Henry Greenspan, at The Blogs

Henry Greenspan

Jan 25, 2026, 10:46 AM

The sign engraved on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum entrance, when fewer Holocaust museums are retaining 'Memorial' in their name or mourning in their programming. (2018, iStock)

In rebranding for the next generation, Holocaust programming treats survivors as heroes and sidesteps the main point: mourning the millions lost to Jewish genocide

Nov 4, 2024, 7:08 AM

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The last normal day in America

Whatever the outcome, those whose guns are locked and loaded are convinced they are the ones fighting for liberty and freedom

May 6, 2024, 7:18 AM

The Delusions of Holocaust Education

We see it everywhere in Holocaust museums and programming. “Those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The quote, in various permutations, is attributed to American philosopher, George Santayana. And it rests on two foundational delusions. First,...

Dec 28, 2023, 7:50 AM

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Sleeping with Kafka

There is nothing I can do. It doesn’t matter what sin I committed. Or didn’t. It has been decided. I have to leave.

Oct 17, 2023, 11:09 AM

Both at Once: On Righteous Rage and Poison

I have been performing my play, Remnants, for over thirty years, now at over 300 venues worldwide, including Israel. The piece is a trajectory of monologues based on forty years of sustained conversations (not single testimonies) with individual Holocaust...

Jul 26, 2023, 7:03 AM

On Tisha B’av: The Limits of Mourning

Judaism exquisitely attends to the needs and necessities of grief. From the first moments after a death, we embrace the bereaved with nurture, presence, and respect for the time that genuine grieving takes. In general, we avoid platitudes and...

Apr 17, 2023, 7:12 AM

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The Holocaust’s empty rooms

For me, Yom Hashoah will always be about a loss and a grief that last far longer than memorial candles

Feb 27, 2022, 5:27 AM

Lviv by Siege or by Assault?

Lviv by Siege or by Assault? By the time I finish writing this, or by the time it is published, I could easily be proven wrong. Virtually everyone is predicting an imminent Russian assault on Lviv. Before an assault, I...

Nov 8, 2021, 9:40 AM

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Kristallnacht: Silence was not the problem

The New York Times reports Kristallnacht, November 11, 1938

Condemnation, especially moralistic condemnation, easily fosters the illusion of 'doing something,' after which, one can return to not doing anything

Jul 28, 2021, 12:25 PM

Dark Landscapes: A Geography of Corrosive Times 3 – The Clearing

This is the third blog of three in the "Dark Landscapes" series I have been posting. "The Cliff" was published on July 17. "The Mountain" came out on July 21. This, "The Clearing," is the shortest and, perhaps, the...

About Me

Henry (Hank) Greenspan is an emeritus psychologist and playwright at the University of Michigan who has been interviewing, teaching, and writing about the Holocaust and its survivors since the 1970s. His most recent book is _REMNANTS and What Remains: Moments from a Life Among Holocaust Survivors_.

Contact Me