Post-Shoa Religious Metaphors

This study analyzes the concept of God in the poetry of Nelly Sachs (1881-1970), a German-Jewish survivor of the "Shoa" and 1966 Nobel-laureate. Through an in-depth interpretation of seven of Sachs's poems, the author arrives at an understanding of Sachs' concept of God, one which derives from the biblical and mystical Jewish tradition yet at the same time transcends it. Furthermore, this study analyzes Nelly Sachs' view of God in the context of theological concepts emerging from the experience of the "Shoa." In this light, the author addresses the question of how Sachs' image of God fits into various theoretical categories established by Holocaust theologians. Finally, the concluding chapter of the dissertation assesses Sachs' literary accomplishments as a writer-survivor. This is achieved through a comparative analysis of her work with other forms of literature about the "Shoa."