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David S. Wyman

デイヴィッド・エス・ワイマン

Deividdo S. Waiman

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Weymouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died
2018-03-14 age 88
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Protestant
Residence History
Weymouth, Massachusetts → University of Massachusetts Amherst (residence/work) → Washington, D.C. (institute/affiliation)

Career

Occupations
Historian, Professor, Author, Editor
Active Years
1950-2018
Affiliations
University of Massachusetts Amherst, The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies (chair)

Education

Boston University
Department of History
Degree: A.B.
Country: United States
Completed undergraduate degree in history
Harvard University
Department of History
Degree: Ph.D.
Country: United States
Earned Ph.D. in history

Awards

National Jewish Book Award (Holocaust category)
1985
Work: The Abandonment of the Jews: America and the Holocaust, 1941–1945
Category: ホロコースト
Organization: Jewish Book Council
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Paper Walls: America and the Refugee Crisis, 1938–1941

1968 History / Scholarly

Analyzes U.S. refugee policy and responses from 1938 to 1941, arguing that antisemitism, nativism, economic crisis, and isolationism made rescue efforts unlikely.

Refugee policyAmerican foreign/domestic responseAntisemitism

The Abandonment of the Jews: America and the Holocaust, 1941–1945

1984 History / Holocaust studies

A documentary-based examination of U.S. government and societal responses from 1941 to 1945, questioning the failures of rescue and responsibility.

Response to the HolocaustAmerican political historyResponsibility and rescue

America and the Holocaust (editor)

1990 Document collection / Edited volumes

A multi-volume collection of documents used in The Abandonment of the Jews, edited and compiled for research use.

Primary source editingHolocaust history

The World Reacts to the Holocaust

1996 History / Comparative studies

Surveys how various countries and the international community reacted to the Holocaust, compiled regionally and chronologically.

International reactionsComparative history

A Race Against Death: Peter Bergson, America, and the Holocaust

2002 Biography / Historical study

A co-authored study reexamining rescue efforts and their evaluation in America through the activities of Peter Bergson and the Bergson Group.

Rescue movementsBiographical studyJewish-American political activism

Bibliography

  • Paper Walls: America and the Refugee Crisis, 1938–1941 (1968)
  • The Abandonment of the Jews: America and the Holocaust, 1941–1945 (1984)
  • America and the Holocaust (editor, multi-volume, 1990)
  • The World Reacts to the Holocaust (1996)
  • A Race Against Death: Peter Bergson, America, and the Holocaust (with Rafael Medoff, 2002)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Archival-based scholarly styleObjective and evidence-driven prose
Recurring Motifs
Failures of rescue and responsibilityTension between policy and moralityDetailed documentary analysis

Legacy

David S. Wyman was a significant scholar who critically examined America's response to the Holocaust using documentary evidence; The Abandonment of the Jews is regarded as a foundational work in Holocaust studies and American political history. Through the David S. Wyman Institute he left both academic and public-historical impact.

Academic Societies

  • Jewish studies related societies (associated)

Archives

  • The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies (archives)

Quotes

  • Today I remain strongly pro-Zionist and I am a resolute supporter of the state of Israel. My commitment to Zionism and to Israel has been confirmed and increased by years of study of the Holocaust.
    Source: Preface, The Abandonment of the Jews (1984)

Trivia

  • Taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for many years and chaired its Judaic studies program twice.
  • Received honorary doctorates from Hebrew Union College and Yeshiva University.
  • Served as chairman of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies.