Traumatic Memory and Holocaust Testimony: Passing Judgement in Representations of Chaim Rumkowski

A fundamental characteristic of the Holocaust was the unresolvable, arguably unprecedented, ethical dilemmas that confronted many of its Jewish victims. The traumatic experiences of Jews imprisoned within concentration camps and ghettos not only included physical and emotional torment, but also frequently consisted of being coerced into making decisions − what Lawrence Langer terms “choiceless choices” − at the expense of fellow inmates.