Essay On Language And Literacy

There is more to the Jewish identity during the Holocaust than having been victimized by the Nazi regime. Language and literacy have always been a significant part of Jewish identity, especially as they are known as “people of the book.” Moshe Halbertal states in his book People of the Book: Canon, Meaning, and Authority, “The Jews became the ‘people of the book’ after a long history that defined the relationship of the community toward the canonized texts and established the diverse functions of texts” (Halbertal 10). After the Holocaust, the Jews’ relationship to literacy changed from being a way to connect with their canonized texts. Literacy became a significant tool as it enabled, and still continues to enable, the Holocaust Jews to stand as witnesses to their experiences and reconnect to the past, as “many Holocaust survivors also give testimony to the world, express their grief over lost ones, and attempt to restore singular identities of victims through names and personal voices” (Schindler) through writing. Not only did Holocaust survivors write, but Jews going through the Holocaust wrote

Literacy’s power to enable is exemplified by the way it affects Liesel’s perspective on place, her coping with her emotional trauma, and defying Nazi culture during her short years in Molching. Lastly, literacy empowers Liesel to share her narratives, giving her a voice to witness against the culture of Nazi Germany. Thus, literacy transforms Liesel to become a rhetorical Jew as it gives her a way to stand up for herself when she is powerless and suppressed, especially when we see her circumstances in parallel with Max’s