Abstract
This article adds to an on-going discussion of the usefulness of the concept of 'bystander' when applied to the Holocaust and its aftermath. This catch-all concept, mostly associated with Raul Hilberg, has been the subject of fierce criticism.
It has led some scholars to use it only with adjectives ('innocent', 'active' or 'passive') and others not to use it at all. Based on a case study of Jewish-Gentile relations in the Slovak town of Topoľčany, it is clear that the concept has many shortcomings when applied to a particular event.
Drawing on Giovanni Sartori's writings on the formation of concepts and the 'ladder of abstraction', we argue against dismissing the concept of the 'bystander' altogether, but would limit its degree of applicability. The 'bystander' concept can be useful when approached with discipline and with sensitivity to its generalisation.