REL 322 / REL 320 – Responses to the Holocaust

Assignment 2: Religious and Philosophical Responses – Source-Based Essay

Sample Answer Guide Notes

Many effective essays on religious responses to the Holocaust start from a precise claim about how a particular Jewish or Christian thinker tries to hold together faith in God with the reality of mass murder. A focused argument often follows when students select two or three short passages from a theologian such as Eliezer Berkovits, Richard Rubenstein, Jürgen Moltmann, or Emil Fackenheim and then explain how those lines revise or reject earlier ideas about covenant, providence, or evil. Strong answers also show awareness that these responses emerge from specific locations, for example from rabbinic communities in Israel or North America, from post-war German churches, or from survivors’ writings, and that they sit within wider debates about uniqueness, memory, and the possibility of speaking of God after Auschwitz. A brief comparison between one Jewish and one Christian response commonly helps to highlight both shared questions and sharply different conclusions about God’s presence or absence in history. Referencing at least one peer-reviewed study on Holocaust theology signals that the essay is in conversation with the broader field rather than relying only on textbook summaries.

Upper-level assignments that ask students to work with primary theological and philosophical responses to the Holocaust align with current practice in Religion and Jewish Studies programmes, where engagement with complex and often disturbing sources is expected as part of advanced humanities training. Scholarship on Holocaust theology indicates that meaningful assessment tasks must keep the historical event in view while probing how covenant, evil, and human responsibility are rethought in its aftermath, and that they should combine textual analysis with attention to context and memory. A 2,000–2,500 word essay that compares two or three carefully chosen figures provides enough space for argument without encouraging superficial coverage of many names. For programme leaders, briefs of this kind remain practical to moderate and update across years since the structure and marking pattern stay consistent even when readings change.

Scholarly Paragraph (with in-text citation)

Recent scholarship emphasises that post-Holocaust theology cannot be approached as a purely abstract exercise because it is shaped by survivor testimony, collective memory, and ethical responsibility toward historical suffering. Careful engagement with primary texts allows students to see how thinkers reconstruct or reject inherited doctrines in response to catastrophe, while secondary literature situates those responses within broader intellectual debates. This dual method supports a more nuanced understanding of how religious traditions adapt under extreme historical pressure and highlights the ongoing relevance of Holocaust studies within contemporary theology and philosophy (Morgan, 2016).

Assessment Overview

• Course code/title: REL 322 / REL 320 – Responses to the Holocaust

• Assessment label: Assignment 2 – Religious and Philosophical Responses Essay

• Type: Source-based argumentative essay

• Length: 2,000–2,500 words (excluding bibliography)

• Weighting: 30% of final module grade

• Timing: Mid-to-late semester, after completion of historical background units

• Submission: Upload as a .docx file to the LMS

• Citation style: Chicago (notes and bibliography) or Turabian

Assessment Aim

Students write a sustained essay that analyses selected religious and philosophical responses to the Holocaust, situating them in historical and communal context and evaluating how they address questions of God, evil, covenant, and human responsibility. The assignment tests the ability to read demanding primary texts, engage critically with scholarship, and construct a clear argument that respects the gravity of the subject matter.

Task Instructions

1. Choose Your Focus

1. Select two or three post-Holocaust thinkers from the module handbook. At least one must be Jewish and one must be Christian or secular:

   • Jewish: Eliezer Berkovits, Richard Rubenstein, Emil Fackenheim, Irving Greenberg, Judith Plaskow

   • Christian: Jürgen Moltmann, Johann Baptist Metz, Dorothee Sölle, Pope John Paul II

   • Secular / philosophical: Hannah Arendt, Primo Levi, Theodor Adorno, Jean Améry

2. Obtain assigned primary readings from the course site or reading list.

2. Essay Question

How do your chosen thinkers respond to the Holocaust in theological or philosophical terms, and what do their responses suggest about the possibility of faith, covenant, or moral responsibility after Auschwitz?

3. Sources

1. Use at minimum:

   • Three primary texts

   • Two scholarly secondary sources

   • One historical overview

2. Avoid reliance on encyclopaedia entries or unreviewed summaries.

Suggested Structure (2,000–2,500 words)

Section 1: Introduction (250–300 words)

• Introduce selected thinkers and perspectives

• State a clear central argument

Section 2: Historical and Theological Background (300–350 words)

• Provide relevant Holocaust context

• Summarise pre-war theological ideas

Section 3: First Response (500–600 words)

• Analyse one thinker using close reading

• Use textual evidence and scholarly support

Section 4: Second (and Third) Response (500–700 words)

• Compare additional thinkers

• Address context and differences

Section 5: Comparative and Critical Discussion (350–450 words)

• Identify similarities and differences

• Evaluate implications for faith and ethics

Section 6: Conclusion (150–200 words)

• Summarise findings

• Identify a question for further study

Formal Requirements

• 2,000–2,500 words (excluding bibliography)

• Double-spaced, 12-pt font

• Consistent citation style

• Respectful academic tone

Marking Rubric (Assignment 2 – 100 marks)

 Academic References

• Brown, D. (2019). God and the Holocaust. Routledge.

• Morgan, M. L. (2016). Beyond Auschwitz: Post-Holocaust Jewish thought in America. Oxford University Press.

• Braiterman, Z. (2010). (God) after Auschwitz. Princeton University Press.

• Kennedy, P. (1998). A comparative study of Jewish and Christian responses to the Holocaust.

• Butler, D. (2018). The Holocaust: Religious and philosophical responses.

• Friedländer, S. (2021). Reflections on Nazism: An Essay on Kitsch and Death. Indiana University Press.