Americanization of the Holocaust

A consideration of Peter Novick's book "The Holocaust in American Life" leads to a wider consideration of the role of the Holocaust in US society. Novick's major complaint is that the Holocaust has been misused in America to support the Cold War, further Israel's cause, and to counter anti-Semitism by establishing a favourable image of the Jews. One consideration is that the Americans have a right to concern themselves with the Holocaust if only because of their participation in the Nuremberg Trials. A second consideration is that in America the Holocaust has been exploited for political ends and for "national self-congratulation."