Many people know nothing about the Holocaust, says special guest Malka Simkovich in this week’s episode of The Bulletin. Even if they do know, they’ve heard 6 million deaths is an exaggeration. It might be hard to believe this is true, until you read the news about the recent shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl. These two particular tragedies are linked by a common heartbreaking thread: the danger of turning people into abstractions.
This week on The Bulletin, host Mike Cosper and Nicole Martin talk about Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah, April 18) and Yarl’s shooting and dive deep into topics that Christians often want to avoid. Joined by Malka Simkovich of Catholic Theological Union, the three discuss the dehumanizing rhetoric that turns individuals into tropes and the hermeneutics that often divorce us from the humanity of the other. The episode continues as Cosper and Martin consider the growing reactivity to conversations about race within the church and the fear that amidst our abstractions we’re losing sight of the relational needs that, when met, can bring forth healing and reconciliation.
Joining us this week: Malka Z. Simkovich is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and the director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at CTU. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016), and Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism (2018), which received the 2019 AJL Judaica Reference Honor Award. Simkovich’s articles have been published in journals such as the Harvard Theological Review and the Journal for the Study of Judaism, as well as on online forums such as The Lehrhaus, TheTorah.com, and the Times of Israel. She is involved in numerous local and international interreligious dialogue projects which help to increase understanding and friendship between Christians and Jews.
Nicole Martin serves Christianity Today as chief impact officer after serving on its board of directors. Nicole oversees three major strategic initiatives that are shaping the future of CT including The Global Initiative, the Big Tent Initiative, and the Next Gen Initiative. Dr. Martin worked as a business analyst for Deloitte before receiving her master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was the recipient of the David Hugh Jones Award in Music and the John Alan Swink Award in Preaching.
Resources Referenced: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum FBI Releases Supplemental 2021 Hate Crime Statistics U.S. Antisemitic Incidents Hit Highest Level Ever Recorded, ADL Audit Finds Unite KC The Sending Project Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Philip Yancey and Paul Brand What We Know About the Ralph Yarl Shooting in Kansas City A 20-year-old woman was shot and killed after her friend turned into the wrong driveway in upstate New York, officials say Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith
“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Hosts: Mike Cosper and Russell Moore Producer: Matt Stevens Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps Editing and Mix: TJ Hester Music: Dan Phelps Graphic Design: Bryan Todd Additional Design: Jared Boggess Social Media: Kate Lucky
