John K. Roth
Encyclopedia
John K. Roth is an American-based author, editor, and, for over 30 years, professor of philosophy of religion at Claremont McKenna College
. In 1988 he was named CASE U.S. National Professor of the Year by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
.
Roth is best known for his contributions as a writer and editor on major Holocaust themes. His work began with the 1979 publication of Consuming Fire: Encounters with Elie Wiesel and the Holocaust. In later interviews, Roth acknowledged the depth of the influence of Elie Wiesel
on his life as a writer and person. Later volumes include Approaches to Auschwitz: The Holocaust and Its Legacy (with Richard Rubenstein
, 1987), Holocaust: Religious and Philosophical Implications (ed. with Michael Berenbaum
, 1989) and Memory Offended: The Auschwitz Convent Controversy (ed. with Carol Rittner), 1991.
Roth made national news in 1998 soon after being chosen to direct the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
based on public comments Roth has made several years earlier. Columnist George Will
and others portrayed Roth as a liberal relativist who could not be trusted to understand the unique evil of the Holocaust. To avoid distracting from the Museum’s work, Roth withdrew from the position. He incorporated some of the lessons of this experience in his later book Holocaust Politics.
As he continued work on Holocaust studies, he also became interested in global violence, founding the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights (2003; now the Center for Human Rights Leadership) at Claremont McKenna College.
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college and a member of the Claremont Colleges located in Claremont, California. The campus is located east of Downtown Los Angeles...
. In 1988 he was named CASE U.S. National Professor of the Year by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
.
Roth is best known for his contributions as a writer and editor on major Holocaust themes. His work began with the 1979 publication of Consuming Fire: Encounters with Elie Wiesel and the Holocaust. In later interviews, Roth acknowledged the depth of the influence of Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
on his life as a writer and person. Later volumes include Approaches to Auschwitz: The Holocaust and Its Legacy (with Richard Rubenstein
Richard Rubenstein
Richard Lowell Rubenstein is an educator in religion and a major writer in the American Jewish community, noted particularly for his contributions to Holocaust theology...
, 1987), Holocaust: Religious and Philosophical Implications (ed. with Michael Berenbaum
Michael Berenbaum
Michael Berenbaum is an American scholar, professor, rabbi, writer, and film-maker, who specializes in the study of the memorialization of the Holocaust...
, 1989) and Memory Offended: The Auschwitz Convent Controversy (ed. with Carol Rittner), 1991.
Roth made national news in 1998 soon after being chosen to direct the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
based on public comments Roth has made several years earlier. Columnist George Will
George Will
George Frederick Will is an American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner best known for his conservative commentary on politics...
and others portrayed Roth as a liberal relativist who could not be trusted to understand the unique evil of the Holocaust. To avoid distracting from the Museum’s work, Roth withdrew from the position. He incorporated some of the lessons of this experience in his later book Holocaust Politics.
As he continued work on Holocaust studies, he also became interested in global violence, founding the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights (2003; now the Center for Human Rights Leadership) at Claremont McKenna College.
Partial bibliography
- Freedom and the Moral Life: The Ethics of William James, 1969.
- Problems of the Philosophy of Religion, 1971.
- The American Religious Experience: The Roots, Trends and the Future of American Theology (with Frederick Sontag), 1972.
- American Dreams: Meditations on Life in the United States, 1976.
- God and America's Future (with Frederick Sontag), 1977.
- A Consuming Fire: Encounters with Elie Wiesel and the Holocaust, 1979.
- The American Dream (with Robert H. Fossum), 1981.
- Approaches to Auschwitz: The Holocaust and Its Legacy (with Richard L. Rubenstein), 1987.
- The Questions of Philosophy (with Frederick Sontag), 1988.
- Private Needs, Public Selves: Talk about Religion in America, 1997.
- Ethics after the Holocaust: Perspectives, Critiques, and Responses, 1999.
- Holocaust Politics, 2001.
- American Dreams and Holocaust Questions (2002).