“After the death of the last witnesses the memory of the Holocaust must not be left to historians alone, now is the time for works of art” Aharon Appelfeld. This study focuses on the role and contribution of monuments to educating about Holocaust commemoration in Israel. Holocaust monuments are located throughout Israel, from north to south, and over the years memorial centers have been added, which contain additional monuments commemorating the story of the specific place and/or personal stories. Many of the latter have original displays from the period of the Holocaust and, according to definitions that will be presented below, these too can be defined as “monuments” and their place as a commemorative site. Commemoration of the Holocaust is an important value in the education of the young generation, as a lesson and as a call to always remember that which happened. The educational system has a very significant role in providing instruction on the memory of the Holocaust and it must teach this complex topic using interesting visual means such as monuments, which have a meaningful role in the story of the Holocaust, similar to journals, letters, films, and drawings. The study explores the role of monuments as meaningful, reliable, and historically valid sources of information, which serve as a visual text for Holocaust instruction. This is with the purpose of examining the meaning of monuments as a source of information in learning about the Holocaust. The research method: Qualitative research based on observations of a case study consisting of an educational program dealing with remembrance based on monuments and on a catalogue of monuments. The catalogue, built specifically for this study, is unique in its scope and categorizes and charts monuments from different locations throughout Israel, providing a venue for educational activities studying the memory of the Holocaust and its commemoration. The research findings show that there is at present no organized study program encouraging schoolchildren’s visits to monuments in Israel, and these remain abandoned, with no visitors. In many cases they are displayed in open public spaces, and those passing by do not stop to learn their story. Hence, the contribution of the educational program based on the catalogue and on the visit to the monuments will have an effect on all learners, encouraging learning based on experience, i.e., learning outside the classroom. The program blurs the distinction between social classes and sectors and lets each and every student embark on a journey that includes touring, learning, experiencing, and leading.
Aim. The aim of this article is to deal with visual dignity in the field of western art throughout the ages as it seeks to present the artistic and design devices employed by artists in order to compose and convey this aura of dignity. Moreover, it addresses the ways in which they create various kinds of atmosphere of respect and dignity felt by the observer regarding the topic and object of the painting or sculpture. Methods. In order to achieve this aim, the article examines seven masterpieces which explore the visual representations of various perceptions of dignity and their implications. Among the elements affecting the creation of dignity in the visual domain one finds: an impressive or majestic appearance, noblesse, self-esteem, pride, self-confidence, inner strength, authoritativeness and charisma. At times, the respectful treatment of the figures is clear as soon as one views the work, but at others it is implied in the interpretation given to it. It is not this article's intention to discuss the different perceptions or expressions of human dignity, historically, theologically, politically, psychologically, nationally or socially, but to present them artistically as they are the innate right of people to be appreciated, treated with courtesy and met with ethical behavior. Results and conclusion. The research done in order to reach a conclusion confirming or contradicting the premises at its base, resulted in a mosaic of situations in which human dignity is reflected. The range of possibilities at the artists’ disposal for creating this value is diverse and includes: composition, use of color, mimesis, embellishment, disfigurement or distortion of reality. The pieces examined present: a military commander at the moment of his foe's surrender; an author monumentally impressive, man of vision and power and of grand dimensions, rising up from a stone plinth; a stern-faced, disfigured dwarf considered a ‘curiosity’, seated on the ground; a family of farmers living an impoverished and meager life; and a Jesus-like mysterious intellectual and Moses the prophet. All these together at first glance appear to be a strange collection of works, in which the common denominator is unclear or seemingly absent. However, this diverse group is included in the article because of the aura of dignity the figures command or convey. At times, the respectful treatment of the figures is clear as soon as one views the work, but at others it is implied in the interpretation given to it.
Dorot Ruth, Mosaic of Israel’s landscapes as an expression of geographical, cultural, and religious diversity. “Images” vol. XXV, no. 34. Poznań 2019. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. Pp. 87–113. ISSN 1731-450X. DOI 10.14746/i.2019.34.06. Israel is tiny in its dimensions, yet huge in the spectrum of its landscapes. It is ancient in its history, yet young as a state. In honor of the 70th independence day of the State of Israel, celebrated in 2018, this paper presents a mosaic of 12 landscape paintings, from the country’s most southern point to the most northern one, by Israeli artists who represent, in diverse styles, the state’s geographic and historic wealth in a visual-artistic sense.
Over time, the live memories of survivors have disappeared, and it has become clear that the memory of the Jewish Holocaust could disappear entirely in the absence of institutional efforts to preserve it. The understanding that collective memory can be preserved only through proactive efforts led to the development of formal and informal curricula for Holocaust education. The main assumption is that Holocaust education has the potential to generate a moral transformation. In light of this conclusion the question is: What kind of changes do we seek and how should we accomplish them? This study deals with a case study of one of the constitutive historical events of the 20th century: commemoration of the Holocaust. The study focuses on the Experiential Learning Method of educating about Holocaust remembrance and commemoration and about Holocaust monuments. Over the years memorial centers have been added, which contain additional monuments commemorating the story of a specific place and/or personal stories. One of the currently customary methods of commemoration in Israel is the journey to Poland, to the labor, concentration, and death camps, to the various memorial sites and monuments. This journey is undertaken by young and old, groups and singles, from all over the world and particularly from Israel. Since many of those taking the journey are young people at an age when personal, national, and historical identity is formed, a time when the young acquire their educational values, it is particularly important to ascertain who is charged with passing on the beacon of memory. This leads to weighty questions regarding the identity of the guides who lead these journeys and the contents they choose to impart to the participants, the guidance sites, and the method of guidance. Who will tell the story? How will the story be told? What will remain of the story? This study discusses in addition, a case study of guides from Israel charged with imparting this chapter of human history. In order to explore their impact, interviews were held with 47 guides, the large majority of whom are Israeli born, a majority academics, and many hold advanced degrees. The research findings indicate that they aim the commemoration beacon primarily at guidance sites in Poland. The study explored other diverse essential parameters regarding the profile of “guides to Poland” – where did they study? What is their personal affiliation with the subject? What is their position on the universal and Jewish narrative of the Holocaust? In light of the interviews conducted, it appears that almost all of them have the necessary tools to convey the most complete and comprehensive educational message. Accordingly, this issue was explored and most of the guides reported that the most influential message of commemoration is conveyed primarily through visits to camps and ghettos in Poland. This conclusion generates a theoretical, practical, philosophical, moral, and educational question indicating the “exporting of historical memory”. Should our entire educational focus indeed be exclusively on Poland? How can we preserve the ethos of the affiliation between the Holocaust of the Jews and heroism in the Holocaust, as well as heroism in Israel and its building, if we disregard the many commemoration and memorial sites within Israel? Do the journeys to the camps and to the valley of death in Poland, which are led by these guides, not create a distortion in the instilling of Holocaust remembrance and heritage, by disregarding the many commemoration sites and monuments throughout Israel? Aiming the beacon of commemoration at Poland, outside Israel, prevents exposure of the public, and particularly teenagers, to the natural association formed in Israel between Holocaust and revival, which preserves the connecting link between the generations.
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