Yehuda Bauer was a historian and scholar whose work as an authority on the Holocaust is widely seen as some of the most important in the world.
- Died: October 18, 2024 (Who else died on October 18?)
- Details of death: Died in Jerusalem at the age of 98.
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Yehuda Bauer’s legacy
Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Bauer and his family fled to Palestine in 1939 just as the Nazis were annexing his home country. Having just evaded the horrors to come, he decided to devote his education – and soon, his career – to studying history. Bauer attended Cardiff University in Wales on scholarship, briefly interrupted by service in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and earned his doctorate from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
After graduation, he became a prominent figure at the college, where he taught Holocaust studies. His work led to him being named academic advisor of Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. He was also the first advisor to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Bauer wrote a number of influential books and articles that explore aspects of the Holocaust, including the causes of antisemitism, the responses of Jewish communities, and the moral dilemmas faced by individuals during this dark period in history. Some of his most notable works over the years include “Out of the Ashes,” “Jews for Sale? Nazi-Jewish Negotiations,” “Rethinking the Holocaust” and “A History of the Holocaust.” He was also founding editor of the journal Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
An outspoken advocate for Holocaust remembrance and education, Bauer emphasized the importance of understanding the Holocaust not only as a historical event, but also as a warning against the dangers of bigotry in contemporary society. His efforts have earned him numerous accolades, including the Israel Prize in 1998, one of the nation’s highest honors; the Yakir Yerushalayim (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award in 2008; the Illis quorum, a prestigious prize from the Swedish government.
Notable quote
“The horror of the Holocaust is not that it deviated from human norms; the horror is that it didn’t. What happened may happen again, to others not necessarily Jews, perpetrated by others, not necessarily Germans. We are all possible victims, possible perpetrators, possible bystanders.”— excerpt from “Rethinking the Holocaust”
Tributes to Yehuda Bauer
Full obituary: The Washington Post
