Language:
French
Year of publication:
1999
Titel der Quelle:
Revue d'Histoire de la Shoah
Angaben zur Quelle:
167 (1999) 132-160
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Historiography
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
Abstract:
Discusses the efforts made by survivors and the general Jewish population to deal with the horrors of the Shoah as a paradigm of trauma in apocalyptic dimensions. Compares the calculated cruelty of the perpetrators with the incredible will to live of the victims. Describes the complex process by which the trauma and its after-effects have been transformed into living memory as an appeal to the consciences of humanity. Concentrates on the testimonies of 50 French-speaking families in Belgium, France, and Israel - including first, second, and third generations of survivors - collected between 1988-92. Background information was assembled from three sources: historians' documentation found after the fall of the Reich, evidence provided during the trials of war criminals, and studies of places of memory such as museums, memorials, symposia, and ceremonies held on Yom Hashoah. Four major issues are treated: Jewish identity, the State of Israel, universalistic themes, and the search for meaning after the Shoah. Finally, the role of the Jewish people among the nations is discussed.
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