Mark of Cain Guilt and Denial in the Post-War Lives of Nazi Perpetrators

"Katharina von Kellenbach's analysis is strong medicine. In this extensive case study she exposes the inability of rank and file Nazi perpetrators to confront their own responsibilities for the crimes they committed serving the Nazi cause. Their own words and denials become a modern day mark of Cain, warning future generations of the compounding power of personal, cultural, religious, and ideological identities to justify unspeakable violence to others." -- Henry F. Knight, Director of the Cohen Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Keene State College"Through meticulous archival work and a capacious form of contemporary Midrash, von Kellenbach reimagines the biblical figure of Cain. This extraordinary book on the legacy of Nazi perpetrators manages to breathe new life into such notions as guilt, salvation, and justice not as something accomplished once and for all, but instead as ongoing labors--forms of repentance or penitential practice after genocide. This is a major contribution to Holocaust studies." -- Laura Levitt, Professor of Religion, Jewish Studies, and Gender, Temple University