Religion and Empathy

'The Other Side of a Slap in the Face': Judgement and the Ambiguities of Violence in Holocaust Testimony

“…While Steinberg claims that he never belonged to the 'Prominenz ['Prominents'], the camp aristocracy', a combination of veteran status in the camp (having survived for fifteen months) and 'powerful protectors' ensured he was considered 'an influential man'. 46 While noting that he was 'helplessly kicked around by events', Steinberg concedes that had he been incarcerated in Auschwitz for a longer period of time, he 'would certainly have wound up a senior block inmate, at least'. 47 However, immediately after this statement, he reiterates the importance of contextual factors on one's behaviour: 'I know from experience that every situation in camp is unstable, that someone soaring today can come crashing down tomorrow'.…”