ultra-nationalist and xenophobic elements interested in the reestablishment of authoritarian rightist regimes. The study focuses attention on a "history cleansing" process attempting, among other things, to minimize or generalize the Holocaust and to blame the Jews for the evils of communism. Finally, the study aims to show that the exploitation of antisemitism and the Holocaust in a region devoid of a genuine tradition of tolerance and pluralism represents a potential threat to the Jewish communities as well as, and above all, to the newly established democratic parliamentary systems.