Dara Horn’s 'People Love Dead Jews' offers a powerful exploration of how Jews are perceived in Western culture. However, as a Jewish author, Horn can hardly capture how Christian narratives shape attitudes toward Jews and Judaism within broader Christian consciousness. These dynamics, deeply embedded in Western traditions, have deep implications for how Jewish victimhood, resilience, and Zionism are understood by non-Jews in the Western world.

Christian Narratives and Depiction of Jews during the Holocaust

Christian theology, with its emphasis on Jesus as a suffering savior, has long determined how Jews are collectively viewed and portrayed in Western narratives. In particular, the Christian association of Jews with Jesus and the New Testament creates a framework for empathy based on passivity and martyrdom. Holocaust films reinforce this narrative by generally depicting Jewish victims as embodying Christlike virtues: non-violence, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Jewish suffering is presented as a modern Via Crucis, evoking pity and compassion from viewers.

On the other hand, non-Jewish victims of Nazi camps are rarely depicted in this way. While Jewish characters are shown enduring oppression with quiet dignity, non-Jewish characters are often portrayed as heroic figures leading resistance, organizing sabotage, or confronting their captors. Even when non-Jewish victims are shown as saintly and passive—such as in the case of priests like Father Kolbe—these roles are reserved for religious figures rather than ordinary laypeople.

Christian audiences would find it unsettling to see their coreligionists slaughtered like lambs. While such deaths might be saintly and deeply Christian, they are not heroic. Western civilization, and Christendom in particular, has historically expected only model Christian behavior from Jews and saints. Everyone else must fight and die heroically to earn respect and admiration.

Even Holocaust films that depict Jewish resistance and heroism conform to these traditional roles and stereotypes. Consider the classic Escape from Sobibor, which dramatizes the 1943 revolt and escape from Sobibor’s death camp. The central hero, Alexander 'Sasha' Pechersky, a Jewish prisoner, is played by Rutger Hauer—a blond, non-Jewish actor. This casting decision was likely deliberate, as director Jack Gold may have believed that a blond, “goyish-looking” protagonist would make the film’s portrayal of Jewish heroism more palatable to audiences than someone resembling, say, Woody Allen or Chuck Schumer.

It is crucial to emphasize that this paradigm transcends the ethnicity of movie directors and producers. Thus, Jewish filmmakers will readily depict Jewish victimhood under the Nazis similarly to how Christian filmmakers portray it. The reason may well be that unlike non-Jewish filmmakers, Jewish directors and producers will view their coreligionists' non-violent response to injustice and humiliation as admirable rather than shameful.

The most important Holocaust icon further reinforces this narrative. Anne Frank has become a global symbol of resilience and hope during the Holocaust, since her story aligns closely with Christian ethics. Anne Frank’s famous line, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart,” echoes Gospel teachings on forgiveness and love for persecutors. While deeply moving, this perspective risks overshadowing the heroism of Jewish resistance fighters, such as those in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising or the partisans of Vilna.

A more balanced Holocaust memory would celebrate both the compassion exemplified by figures like Anne Frank and the bravery of Jewish resistance fighters. Such an approach would honor the full spectrum of Jewish responses to persecution while challenging the archetype of Jews as passive victims.

Zionism and Western Disenchantment

Zionism directly challenges the traditional narrative of Jewish meekness. Initially, Zionism and the State of Israel were widely admired in the West. Leftists celebrated the kibbutzim as models of socialist ideals, while Christians overwhelmingly viewed Israel’s rebirth after the Holocaust as bearing parallels to Jesus’ resurrection. Nevertheless, this admiration began to wane after the Six-Day War.

Israel’s growing power and wealth, coupled with accusations of "oppressing" Palestinian Arabs, alienated many former supporters. For leftists, Israel’s military strength and capitalist success clashed with their ideals of anti-imperialism and social justice. For many Christians, Israel’s assertiveness contradicted Gospel ethics, which prioritize pacifism and humility (not exactly followed by Christians, ed.) . A Jewish state that fights and wins wars challenges the archetype of Jewish passivity that is so deeply ingrained in Western consciousness (as well as in Islamic consciousness).

Evangelical Christians, however, remain staunch supporters of Israel. This support is not merely rooted in eschatological beliefs but also in their reverence for the Hebrew Bible alongside the New Testament. Evangelicals see modern Israeli actions as a continuation of biblical narratives of leadership and survival, drawing parallels to figures like King David and Samson.

In contrast, mainstream Christian churches tend to neglect the Hebrew Bible or interpret it in ways that highlight the contrast between the peace-loving God of the New Testament with the "vengeful" God of the "Old Testament". This theological bias shapes their view of Israel, leading to discomfort with a Jewish state that exercises power and self-defense.

Jewish power presents a theological and ideological dilemma for many Westerners. If Jewish strength ensures security while Jewish powerlessness led to Auschwitz, Gospel ethics and leftist ideals are - at best - impractical. For Christians, a strong and assertive Israel feels at odds with the image of Jews as sacrificial victims. For leftist intellectuals, the repeated election of right-wing leaders in Israel shatters their perception of Jews as reliable champions of progressive politics.

To these critics, Zionist assertiveness feels as jarring as imagining a resurrected Jesus leading a violent rebellion against Rome. While such a vision aligns with Evangelical eschatological hopes, it deeply unsettles those who cling to more pacifist interpretations of Jewish and Christian identity.

Moving Toward a Balanced Narrative

To address these tensions, it is essential to promote a more balanced understanding of Jewish history and identity. Christian love and reverence for Jesus should be balanced with respect for biblical figures like Samson and King David, who embodied military courage and assertiveness. Similarly, Holocaust memory ought to honor both the compassion of Anne Frank and the heroism of Jewish resistance fighters.

By embracing the full spectrum of biblical messages and of Jewish responses to the Holocaust, we can challenge stereotypes that perpetuate the assumption that ideally, Jews should die without fighting back. And only then, will the Western world understand that Zionism and the Jewish State are entitled to be judged according to the same standards applied to all other nations, rather than to those set by Anne Frank or Jesus on the cross.

Rafael Castro is an Italian-Colombian graduate of Yale and Hebrew University. A regular contributor to Israel National News, he can be reached at rafaelcastro78@gmail.com.