European Mennonites and the Holocaust

Editor: Mark Jantzen

Editor: John D. Thiesen

During the Second World War, Mennonites in the Netherlands, Germany, occupied Poland, and Ukraine lived in communities with Jews and close to various Nazi camps and killing sites. As a result of this proximity, Mennonites were neighbors to and witnessed the destruction of European Jews. In some cases, they were beneficiaries or even enablers of the Holocaust. Much of this history was forgotten after the war, as Mennonites sought to rebuild or find new homes as refugees. The result was a myth of Mennonite innocence and ignorance that connected their own suffering during the 1930s and 1940s with earlier centuries of persecution and marginalization.

Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Paperback

352 Pages