Liberal German Jewish theologian Emil Fackenheim (born 1916) explored new horizons relating the Holocaust to Jewish theology and examining the relationships among modern philosophical issues.

Emil Ludwig Fackenheim represents the odyssey of contemporary liberal Jewish theologians both in his thought and in his life. He was born in Halle, Germany, on June 22, 1916. Liberal Jews at this time looked to Germany's cultured, middle-class Jewish population as the beacon of enlightenment and progress. Fackenheim shared these views and studied for the Reform Jewish rabbinate in the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums, where he was ordained in 1939. He maintained a keen interest in non-Jewish philosophy as well by studying at the University of Halle. Shortly after his ordination he was interned for three months in a concentration camp--a profoundly traumatic experience, but one with a fortunate outcome, as he was one of the few lucky ones to be released...