Philip Roth and the Americanization of the Holocaust: From Anne Frank to Primo Levi

Now more than 70 years in the past, the Holocaust is the defining event in Jewish-American life. The survivors are dying, taking with them their memories and lived experiences of genocide. The personal testimony of these witnesses, which has been authoritative for American Jews’ understanding of the Holocaust, is running out. Artists, writers, and filmmakers have stepped in, taking over the work of keeping America’s “memory” of the Holocaust alive. But many have feared that this shift from survivor testimony to cultural commemoration will cheapen and distort the Holocaust’s true meaning. In this talk, Anthony Wexler, Johns Hopkins University, will consider how Philip Roth, the famous Jewish-American novelist, reflects on this changing historical understanding.