Raul Hilberg, RIP

Jesse Walker | August 15, 2007

Raul Hilberg, one of the greatest historians of the Holocaust, has died of lung cancer. The author of The Destruction of the European Jews arguably did more than anyone else to explore and explain how the bureaucracy of genocide functioned. Rest in peace.

Comments

|8.15.07 @ 1:37PM|#

Godwin's Law!

|8.15.07 @ 2:49PM|#

"Godwin's Law!"

I suggest you review it.

Anonymous|8.15.07 @ 3:20PM|#

I was privileged to take two classes from Raul Hilberg at the University of Vermont in the 1970s. He was an extraordinarily engaging speaker, both in class and in person.

I remember him speaking movingly of his experiences in the Army during World War II, which included liberating at least one concentration camp.

He had a very dry sense of humor, and was given to punning in several languages, most of which went over our heads.

At one point he told us that he had been known as "Rocky" during his Army service. After the laughter died down (his professorial demeanor was about as far from a "Rocky" as possible), he then remarked that he had been young once, too.

At the time, he was just another professor to me. It wasn't until years later that I read articles profiling his career that I realized just how much of a giant he was.

R.I.P

|8.15.07 @ 8:21PM|#

Was a joke, which some may find distasteful in this context, but whatever.

1st Amendment.

|8.15.07 @ 11:53PM|#

The dynamics of a state mass murder seems a terribly depressing subject in which to immerse one's energies. Hopefully, Raul Hilberg's work will help prevent some possible carnage of the future.

RIP

|8.16.07 @ 4:06PM|#

I'll just echo Barton's thoughts.