12 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
12 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
My favorite event this semester was the Rowan Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights (RCHGHR) Book Club's final meeting on the book "Final Verdict" by Tobias Buck. I happened upon this event in the Honor's Announcer (which is a great resource by the way, thank you to those who put in the time and effort) just a few days prior to the event.
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The event took place in Oak Hall, but there was also a Zoom option. Since I was unable to find the Zoom link, and Oak Hall is only a two or three-minute walk from my on-campus housing, I decided to go in-person. I'm really glad I did.
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While I did not have time pick up a copy of the book, let alone read it, before the event, I was able to draw upon my own prior experiences in learning about the Holocaust to contribute to the conversation. The book is about the trial of Bruno Dey, a 93-year-old man who was tried and found guilty in 2020 of 5,230 counts of accessory to murder during his time as a guard at the Stutthof concentration camp from 1944 to 1945.
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Our conversation centered on the meaning of his trial, and what it would mean to bring him to justice. Since he was only 17 at the time, some made the argument that he was brainwashed at a young age to take on violent beliefs. Some also brough up the point that a guilty verdict would be important for closure and justice. I brought up the book "Ordinary Men" by Christopher R. Browning, which discusses how a group of ordinary Polish police officers become murderous Nazis through the pressures of comradery and the desire to fit in with their peers.
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We also discussed the purposes of any justice system, and what the goals and reasons would be for punishing a 93-year-old man. Specifically, we discussed whether it would be more valuable to offer no punishment in exchange for the whole truth (more like a therapist) or to punish him, despite his otherwise peaceful life, to set an example.
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Overall, I came away from the book club excited to attend again next semester (I even got a book). This is particularly unusual for me, because as an engineer, I haven't really had the opportunity, need, or desire to delve much into the humanities since high school.
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