Extract

Literature concerning the Holocaust, both as a phenomenon perceived globally as well as its particular components, is very extensive. This interdisciplinary topic boasts an incredible level of complexity and an abundance of deliberation concerning not only the description of the historical background but also philosophical and even aesthetic elements. The events connected with the Holocaust were portrayed in detail, with due care and attention. What does the description concern in fact? Primarily the facts: that is the names, places, numbers, and even if they are accompanied by theories, in this case they seem “voiceless”. The circumstances which preceded the Holocaust are quite well recognized; also the whole process of extermination unfolded by the oppressors, the victims and the witnesses and also the persistence of various institutions and individuals in exposing the facts connected with the Holocaust are well-known. As Jan Woleński stated:

The factual knowledge regarding the Holocaust is extensive. Presumably we know more than less about this massacre. We can always expect new evidence to be revealed, such as witness statements by both the victims as well as the oppressors, directives, council decisions, various archival materials, etc. (…) Nevertheless, our knowledge concerning the Holocaust can now be corrected or supplemented only with regards to more or less significant details, which basically will not change the whole picture. The process and logistics of the extermination constitute the object of almost complete knowledge.1

This comprehensive documentary material, despite its extensiveness, was encompassed in appropriate categories,...