Status
Available
Call number
Publication
QWERTY Publishers (2010), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 392 pages
Description
Six Million Crucifixions examines the root causes of antisemitism in Christianity and how that prepared the soil for the secular antisemitism that culminated in the Holocaust. The book covers the last two thousand years of history, from the origins of this hatred all the way to the advent of modern antisemitism. It also covers the role of the Churches during the Third Reich, and the role of the Vatican in setting up escape routes for wanted war criminals after WWII. Six Million Crucifixions concludes by making the point that after the Second World War the Allies should have set up an international trial and put any and all clergymen who may have had a role in the defamation of and incitement against the Jewish people, as well as those who helped wanted Nazis escape Justice and other charges, on the dock.… (more)
Media reviews
Gabriel Wilensky’s first book, “Six Million Crucifixions: How Christian Teachings About the Jews Paved the Road to the Holocaust” traces the history of the Christian church (and specifically the Vatican) to plausible causes of the Holocaust. The author’s lifelong fascination with the
Show More
subject and years of research culminated in his very detailed book on the subject. Show Less
Six Million Crucifixions brilliantly explains the anti-Semitic attitude of the Catholic Church and how, over the centuries, its repeated railings against the Jewish people created brutal waves of anger, which led to repeated mass murders of Jews in various locals throughout Europe. More
Show More
importantly, Wilensky meticulously leads the reader down the Road to Hell, which he unmistakably shows was built by the Catholic Church. If nothing else, Six Million Crucifixions clearly demonstrates that if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth! Show Less
Two thousand years of Christian anti-Semitism provided the “nitroglycerin” for the “dynamite” of the Final Solution: “The Nazis simply had to light the match,” Gabriel Wilensky writes. His accessible first book details the entrenchment of anti-Semitism throughout every era of Europe’s
Show More
religious history since the birth of Christianity. This concise narrative is punctuated with pictures, charts, and lists of anti-Semitic papal pronouncements spanning five hundred years. From Augustine to the crusades, Inquisition, and Reformation, Wilensky documents the wellspring of hatred on which Hitler and the Nazis drew to implement the murders of two-thirds of European Jewry. Show Less
Library Thing
I always am amazed at the things you do not learn in history in school. I went to parochial school all my life and was not aware of the roll the church played in the holocaust until I was an adult. This book is written very well and tells things that have been hidden for many years.
Thank you.
User reviews
LibraryThing member owensfamily
The book "Six Million Crucifixions" had a very clear message, and it worked through a well referenced and easy to read approach to deliver it. There were certain aspects of the text that were repititious, and there was only a small effort made to investigate the 'case for the defence'. The sections
Overall, I believe this book adds value in bringing a well investigated and well written 'back history' to the Nazi Holocaust and frames the true nature of the 'politics' of the bible and organised religion.
Show More
on what the church could/should have done veered from investigation and history to supposition. The indictable crimes potentially committed by the church should raise significant discussion. Overall, I believe this book adds value in bringing a well investigated and well written 'back history' to the Nazi Holocaust and frames the true nature of the 'politics' of the bible and organised religion.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Yvain
Six Million Crucifixions was an interesting read. I agree with Wilensky's premise, but I feel the execution was lacking polish. There were too many times when I felt that the author was forcing situations and examples to fit his thesis. This book needs a very critical editor who will help bring
Show More
this important work to the masses in a more polished format. Wilensky is not writing for scholars, yet this work is not written for the general public. That issue aside, I feel that this is a very important work that should be read by a wide variety of people, especially those who think that Christianity can do no wrong. Show Less
LibraryThing member highdesertlady
Very difficult read. So much so that I am having difficulty figuring out how to review it. I requested it from LibraryThing Early Reviewers because it looked like an interesting subject. I don't usually read non-fiction and It was very dry. I did learn a lot from it which is what the author is
Show More
hoping for. It just felt like I was having to force myself to finish it. Show Less
LibraryThing member polarbear123
I am a secondary school History teacher in England. For our year 9 students we teach the Holocaust and we come back to it again in Year 13 when the A Level Students look at the debates surounding the issue of the Holocaust. We also come across it in Year 10 when we teach Medicine through time, in
Teaching the Holocaust is difficult because of two things. Firstly the more I teach it the more I become used to the content of the Holocaust which could be a bad thing. It should be shocking all the time but the more you are exposed to it the less I feel. Don't get me wrong - I believe it is essential for students to learn about it, I just wonder if I can carry on teaching it effectively the more I am exposed to it?
Secondly the students find it very difficult to understand the concept of Jewishness or Judaism. This is because in most of the schools around my area of England at least and I suspect elsewhere, there are vey few Jewish communities. The first time that these students learn about Jewishness is when they are confronted with the Holocaust. This can mean that some of them do not really grasp the situatio ncorrectly and actually believe that Jews are as differnt as the Nazis perceived them to be. In short rather than accepting the reality of this shocking piece of History, they almost go along with the story and end up believeing that the Jews are different - I have heard the name Jew being used as a derogatory name for bullied students in the corridors of schools before.
Therefore I enjoyed this book as it seeks to find the historical roots of antisemitism itself rather than focus solely on the Holocaust. I feel that students would be more able to understand the lessons of the Holocasut if they were able to learn the journey of the Jewish people from the beginnning and the changing attitudes towards them throughout History . It would be an intriguing development through time study and I really believe it would allow the students to become more accepting of different cultures.
There are of course issues with the book. It can tend to oversimplify things and it is of course one-sided - but what History is not one-sided. The most important thing for me is this- the book has raised questions in my mind, particularly about the way in which we as professionals in the teaching profession need to approach the issue of the Holocaust.
Show More
fact I recognised the picture of the burning of the Jews during the time of the Black Deat in 1348. Teaching the Holocaust is difficult because of two things. Firstly the more I teach it the more I become used to the content of the Holocaust which could be a bad thing. It should be shocking all the time but the more you are exposed to it the less I feel. Don't get me wrong - I believe it is essential for students to learn about it, I just wonder if I can carry on teaching it effectively the more I am exposed to it?
Secondly the students find it very difficult to understand the concept of Jewishness or Judaism. This is because in most of the schools around my area of England at least and I suspect elsewhere, there are vey few Jewish communities. The first time that these students learn about Jewishness is when they are confronted with the Holocaust. This can mean that some of them do not really grasp the situatio ncorrectly and actually believe that Jews are as differnt as the Nazis perceived them to be. In short rather than accepting the reality of this shocking piece of History, they almost go along with the story and end up believeing that the Jews are different - I have heard the name Jew being used as a derogatory name for bullied students in the corridors of schools before.
Therefore I enjoyed this book as it seeks to find the historical roots of antisemitism itself rather than focus solely on the Holocaust. I feel that students would be more able to understand the lessons of the Holocasut if they were able to learn the journey of the Jewish people from the beginnning and the changing attitudes towards them throughout History . It would be an intriguing development through time study and I really believe it would allow the students to become more accepting of different cultures.
There are of course issues with the book. It can tend to oversimplify things and it is of course one-sided - but what History is not one-sided. The most important thing for me is this- the book has raised questions in my mind, particularly about the way in which we as professionals in the teaching profession need to approach the issue of the Holocaust.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rentie
Is this book biased. Yes. But as they say "history is written by the victors". I cannot say if the Ctaholic Church should be blamed for the Holocaust or not, what I can say is that maybe or maybe not they hold more blame then most institutions for not taking a greater stance. I think they book was
Show More
a hard read as the information in it is very skewed and you keep having to decide if you choose to believe or not. Show Less
LibraryThing member keegopatrick
This is the first e book that I have every attempted to read and so far so good. This book so far is right on point with a lot of the other stuff that I have learned about Christian participation in the Holocaust and prior injustice to the Hebrews. I have found this book to be very easy to read and
Show More
how it is broken into sub categories I think really helps when dealing with subject matter of this magnitude. Any book that is still trying to educate and open peoples eyes about the holocaust in a positive way is a good thing in my eyes. I would recommend this book to all Christians and anyone who just enjoys history and knowledge! Show Less
LibraryThing member bkswrites
First disclosure: I did not read most of this book. I labored through the beginning, and for a number of reasons found it impossible to continue. I did go back and read the ending, hoping to find what the author promised in his dedication, learnings that might "forge a better future." I was
Second disclosure: A major barrier for me was that the ER copy came in PDF form but basically a scan of the print form. That meant that tracking from an assertion in the text to one of some 500 notes meant a choice among cluttering my screen with two open 4.7MB files; bookmarking to page back and forth; and printing out some portion of what the publisher did not feel was worth delivering to reviewers in hard copy. In fact, for most of the notes, there was a third step, because the notes almost always give incomplete identification of a source, requiring a further journey to the bibliography. I lost interest in this task not only because of its mechanical demands, but also because most of those sources were secondary pubications, and most of them better-done, more popular and less polemical presentations by writers with clear credentials and recognizable publishers. Electronic publication already offers ways to make e-books easier to read than hard copy. In a long and dense nonfiction book, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of them.
I really wanted to learn something from this book. I wanted a synthesis of documentation I wouldn't know how to find on my own. That's what I expect of a professional historian. But it is no surprise to find no indication whatsoever of Gabriel Wilensky's aquaintance with the professional historical community. I wonder how many of those secondary sources would acknowledge Wilensky's reuse of their material; very little of it is quoted directly, and much of it is tangled in a narrative so confusing as to suggest willful misleading. Just the chronology set up to imply causal connections is enough to make one throw up one's hands. Density, notes, and appendices do not a work of history make.
I did come across a two-page list of image credits in the appendices, and a paragraph of acknowledgments with names connected to archives, but again this information could be connected to the images only by flipping back and forth, and I doubt many readers will have more inclination to do so than I do. If Wilensky were trained as an historian or had worked with a professional publisher, one of the least differences in this book would be that each image caption would say immediately where the reader so inclined might find the original and what permission is or is not needed to use it. One would not find a detailed narrative (pp. 279-281) of a mass execution of naked Jews in one Polish town paired with a photo of apparently naked people being executed in the same manner, though in a handy ravine rather than a grave the first of them dug, and learn only from the caption that the photo was from another Polish town two months later. Yes, it's a horror that anyone was executed, and especially in such conditions. It's worse that it happened in two towns in so short a time. But the pairing devalues both presentation as historical data. The narrative, btw, is footnoted to Goldhagen's book "Hitler's Willing Executioners" (1996 Knopf), though again without quotes to identify who is responsible for the adjectival frenzy of "gruesomes" and "ghastlies" it contains.
Third disclosure: I have been lurking for a couple of weeks on the author's LT chat. I have not chimed in for two main reasons. First, the questions and comments I could think of to make there were things I felt would be impolite in that setting, such as just what credentials or training Mr. Wilensky has for undertaking this project, and if he has any, why his product was not better supervised. Second, when other ER recipients did say what was bothering them about the book, and again in reference to reviews that had already been posted, Mr. Wilensky was as rude as I decided not to be. He called his critics ignorant and unwilling to do the hard work required for this high topic. When LT staff broke in with extremely professional presentations of these criticisms, Mr. Wilensky also belittled them. I did not care to have an argument with Gabriel Wilensky. I believe it is possible to dislike an anti-antisemitic book without being either ignorant or antisemitic.
"Six Million Crucifixions" is an unfortunate example of working backward into history to justify a presumptive and simplistic conclusion. And maybe the most unfortunate part of it is that it gathers in one place a terrible collection of antisemitic imagery and verbiage. Wilensky's "Last Thoughts, beginning on page 307, conclude with the “would have” results of the attack on “The Church” by unidentified civil and ecclesiastical “authorities” that Wilenshky believes could have set things right. He offers no actual practical steps that we might take, in the absence of such proceedings, to create a better atmosphere today.
Show More
disappointed again. Second disclosure: A major barrier for me was that the ER copy came in PDF form but basically a scan of the print form. That meant that tracking from an assertion in the text to one of some 500 notes meant a choice among cluttering my screen with two open 4.7MB files; bookmarking to page back and forth; and printing out some portion of what the publisher did not feel was worth delivering to reviewers in hard copy. In fact, for most of the notes, there was a third step, because the notes almost always give incomplete identification of a source, requiring a further journey to the bibliography. I lost interest in this task not only because of its mechanical demands, but also because most of those sources were secondary pubications, and most of them better-done, more popular and less polemical presentations by writers with clear credentials and recognizable publishers. Electronic publication already offers ways to make e-books easier to read than hard copy. In a long and dense nonfiction book, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of them.
I really wanted to learn something from this book. I wanted a synthesis of documentation I wouldn't know how to find on my own. That's what I expect of a professional historian. But it is no surprise to find no indication whatsoever of Gabriel Wilensky's aquaintance with the professional historical community. I wonder how many of those secondary sources would acknowledge Wilensky's reuse of their material; very little of it is quoted directly, and much of it is tangled in a narrative so confusing as to suggest willful misleading. Just the chronology set up to imply causal connections is enough to make one throw up one's hands. Density, notes, and appendices do not a work of history make.
I did come across a two-page list of image credits in the appendices, and a paragraph of acknowledgments with names connected to archives, but again this information could be connected to the images only by flipping back and forth, and I doubt many readers will have more inclination to do so than I do. If Wilensky were trained as an historian or had worked with a professional publisher, one of the least differences in this book would be that each image caption would say immediately where the reader so inclined might find the original and what permission is or is not needed to use it. One would not find a detailed narrative (pp. 279-281) of a mass execution of naked Jews in one Polish town paired with a photo of apparently naked people being executed in the same manner, though in a handy ravine rather than a grave the first of them dug, and learn only from the caption that the photo was from another Polish town two months later. Yes, it's a horror that anyone was executed, and especially in such conditions. It's worse that it happened in two towns in so short a time. But the pairing devalues both presentation as historical data. The narrative, btw, is footnoted to Goldhagen's book "Hitler's Willing Executioners" (1996 Knopf), though again without quotes to identify who is responsible for the adjectival frenzy of "gruesomes" and "ghastlies" it contains.
Third disclosure: I have been lurking for a couple of weeks on the author's LT chat. I have not chimed in for two main reasons. First, the questions and comments I could think of to make there were things I felt would be impolite in that setting, such as just what credentials or training Mr. Wilensky has for undertaking this project, and if he has any, why his product was not better supervised. Second, when other ER recipients did say what was bothering them about the book, and again in reference to reviews that had already been posted, Mr. Wilensky was as rude as I decided not to be. He called his critics ignorant and unwilling to do the hard work required for this high topic. When LT staff broke in with extremely professional presentations of these criticisms, Mr. Wilensky also belittled them. I did not care to have an argument with Gabriel Wilensky. I believe it is possible to dislike an anti-antisemitic book without being either ignorant or antisemitic.
"Six Million Crucifixions" is an unfortunate example of working backward into history to justify a presumptive and simplistic conclusion. And maybe the most unfortunate part of it is that it gathers in one place a terrible collection of antisemitic imagery and verbiage. Wilensky's "Last Thoughts, beginning on page 307, conclude with the “would have” results of the attack on “The Church” by unidentified civil and ecclesiastical “authorities” that Wilenshky believes could have set things right. He offers no actual practical steps that we might take, in the absence of such proceedings, to create a better atmosphere today.
Show Less
LibraryThing member winecat
A very heavy book that I'm still struggling to get through. I thought it would give me more enlightenment of the plight of the Jewish people through out history. However I find the author's style very off putting. I'm not sure I'll ever finish this book but it's still on my Kindle so I can pick it
I know it's not good to review a book in early reading but to be honest it may be months, if ever before I finish this book.
Show More
up, read a bit and try to digest the facts.I know it's not good to review a book in early reading but to be honest it may be months, if ever before I finish this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pokarekareana
I haven't a clue where to begin with this review, which feels strange to me. I haven't finished reading the book, and I'm not sure that I'm going to manage it, to be perfectly honest. For now, at least, the review will have to be in-progress.
Wilensky is clearly attempting to contribute something to
My other massive gripe with this book is that it is entirely focused on the experience of the Jews in the Holocaust. Of course I don't deny that the Jewish experience is of central importance here, since slightly more than half of the victims of the Holocaust were Jewish, but what of the Roma, the Sinti, the Slavs, Poles, Russians, the disabled, the homosexuals, the political prisoners, etc, etc? They have been all-too-conveniently swept under the carpet by a lot of writers, and Wilensky had an interesting opportunity to try and broaden the debate on Christian responsibility. It's a shame he had to churn out the same unimaginative bias that so many had already committed to paper. I'd like to be a fly on the wall if Wilensky ever sits down to dinner with John Cornwell, author of the equally tunnel-visioned Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pope Pius XII.
Wilensky is clearly attempting to contribute something to
Show More
a broad academic debate about the responsibility of the Christian churches in the Holocaust. I struggle to see what his argument is ultimately going to be, since his text is overflowing with criticisms of the various Christian churches. I don't have a problem with that in itself - the Holocaust raises lots of issues in that arena and it is admirable that Wilensky has brought these to a broader readership than just crusty old academics. My problem is that I have not yet seen any attempt to consider the facts from anything other than a biased, subjective viewpoint in which "Christianity = bad" in terms of Holocaust responsibility. There is absolutely no sign that Wilensky has tried to consider what was going through the minds of church leaders prior to and during the Holocaust - he has got his drum and good grief, he's banging it. If you're looking for a moderate, balanced overview of the subject, you're not going to find it here.My other massive gripe with this book is that it is entirely focused on the experience of the Jews in the Holocaust. Of course I don't deny that the Jewish experience is of central importance here, since slightly more than half of the victims of the Holocaust were Jewish, but what of the Roma, the Sinti, the Slavs, Poles, Russians, the disabled, the homosexuals, the political prisoners, etc, etc? They have been all-too-conveniently swept under the carpet by a lot of writers, and Wilensky had an interesting opportunity to try and broaden the debate on Christian responsibility. It's a shame he had to churn out the same unimaginative bias that so many had already committed to paper. I'd like to be a fly on the wall if Wilensky ever sits down to dinner with John Cornwell, author of the equally tunnel-visioned Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pope Pius XII.
Show Less
LibraryThing member enyl
Six Million Crucifixions: How Christian Teachings About Jews Paved the Way for the Holocaust
Gabriel Wilensky
Six Million Crucifixions is a scholarly work written for a lay audience—in particular a Christian audience. Wilensky promises to inform his readers why Christians are responsible for
Through out the book Wilensky makes bold assertions and allegations that many Christians may initially find offensive. Wilensky’s controversial position that the early Christians got it wrong, that Jesus was not the Messiah foretold in Scripture, that Jesus was not resurrected, and that the grief stricken followers of Jesus forced prophesies to fit Jesus’ life, will undoubtedly cause an uproar in the Christian community providing his detractors with a thesis to concentrate their attacks on.
However, Wilensky supports his main thesis through the presentation and analysis of primary sources: contemporary Church traditions, records from various Church Councils, the various Christian Creeds, treaties, illustrations, photographs, newspaper reports, official government documents, speeches, correspondence, sermons, judicial transcripts, radio broadcasts, and interviews. Notably missing from Wilensky’s analysis are the Vatican papers from the WWII years.
Wilensky’s historical analysis begins with the first Christians or the Jews who followed Jesus who he credits as the creators of Anti-Semitism. Wilensky examines the acts, laws, treaties, catechisms, theology, philosophies and motivations of men in government and the clergy as they made decisions to act or refrain from acting in ways that affected the welfare of the Jews around them.
Wilensky makes good on his promises. He names high ranking Church officials both Catholic and Protestant who propagated Anti-Semitic theology, tradition and rumor through their sermons, writings, speeches, and teachings. Among the many named are St. Jerome, Origen, Martin Luther, St. Augustine, St. Paul, Constantine, Godfrey of Bouillon, Pope Innocent III, Pope Clement VI, Pope Gregory IX, James of Aragon, Pope Paul III, Pope Innocent IV; Voltaire, Karl Marx, Pope Pius IX after the French revolution, Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII, Bishop Hudal, Walter Rauff, Father Krunoslav Draganovic, Monsignor Karl Bayer. Wilensky enumerates their acts or omissions that shaped Anti-Semitism over the centuries.
Wilensky also acknowledges the political leaders and members of the Church who stand out because they attempted and sometimes succeeded in protecting the Jews in their community. Among such clergymen and political leaders as Pope Nicholas III, King Phillip of Spain, Napoleon, Pope Pius IX before the French Revolution, Dutch Catholic Society of the Friends of Israel, Pope Alexander VI, Pope Callixtus II, Cardinal Augstyn Hlond, Bishop Clement August von Galen, Norwegian Protestant Church, Danish Lutheran Church, Greek Orthodox Bishop of Athens, Orthodox Bulgarian Synod of Bishops, German Bishop Konrad von Preysing, Bernhard Lichtenberg Provost of St.Hedwig Cathedral, Vatican legate Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Bishop of Montaubon Monsignor F.W. Theas, Archbishop of Toulouse Jules-Gerard Saliege, Cardinal Tisserant, Bishop Joseph P Hurley, The 1942Archbishop of York, the 1942 Archbishop of Canterbury.
After tying together the actions, creeds, treaties, theology, traditions, and myths directed against the Jews and perpetuated by the Christian Church over the centuries: Wilensky paints a picture of a hostile and intolerant Anti-Jewish environment through out the world wide Christian community. Since it is not Wilensky’s purpose to identify the purveyors of Anti-Semitism for the purpose of casting blame, he offers advice on stemming Anti-Semitism and preventing future Holocausts. Wilensky advocates that the Vatican can break diplomatic ties with a nation that commits grave human rights violations. Wilensky suggests that the Vatican excommunicate Catholics who commit grievous human rights violations. Wilensky recommends that in the future the Vatican speak out against heinous human rights violations in clear and unambiguous language identifying the victim and those responsible for human rights violations. Wilensky proposes the revision of Christian theology so that “. . . every doctrinal and theological statement and teaching medium that deals with Jewish matter should declare in the plainest and most direct language that the Jews are not responsible for the death of Jesus, who was killed by the Roman authorities of Judea.” It is Wilensky’s hope that the adoption of this proposal will remove future stigmatism of the Jewish community as Christ killers.
. Wilensky presents sufficient extant historical evidence to support many of his allegations concerning the historical role of the Christian Church as purveyors of Anti-Semitism through out many centuries. Wilensky acknowledges that with the future release of the Vatican papers covering the Holocaust years, that some of his analysis may be subject to revision. Wilensky’s interpretation of Scripture remains interpretation in the absence of contemporaneous documentary evidence provided by those who knew, fellowshipped with, interacted with, or otherwise had the opportunity to observe and report on the actions, words, and thoughts of the earliest Christians.
I highly recommend Six Million Crucifixions for those interested in Jewish studies in general and the Holocaust era in particular.
Gabriel Wilensky
Six Million Crucifixions is a scholarly work written for a lay audience—in particular a Christian audience. Wilensky promises to inform his readers why Christians are responsible for
Show More
the Holocaust. Wilensky promises to name prominent Christians who could have opposed the plight of the Jews and acted to assist the Jews, but who failed to take action. Wilensky promises to name prominent Christians who acted to the detriment of the Jews. Wilensky promises to reveal the theological and systemic Christian doctrines and traditions that created the mindset of the Nazis and their collaborators.Through out the book Wilensky makes bold assertions and allegations that many Christians may initially find offensive. Wilensky’s controversial position that the early Christians got it wrong, that Jesus was not the Messiah foretold in Scripture, that Jesus was not resurrected, and that the grief stricken followers of Jesus forced prophesies to fit Jesus’ life, will undoubtedly cause an uproar in the Christian community providing his detractors with a thesis to concentrate their attacks on.
However, Wilensky supports his main thesis through the presentation and analysis of primary sources: contemporary Church traditions, records from various Church Councils, the various Christian Creeds, treaties, illustrations, photographs, newspaper reports, official government documents, speeches, correspondence, sermons, judicial transcripts, radio broadcasts, and interviews. Notably missing from Wilensky’s analysis are the Vatican papers from the WWII years.
Wilensky’s historical analysis begins with the first Christians or the Jews who followed Jesus who he credits as the creators of Anti-Semitism. Wilensky examines the acts, laws, treaties, catechisms, theology, philosophies and motivations of men in government and the clergy as they made decisions to act or refrain from acting in ways that affected the welfare of the Jews around them.
Wilensky makes good on his promises. He names high ranking Church officials both Catholic and Protestant who propagated Anti-Semitic theology, tradition and rumor through their sermons, writings, speeches, and teachings. Among the many named are St. Jerome, Origen, Martin Luther, St. Augustine, St. Paul, Constantine, Godfrey of Bouillon, Pope Innocent III, Pope Clement VI, Pope Gregory IX, James of Aragon, Pope Paul III, Pope Innocent IV; Voltaire, Karl Marx, Pope Pius IX after the French revolution, Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII, Bishop Hudal, Walter Rauff, Father Krunoslav Draganovic, Monsignor Karl Bayer. Wilensky enumerates their acts or omissions that shaped Anti-Semitism over the centuries.
Wilensky also acknowledges the political leaders and members of the Church who stand out because they attempted and sometimes succeeded in protecting the Jews in their community. Among such clergymen and political leaders as Pope Nicholas III, King Phillip of Spain, Napoleon, Pope Pius IX before the French Revolution, Dutch Catholic Society of the Friends of Israel, Pope Alexander VI, Pope Callixtus II, Cardinal Augstyn Hlond, Bishop Clement August von Galen, Norwegian Protestant Church, Danish Lutheran Church, Greek Orthodox Bishop of Athens, Orthodox Bulgarian Synod of Bishops, German Bishop Konrad von Preysing, Bernhard Lichtenberg Provost of St.Hedwig Cathedral, Vatican legate Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Bishop of Montaubon Monsignor F.W. Theas, Archbishop of Toulouse Jules-Gerard Saliege, Cardinal Tisserant, Bishop Joseph P Hurley, The 1942Archbishop of York, the 1942 Archbishop of Canterbury.
After tying together the actions, creeds, treaties, theology, traditions, and myths directed against the Jews and perpetuated by the Christian Church over the centuries: Wilensky paints a picture of a hostile and intolerant Anti-Jewish environment through out the world wide Christian community. Since it is not Wilensky’s purpose to identify the purveyors of Anti-Semitism for the purpose of casting blame, he offers advice on stemming Anti-Semitism and preventing future Holocausts. Wilensky advocates that the Vatican can break diplomatic ties with a nation that commits grave human rights violations. Wilensky suggests that the Vatican excommunicate Catholics who commit grievous human rights violations. Wilensky recommends that in the future the Vatican speak out against heinous human rights violations in clear and unambiguous language identifying the victim and those responsible for human rights violations. Wilensky proposes the revision of Christian theology so that “. . . every doctrinal and theological statement and teaching medium that deals with Jewish matter should declare in the plainest and most direct language that the Jews are not responsible for the death of Jesus, who was killed by the Roman authorities of Judea.” It is Wilensky’s hope that the adoption of this proposal will remove future stigmatism of the Jewish community as Christ killers.
. Wilensky presents sufficient extant historical evidence to support many of his allegations concerning the historical role of the Christian Church as purveyors of Anti-Semitism through out many centuries. Wilensky acknowledges that with the future release of the Vatican papers covering the Holocaust years, that some of his analysis may be subject to revision. Wilensky’s interpretation of Scripture remains interpretation in the absence of contemporaneous documentary evidence provided by those who knew, fellowshipped with, interacted with, or otherwise had the opportunity to observe and report on the actions, words, and thoughts of the earliest Christians.
I highly recommend Six Million Crucifixions for those interested in Jewish studies in general and the Holocaust era in particular.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mrkurtz
Gabriel Wilensky provides a history of the Jewish people and the believers of Jesus Christ over the last 2000 years. From the time of Jesus, his teachings and his Passion, his followers have slandered the Jewish people. This is shown through the centuries with examples of the Christian people
But then Wilensky proposes to identify members of the Catholic and protestant churches who through their actions should be considered as accessories in the murder of the Jewish people. But he does not provide any evidence of any individuals who through their actions or their voices assisted in the killing of the Jewish people. He proposes that the canonical gospels of the new testament are not correct when they say that the Jewish leaders and people were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Then he restates from these same gospels that say the Roman soldiers led Christ to Golgotha, they pierced his sides and threw dice for his cloak. He also says that this story of the death of Christ is inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus of love for all men in the other books of the New Testament and other historical writings. We are left confused on what Wilensky is saying.
Show More
condemning the Jewish people. In the first century the Catholic church is formed and it grows and is one body until Martin Luther pins his Ninety-Five Theses on the church door critiquing the purchase of indulgences. He is excommunicated and the Protestant Reformation begins. Martin Luther was an antisemite and a part of his teaching includes defiling the Jewish people and accusing them of murdering Jesus Christ. The European nations continue their hatred of the Jewish people. In the 1930's Hitler comes to power in Germany and some of his first acts are to isolate the Jewish people, remove them from the business community, take their land and send the Jews to the ghettos. The Catholic church signs a pact with the German government in the hopes that the Church and its people will not be hurt. The Pope refuses to speak out against the Nazi party as they round up the Jewish people and begin to kill them. Wilensky gives many references of the Pope staying silent as the Nazi's overrun Poland and the other European nations. The Pope condemns the murdering of Polish, Austrian, and other European minority peoples but he refuses to speak against the death of the Jews. The Catholic church says it cannot speak against the murdering of the Jewish people in these countries because then Hitler will start killing the Catholics. With Wilensky's chronicles of these murders and the support of other books agreeing that the Church made no attempt to rescue the Jews, it can be said that yes, the Catholic church and the Pope are complicit in the murder of some of the six million Jews exterminated by the Nazi's.But then Wilensky proposes to identify members of the Catholic and protestant churches who through their actions should be considered as accessories in the murder of the Jewish people. But he does not provide any evidence of any individuals who through their actions or their voices assisted in the killing of the Jewish people. He proposes that the canonical gospels of the new testament are not correct when they say that the Jewish leaders and people were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Then he restates from these same gospels that say the Roman soldiers led Christ to Golgotha, they pierced his sides and threw dice for his cloak. He also says that this story of the death of Christ is inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus of love for all men in the other books of the New Testament and other historical writings. We are left confused on what Wilensky is saying.
Show Less
LibraryThing member carycox
I cannot even begin to express my horror as I read through this well researched and documented exposition of the silent complicity--and often active betrayal and participation--of Christians in the centuries-old persecution of Jewish people.
I knew that some Christians considered that Jews were
Having been raised a Catholic, I was deeply disturbed and ashamed when I read of the Vatican's refusal to take a stand against the horrendous injustices visited upon these people--even more so on learning that the Vatican aided Nazi war criminals in escaping after the end of the war.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is, like I was, oblivious of the extent of the wrongs that these people have suffered for the last two thousand years. I believe that only by examining and talking about the underlying beliefs and prejudices that allowed the Holocaust to occur can we even hope to ensure that such an inhuman tragedy is not repeated.
I knew that some Christians considered that Jews were
Show More
cursed because they supposedly killed Christ, and that they have scapegoated them throughout history, but I was not aware of the extent of these atrocities long before World War II. I didn't realize that the mentality of the Holocaust was not a byproduct of Hitler and the Nazis, but a long simmering fear and hatred that needed only the "right "leader at the "right" time to set it off blazing.Having been raised a Catholic, I was deeply disturbed and ashamed when I read of the Vatican's refusal to take a stand against the horrendous injustices visited upon these people--even more so on learning that the Vatican aided Nazi war criminals in escaping after the end of the war.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is, like I was, oblivious of the extent of the wrongs that these people have suffered for the last two thousand years. I believe that only by examining and talking about the underlying beliefs and prejudices that allowed the Holocaust to occur can we even hope to ensure that such an inhuman tragedy is not repeated.
Show Less
LibraryThing member barsanuphe
I received this as an early review, and whilst interesting, i am always suspicious of books that try to prove that the ultimate crime, the Holocaust, was the direct consequence of X. While Christian dogma certainly has responsibility in the general idea of antisemitism (jews viewed as
Show More
Christ-killers), it can hardly be said to be the only historical factor. Show Less
LibraryThing member yonderboy777
I was very disappointed by this book -- obviously I requested this because the subject of antisemitism and its historical roots genuinely interests me. But it appears that the author started off with a belief (really, a bias) that Christianity was to blame for the Holocaust, and then set out to
One of the book's stated purposes (from the Introduction) is "To recommend changes to Christian traditions, doctrine, liturgy and lectionaries to prevent further acts of grave incitement, demonization and segregation caused by... some of those Christian teachings." I certainly hope he emailed a PDF copy of the book to the Pope so he can get right on that. While we're at it, we should change the Quran, to make it more friendly too. Seriously, though, that in itself shows such a shocking lack of common sense that it makes me very wary of this author's capacity for critical analysis.
Speaking of the author, is he a trained historian? I couldn't find his bio in the e-book, so I went to his website where it explains, "As a result of a life-long fascination and years of study into the question of why the Holocaust happened, Gabriel Wilensky used his technical background as an award-winning veteran of the computer software industry to methodically research and write Six Million Crucifixions." 'Nuff said.
Bottom line: interesting premise for a book, wrong author. There are many, many well-written and RESPONSIBLE books on antisemitism out there; if the subject interests, you, I recommend you give one of those a read and skip this one.
Show More
prove it without ever bothering to check if it was true. One could just as easily point the finger at German paganism, or even Israel (who refused to accept the Jews when Hitler offered to let them leave voluntarily prior to the genocide) -- NOT TO MENTION NAZISM!One of the book's stated purposes (from the Introduction) is "To recommend changes to Christian traditions, doctrine, liturgy and lectionaries to prevent further acts of grave incitement, demonization and segregation caused by... some of those Christian teachings." I certainly hope he emailed a PDF copy of the book to the Pope so he can get right on that. While we're at it, we should change the Quran, to make it more friendly too. Seriously, though, that in itself shows such a shocking lack of common sense that it makes me very wary of this author's capacity for critical analysis.
Speaking of the author, is he a trained historian? I couldn't find his bio in the e-book, so I went to his website where it explains, "As a result of a life-long fascination and years of study into the question of why the Holocaust happened, Gabriel Wilensky used his technical background as an award-winning veteran of the computer software industry to methodically research and write Six Million Crucifixions." 'Nuff said.
Bottom line: interesting premise for a book, wrong author. There are many, many well-written and RESPONSIBLE books on antisemitism out there; if the subject interests, you, I recommend you give one of those a read and skip this one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Anome
This book struggles with one major problem. It puts its central thesis out there in the introduction in such a way as to suggest reading the rest of the book is not going to add anything. The seeming (to me, at least) antagonistic tone kind of put me off reading any further.
I think there are some
There are warnings in the rise of Fascism in Europe during the 20s and 30s that are well heeded in the current debates over gay rights, and even immigration. It is important we understand all of the factors that might lead to a resurgence in hatred to the heights of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, but this book clearly has an agenda that clouds the message.
I think there are some
Show More
important facts to be understood about how the prevailing Western Christian outlook may have led to an environment that allowed the rampant anti-semitism of the early 20th Century to flourish, just as it did in earlier Centuries, but to put the blame squarely on the fault of the Church (or should that be "church"?) without seeming to consider the implications of the Treaty of Versailles, for example, is a tad simplistic.There are warnings in the rise of Fascism in Europe during the 20s and 30s that are well heeded in the current debates over gay rights, and even immigration. It is important we understand all of the factors that might lead to a resurgence in hatred to the heights of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, but this book clearly has an agenda that clouds the message.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ellemeff
I requested this book from early reviewers, as i was interested in learning more. However, i found this very difficult to read, at least partially because of the .pdf format. I ended up printing a lot of the chapters to be able to follow it, but even then had problems due to needing to flick back
The book was interesting, although i thought the way the information was presented was a little disjointed and at times covered off material previously covered, or repeated statements. However, I think the author did a considerable amount of research, and faced a difficult task in trying to cover off such a large period of time.
Overall, i thought the book was interesting and thought provoking, but very difficult to get through.
Show More
and forth a lot to read the footnotes.The book was interesting, although i thought the way the information was presented was a little disjointed and at times covered off material previously covered, or repeated statements. However, I think the author did a considerable amount of research, and faced a difficult task in trying to cover off such a large period of time.
Overall, i thought the book was interesting and thought provoking, but very difficult to get through.
Show Less
LibraryThing member whereissoledad
As a former teacher, I taught a thematic unit on the Holocaust each year. Among the many unthinkable aspects of the Holocaust, one concept that my students struggled with every year was how ordinary people could stand by and let this happen. This is a difficult question with no easy answer. The
I've seen other reviews refer to this book as biased. I suppose that is one way to look at it. It certainly isn't a history text that examines all sides. I am reminded of a college professor I greatly admired who said: "A good thesis must provoke argument. If no one argues with your thesis, then it's just a fact. Why bother to argue a fact?" This book makes a point and argues it. I think it's hard to get more scholarly than that.
Wilensky argues that the teachings of the church contributed to the Holocaust, and he provides ample evidence to support the argument. He does not argue that the church caused the Holocaust, nor does he argue that is was the sole contributing factor. He makes this distinction quite clear. He doesn't even argue that the church's teachings caused Hitler's hatred of the Jewish people. His assertion is that centuries of papal-sponsored anti-Semitism led to the indifference of the European people to the plight of the Jews. It was this indifference that, while not causing the Holocaust, enabled it to happen.
He does acknowledge the Christian individuals and groups who fought and risked their lives for the Jews, and indeed these actions should not be ignored. However, his greater point is that their actions weren't enough to save all six million.
That being said, I did find the PDF format difficult to read. I can see why ideas were presented topically rather than chronologically; however I did find this a bit difficult to follow. All in all, I enjoyed this book very much.
Show More
arguments in this book are not the only answer, but this book does offer one of the most researched and best articulated answers I've encountered.I've seen other reviews refer to this book as biased. I suppose that is one way to look at it. It certainly isn't a history text that examines all sides. I am reminded of a college professor I greatly admired who said: "A good thesis must provoke argument. If no one argues with your thesis, then it's just a fact. Why bother to argue a fact?" This book makes a point and argues it. I think it's hard to get more scholarly than that.
Wilensky argues that the teachings of the church contributed to the Holocaust, and he provides ample evidence to support the argument. He does not argue that the church caused the Holocaust, nor does he argue that is was the sole contributing factor. He makes this distinction quite clear. He doesn't even argue that the church's teachings caused Hitler's hatred of the Jewish people. His assertion is that centuries of papal-sponsored anti-Semitism led to the indifference of the European people to the plight of the Jews. It was this indifference that, while not causing the Holocaust, enabled it to happen.
He does acknowledge the Christian individuals and groups who fought and risked their lives for the Jews, and indeed these actions should not be ignored. However, his greater point is that their actions weren't enough to save all six million.
That being said, I did find the PDF format difficult to read. I can see why ideas were presented topically rather than chronologically; however I did find this a bit difficult to follow. All in all, I enjoyed this book very much.
Show Less
LibraryThing member shsb
I received a PDF of this book through the early reviewer program. The subject of this book is what the Catholic church did and did not do to influence Nazi policy during the Holocaust.
This book goes into great detail about the anti-semitic teachings put forth by the Catholic church from the time
I found it quite shocking how all of the Nazi racial purity laws were actually adapted from papal pronouncements made over hundreds of years. According to the author, the Nazis did not have to invent any of their anti-Semitic policies, as they had already been promulgated by papal decree. The papal decrees and the popes who issued them are all set forth in this book.
I did find the organization of this book a bit erratic, and I felt that some of the subject matter was repetitive. It often felt as though I was re-reading earlier sections, as the points made in each section often overlapped other sections. I also felt that at times the language was verbose--I often had to re-read sentences a few times to understand them. These drawbacks notwithstanding, I felt that Six Million Crucifixions is an important tome for anyone striving to understand what could drive ordinary citizens to perform the heinous acts associated with genocide. In my opinion, the fact that the author holds the Vatican responsible for refusing to speak out against the systematic extermination of the Jews, and in doing so, allowed its Christian followers to commit murder without fear of it being immoral, is the most important impact of this important piece of work.
This book goes into great detail about the anti-semitic teachings put forth by the Catholic church from the time
Show More
of its inception to the years after the Holocaust. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever asked themselves how ordinary citizens could allow the extermination of 6 million Jewish men, women, and children.I found it quite shocking how all of the Nazi racial purity laws were actually adapted from papal pronouncements made over hundreds of years. According to the author, the Nazis did not have to invent any of their anti-Semitic policies, as they had already been promulgated by papal decree. The papal decrees and the popes who issued them are all set forth in this book.
I did find the organization of this book a bit erratic, and I felt that some of the subject matter was repetitive. It often felt as though I was re-reading earlier sections, as the points made in each section often overlapped other sections. I also felt that at times the language was verbose--I often had to re-read sentences a few times to understand them. These drawbacks notwithstanding, I felt that Six Million Crucifixions is an important tome for anyone striving to understand what could drive ordinary citizens to perform the heinous acts associated with genocide. In my opinion, the fact that the author holds the Vatican responsible for refusing to speak out against the systematic extermination of the Jews, and in doing so, allowed its Christian followers to commit murder without fear of it being immoral, is the most important impact of this important piece of work.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Toast.x2
this was an advance copy that i received, in electronic format..
all in all, this was a lot less like a stereo manual than i expected it to be. unfortunately, reading this as an ebook seemed to be wrong in some manner.
the weight of the topic subject was not able to be taken seriously in the format
as such, i did not make it more than 50 pages.
i need pulp in order to read this book.
physical weight to match the reality associated
-- foot notes were impossible to follow in the e-format. could have been easier in a mobi format, anything but unlinked pdf .
no star rating as i dont feel i was ble to accurately review the book based on the provided format.
all in all, this was a lot less like a stereo manual than i expected it to be. unfortunately, reading this as an ebook seemed to be wrong in some manner.
the weight of the topic subject was not able to be taken seriously in the format
Show More
presented, ebook reader aside, it needs paper..as such, i did not make it more than 50 pages.
i need pulp in order to read this book.
physical weight to match the reality associated
-- foot notes were impossible to follow in the e-format. could have been easier in a mobi format, anything but unlinked pdf .
no star rating as i dont feel i was ble to accurately review the book based on the provided format.
Show Less
LibraryThing member difreda
Mr. Wilensky's book did very little to enlighten me as to the complicity of the Church of Rome or any other European church in the Holocaust I've done my own homework on this subject over the years. While a very difficult read (I am not fond of e-books) the primary thesis was certainly supported by
Show More
enough factoids. Christian - Jewish tensions have been documented by so many other authors (read “Hitler’s Pope” for more eye opening). Mr. Wilensky has tackled a huge subject but not woven the treads together as well as he could. Disturbing topic – yes! Do we need books like this – Yes! And Yes again! In a time when countries like Iran are threatening Israel’s very existence – let alone denying the Holocaust, this information, supported by documentation is critical. As a print book – with some good editing – I am eager to see this in the book stores. Show Less
LibraryThing member powerslave
I found this book to be somewhat difficult to read. It seemed like it would be chronological but it wasn't which made it somewhat confusing. Good information though. It changes the way you perceive the Jews and the suffering they had to endure.
LibraryThing member arkgirl1
I received this as an ebook, my first, and I did find that more difficult than just holding a book in my hands!
This book clearly sets out its bias from the start so initially I accepted this and allowed myself to try to read it with this in mind but there are too many occasions where I wanted to
It does have a jumpy style and that meant it is difficult to follow, this is especially true as the book moves into the later parts; it can also be a bit dry and doesn't always make good use of the pictures and photos. I feel it is trying to ask interesting questions and I certainly felt challenged to look into this whole area more. I do find myself drawn to this area of history and often find myself reading fictional books about the Holocaust, from many different standpoints and telling varied stories, so I was pleased to be able to read more background from this Jewish historical writer ... thank you for the opportunity to read this book as it provoked me and makes me want to explore the issue more; the point of the book was to challenge and it certainly achieves that.
This book clearly sets out its bias from the start so initially I accepted this and allowed myself to try to read it with this in mind but there are too many occasions where I wanted to
Show More
have a bit more balance to hear a little more of the other perspective. It does have a jumpy style and that meant it is difficult to follow, this is especially true as the book moves into the later parts; it can also be a bit dry and doesn't always make good use of the pictures and photos. I feel it is trying to ask interesting questions and I certainly felt challenged to look into this whole area more. I do find myself drawn to this area of history and often find myself reading fictional books about the Holocaust, from many different standpoints and telling varied stories, so I was pleased to be able to read more background from this Jewish historical writer ... thank you for the opportunity to read this book as it provoked me and makes me want to explore the issue more; the point of the book was to challenge and it certainly achieves that.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kmv
The topic this book addresses is tremendously complex, and it would take an author of great talent to lay down the historical context with clarity. I can't say that has been achieved here. There is a wealth of information in this book, but it is laid out in a disjointed manner that detracts from
I am not by any means an expert in this area of history, so I can't really give a meaningful opinion on the accuracy of the history portrayed in this book. I do however have some misgivings about Wilensky's skill as a historian, especially his ability to separate his Christian beliefs from historical issues. This is not a major issue in the book, but I think it colors the portrayal of certain events, and leads to a some contradictory statements about historical events. It makes it difficult to tell if he is cherry picking the historical record to prove certain points he wants to make.
This book was an interesting (although not easy or clear) read, and Wilensky makes a good case for the Christian church having played an important role in allowing the Holocaust to happen. Although it is not an elegant book, I think a lot of people could benefit from reading it because examining the underlying causes and influences of an event as horrific as the Holocaust is an exercise crucial to preventing future atrocities. Especially when an organization typically viewed as benevolent is responsible for laying the foundation for hatred and murder.
Show More
the story being told. The most clear part of the book is the last section outlining the crimes (and their hypothetical legal ramifications) of the Christian church in facilitating the Holocaust. Some of the suggestions of what the church could or should have done are simplistic and naive, but I think he does get his main point across in that he very aptly demonstrates (to me at least) that the Catholic church behaved in an utterly morally bankrupt fashion. I applaud him for that, because I think that should be pointed out more often.I am not by any means an expert in this area of history, so I can't really give a meaningful opinion on the accuracy of the history portrayed in this book. I do however have some misgivings about Wilensky's skill as a historian, especially his ability to separate his Christian beliefs from historical issues. This is not a major issue in the book, but I think it colors the portrayal of certain events, and leads to a some contradictory statements about historical events. It makes it difficult to tell if he is cherry picking the historical record to prove certain points he wants to make.
This book was an interesting (although not easy or clear) read, and Wilensky makes a good case for the Christian church having played an important role in allowing the Holocaust to happen. Although it is not an elegant book, I think a lot of people could benefit from reading it because examining the underlying causes and influences of an event as horrific as the Holocaust is an exercise crucial to preventing future atrocities. Especially when an organization typically viewed as benevolent is responsible for laying the foundation for hatred and murder.
Show Less
LibraryThing member chowchow
This book is an account of how Christian theology and teachings clashed with Judaism and a rather biased version of events leading to Anti-Semitism including the Holocaust. However I did find this book to be rather confronting and thought provoking; so much so I found myself do some researching on
I did find that bat times the flow of the book was a bit disjointed which made it a bit hard to follow.
I received this book from early reviews and the PDF text format made it a bit difficult to read on the computer, meaning short reading stints at it.
Show More
the internet.I did find that bat times the flow of the book was a bit disjointed which made it a bit hard to follow.
I received this book from early reviews and the PDF text format made it a bit difficult to read on the computer, meaning short reading stints at it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member C.Vick
As someone who is a "Jew-by-Choice," I thought this topic might be interesting to me, being as I kinda knew something about both sides of the issue.
And indeed, the topic is interesting to me, but this particular exploration of it was simply too dry for me. To be fair, I'm a sporadic non-fiction
I did race through Pt. 1 of the book which was laid out in a more chronological pattern which better suited me. It was in Pt 2 that I got bogged down. I felt like Pt 2 skipped around a lot and threw out a lot of names, making drawing connections difficult.
And indeed, the topic is interesting to me, but this particular exploration of it was simply too dry for me. To be fair, I'm a sporadic non-fiction
Show More
reader, so lots of non-fiction is too dry for me.I did race through Pt. 1 of the book which was laid out in a more chronological pattern which better suited me. It was in Pt 2 that I got bogged down. I felt like Pt 2 skipped around a lot and threw out a lot of names, making drawing connections difficult.
Show Less
Physical description
392 p.; 9.2 inches
ISBN
0984334645 / 9780984334643