Question:
I’m looking for sources on question whether the Holocaust was considered a shas ha’shmad, based on fact that it wasn’t an attempt to uproot Judaism but to kill Jews.
Answer:
Thank you for your question.
It is funny that you need to bring proof to this, because there are thousands of stories that the German’s Y”S tried to not only kill all Jews but to separate them from their religion. Nevertheless, if you want to so the word shmad in writing, here are some places it is written. See Shut Mimamakim a five-volume set of seforim written by one of the Rabbonim that lived thru the holocaust, and he writes there the more difficult situations and unbelievable questions that Jews had during those tremendously trying times. Of how the Jews despite the tremendous difficulties that they were under, were careful in whatever way they could to keep the halacha, and to do what they were supposed to do. When reading this sefer it is clear asday that the Nazis Y”S had two aggendas, to physically and spiritually kill the Jews in any and every way they could. Here are a number of places where he mentions that the time of the holocaust was considered a time of shmad. In his preface, in vol. 1-31, 2-2, 2-9, 2-11 pg. 65, also in vol. 2-18, 2-22, 2-24, 2-27.
This should be enough to bring out the point.
Best wishes
