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Holocaust Commemorations of London and Anglo-Jewish (Dis-)unity

Author(s): Berman, Judith

Date: 2004

Topics: Holocaust Commemoration, Holocaust Memorials, Jewish Museums, Museums, Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial

Abstract: This study of selected episodes of Holocaust commemorations in London (UK) sheds light on the tense and ambiguous relationship between commemoration of the holocaust and Anglo Jewish unity. Many have shared the aspiration for Anglo Jewish unity at holocaust commemorations, hut a narrow definition of "unity", as taken to mean centralization, uniformity and consensus, has been restrictive and has not served the desired end. As these case studies demonstrate, despite the high level of cohesion achieved by the rituals of the ceremony and the collective mourning, holocaust commemorations have also been occasions of conflict and disunity. It is the recent proliferation of commemorations in the 1990s, taking place in a diverse range of Jewish organizations and institutions rather than one combined memorial gathering, that has led to Anglo Jewry's uniting in common moments of remembrance. These differing approaches to the nature, form and content of Holocaust commemorations should he perceived not only as a positive development for the future of Holocaust remembrance in Britain but also an indication of an increasingly healthy Anglo