Memory Produces Hope

“A memorial by the Houses of Parliament, on the banks of the Thames, will not only remind us of a past that cannot be repaired, but also make us aware of our role in protecting the future – even in a time and place that appears to be secure” (Ron Arad). 

The proposed Holocaust Memorial and learning centre near Parliament looks a bit like a beached whale skeleton, or an enormous porous shofar; a lot of it will be gently sloping hills that end abruptly in a drop. It is very different to the Holocaust memorials that I grew up with, which were either rough-hewn stones with the word 'Holocaust' on it, or smaller, abstract, art pieces that were easy to overlook, and always situated in designated spaces; in the synagogue courtyard, the Jewish cemetery, the museum or the War Memorial garden. They were all symbolic, about a time long ago, and produced little engagement or impact on younger minds.

“It's not "lest we forget", it's "lest we remember". That's what all this is about - the memorials, the Cenotaph, the two minutes' silence. Because there is no better way of forgetting something than by commemorating it.”
(Tom Irwin in ‘The History Boys’ by Alan Bennett)

I’ve always been struck by this negative quote in The History Boys, because it goes against everything we are taught as Jews. Yizkor - ‘to remember’ is part of our ritual DNA, it’s a vital and positive act. The quote refers to the First World War and Britain’s leading role in the arms race leading up to it; to forget one truth by commemorating another part of it. 

Perhaps  it is more about what we choose to remember and how we do it?

We might disagree with Irwin's attitude to ‘truth’ in discussing history, but the challenge of ‘lest we remember’ could help us re-imagine the role of a memorial. Should a UK Holocaust memorial acknowledge Britain’s own actions and inactions in the lead up to the Holocaust? How can a memorial move us from the symbolic into a process of learning and questioning our responsibilities today?

Whether we are for, against, or undecided about this specific memorial, the discussion it has engendered is important. For how do we remember something? How are we made to remember? How do we teach our children and their non-Jewish friends about this time in history? And what do we want them to remember and learn? 

The theologian Walter Brueggeman said “Memory produces hope in the same way that amnesia produces despair”. Though we commonly associate hope with the future, the roots of hope stem from the memory, memorials, and archives of the past. 

So please invite your friends and family to join us in an act of hope and remembrance this Shabbat, by engaging in conversation with Asa Bruno, one of the architects behind the Holocaust Memorial. He will share the journey the final design has been on, and will discuss memorialisation, society and identity.