“For Dust Thou Art, and Unto Dust Shalt Thou Return”: Jewish Law, Forensic Investigation, and Archaeology in the Aftermath of the Holocaust

STURDY COLLS, Caroline (2021) “For Dust Thou Art, and Unto Dust Shalt Thou Return”: Jewish Law, Forensic Investigation, and Archaeology in the Aftermath of the Holocaust. In: The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Mass Atrocity, and Genocide. Routledge, London. ISBN 9780367321505

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Abstract or description

Jewish communities across Europe were irrevocably decimated during the Holocaust by systematic and ad hoc executions, forced labor, and various forms of ill-treatment (Rees 2017). The scope and scale of the killing, types of killing techniques deployed, and need to dispose of large quantities of corpses—as well as the total disregard for the human and religious rights of the victims—was an unprecedented violation of human life and dignity. This chapter considers (1) how the specific nature of genocidal actions defiled Jewish customs relating to death and burial during the Holocaust, (2) how and why Rabbinical, forensic and archaeological responses to the Holocaust have been at odds and (3) how recent developments in archaeological approaches offer the opportunity to respect Jewish law while deriving important new information about the crimes perpetrated and experiences of the victims.

Item Type:	Book Chapter, Section or Conference Proceeding
Faculty:	School of Law, Policing and Forensics > International Studies and History
Depositing User:	Caroline STURDY COLLS
Date Deposited:	22 Dec 2021 14:36
Last Modified:	18 May 2023 01:38
URI:	https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/id/eprint/7111

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