Description
A thorough narrative history that explores the previously unknown work of Baptists in the United States during the Second World War. How did US Baptists respond to Jews at home and abroad, especially as anti-Semitism grew and reports of the genocide overseas reached our shores? Rich with primary source material and covering the history of Northern (American) Baptists, Southern Baptists, and African American Baptists alike, this groundbreaking volume is a must-read for church historians, Holocaust scholars, Baptist history buffs, and anyone interested in interfaith relations.
Reviews
“Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust: The Hand of Sincere Friendship by Lee B. Spitzer, (who is General Secretary of American Baptist Churches USA) offers a thorough narrative history exploring the previously unknown work of Baptists in the United States during the Second World War. How did US Baptists respond to Jews at home and abroad, especially as anti-Semitism grew and reports of the genocide overseas reached our shores? Rich with primary source material and covering the history of Northern (American) Baptists, Southern Baptists, and African American Baptists alike, this ground-breaking volume is an especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of church historians, Holocaust scholars, Baptist history buffs, and anyone interested in interfaith relations. While very highly recommended for church, community, and academic library Christian Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust is also available in a digital book format. ””—Library Bookwatch: May 2018
"This book is nuanced and thorough, encyclopedic in explicating the varied attitudes toward Jews and the Holocaust among Baptists in the United States—before, during, and after WWII. The author shows Baptist groups and leaders, North and South, Black and White, and state by state, usually saw the plight of European Jews and immigrants by comparison to the plight of other minorities, including African Americans, Japanese Americans, and native Americans. More than a study of attitudes toward the Holocaust, the book is a nuanced and helpful primer on race relations and the challenges of moving from sympathetic resolutions to action. The heroes of this complicated story are women, who reached out to Jewish neighbors through the Christian Friendliness programs of Northern Baptists and the Women's Missionary Union of the Southern Baptists."—Dr. Deborah Van Broekhoven, Executive Director Emeritus, American Baptist Historical Society
"Lee Spitzer's Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust is a groundbreaking, deeply researched, and comprehensive treatment of a neglected subject: how Baptists, mainly in the United States, responded to Nazism, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust.... This book will stand as the authoritative treatment of the intersection of Baptists and the Holocaust. I recommend it quite highly." —Rev. Dr. David P. Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Director, Center for Theology & Public Life, Mercer University, and President, Society of Christian Ethics
Author Bio
Lee B. Spitzer is Historian for the Baptist World Alliance and Affiliate Professor of Church History at Northern Seminary in Chicago. He is the retired General Secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA - the first person of Jewish descent to hold that office. He pastored three ABC churches and served as the Executive Minister and Senior Regional Pastor of ABC New Jersey for 14 years. His PhD is from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in association with the International Baptist Theological Study Centre (IBTS). He serves on the Committee on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and as a IBTS Research Fellow. He is the author of several books, including Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust: The Hand of Sincere Friendship (Judson Press, 2017) and Making Friends, Making Disciples: Growing Your Church Through Authentic Relationships (Judson Press 2010).