European Mennonites and the Holocaust

Mark Jantzen is a professor of History and Chair of the Department of History and Conflict Studies at Bethel College.John D. Thiesen is an archivist and co-director of libraries at Bethel College.

"In addition to standing as an important historical study, European Mennonites and the Holocaust should prompt Anabaptists in North America — particularly white Anabaptists — to reflect on their own legacies of anti-Jewish prejudice and discern how to stand against antisemitism as part of their antiracist commitments."- Alain Epp Weaver (Anabaptist World) "The value of this book reaches well be­yond telling tales of depraved Mennonites. Several chap­ters reflect on the thinking and rationalizations which emboldened Mennonites to reject historic Anabaptism."- David Giesbrecht (Roots and Branches) "European Mennonites and the Holocaust adds telling details to the picture of Mennonites during the Nazi era … The contributors do not shrink from addressing the gray eras, especially the question of who can be regarded as a ‘Mennonite’ and where boundaries are to be drawn."- Astrid von Schlachta (The Mennonite Quarterly Review) "For readers who may feel overwhelmed by the volume of books and articles that have appeared in recent years, European Mennonites and the Holocaust offers an excellent summary of the current state of scholarship. Anyone looking for an entry point into the rapidly growing literature on this sober, if controversial, topic would do well to start with this collection."- John D. Roth, Goshen College (Directions) "This collection will be a precious source for further archival research about these connections for future generations of Mennonite historians."- Sergei I. Zhuk, Ball State University (Journal of Mennonite Studies) "A persuasive and geographically comprehensive evaluation of the roles played by Mennonites (living in the Third Reich and Nazi-occupied territories of Poland, the Netherlands, and Soviet Ukraine) in the Holocaust of European Jews." - Benjamin W. Goosen, George Mason University (Antisemitism Studies) "In its breadth of coverage and rigorous research, it [European Mennonites and the Holocaust] will command a broad readership while serving well in undergraduate and graduate classrooms." - Ben Nobbs-Thiessen, University of Winnipeg (The Conrad Grebel Review) "This is a piece of research of which all contemporary Mennonites, especially ‘ethnic Mennonites’, need to be aware." - Veronica Zundel (Anabaptism Today)

• List of Illustrations AcknowledgmentsIntroduction – Neighbours, Killers, Enablers, Witnesses: The Many Roles of Mennonites in the Holocaust Doris L. Bergen, Mark Jantzen, and John D. Thiesen Introduction to Chapter 1 – Mennonites and Nazi Crimes: Gerhard Rempel's Call for Historical Reckoning Doris L. Bergen 1. Mennonites, War Crimes, and the HolocaustGerhard Rempel, edited by Doris L. Bergen with John D. Thiesen 2. Enjoying the Entitlements of German Freedom: German Mennonites and Nazi Church-State Policy James Irvin Lichti3. Antisemitism and the Concept of Volk: The Mennonite Youth Circular Community at the Beginning of the Nazi DictatorshipImanuel Baumann4. German Mennonite Theology in the Era of National SocialismArnold Neufeld-Fast5. Dutch Mennonite Theologians and NazismPieter Post6. Mennonite Collaboration with Nazism: A Case Study of the Responses of Mennonites in Deutsch Wymyschle, Poland, to the Plight of Local Jews during the Early Nazi Occupation Period (1939–1942)Colin Neufeldt7. Mennonites in Ukraine before, during, and Immediately after the Second World WarDmytro Myeshkov8. A Portrait of Khortytsya/Zaporizhzhia under OccupationAileen Friesen9. Dutch Mennonites and Yad Vashem RecognitionAlle G. Hoekema10. Identity and Complicity: The Post-Second World War Emigration of Chortitza MennonitesErika Weidemann11. A Usable Past: Soviet Mennonite Memories of the HolocaustHans Werner12. Selective Memory: Danziger Mennonite Reflections on the Nazi Era, 1945–1950Steve SchroederList of Contributors Index