Defender Of The Faith

The impact of World War II in America was significant, especially from the point of view of different ethnic and racial minorities; scholar Edward S. Shapiro states that “[n]ever had American Jews felt more physically and psychologically secure than after World War II.” Although the after-effects of the war might have been positive for Jews, the experience of being Jewish during the war was markedly different.

Although Grossbart’s dishonesty and cowardice are shameful, his deceptions also represent a powerful sense of self-preservation. His impulse to survive is critical to the understanding of the Jewish experience during World War II. While the Holocaust was taking place, the entire Jewish ethnic and religious group was under attack; individual Jews could feel justified in doing whatever needed to be done to survive a potentially dangerous and life-threatening experience.