The Holocaust in the News

1. "Vatican Calls the Apology Of a Bishop Insufficient"; By Rachel Donadio; A10
2. "Norwegian Nobel Laureate, Once Shunned, Is Now Celebrated"; By Walter Gibbs; C1

Two troubling articles appear in Saturday's paper, both concerning the legacy of the Holocaust in Europe. 

In the first, David A Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, praises the Vatican's response to Bishop Williamson's apology but should be questioning its rationale for opening the door to Williamson in the first place. At the very least, Harris should match the response of American, German, and Austrian Catholics who are concerned about "the Vatican's moral authority" and have provided "the fiercest criticism" of Pope Benedict, according to Rachel Donadio.

Donadio blunders unforgivably in the latter half of the article, when she allows Holocaust denier David Irving, who recently consulted Bishop Williamson, to propagandize against Israel. Irving is neither the focus of the article nor a reliable source, so the stab she inserts is inappropriate.

In the second article, a Nazi collaborator will be redeemed in the public space, evidencing Norway's inability to repent for its role in the Shoah. Although Walter Gibbs includes a statement of opprobrium from former president of the Norwegian parliament, Jo Benkow, a Jew, the tone of the article hints at approval rather than approbation. 

Moments like this one, which will be concretized by the creation of a statue of Knut Hamsun, the writer-collaborator, are what our generation's Jews must defend against as survivors pass away.