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Bodies in the Ground: Holocaust Mass Graves in Eastern Europe as Jewish Presence
Author(s): Walke, Anika
Date: 2025
Topics: Holocaust, Holocaust Memorials, Holocaust Commemoration, Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial, Memory
Abstract: The majority of the Jews of Belarus were murdered in the Holocaust, but the mass graves in and around nearly every town and village serve as reminders of a strong pre-war Jewish presence. This chapter provides an in-depth exploration of the role and function of these gravesites for the construction of Holocaust memory, especially the ‘mnemonic care’ afforded to human remains after genocide. Honouring the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and caring for the sites of burial has been a central part of rebuilding the Jewish community which began immediately after the end of the war. The ongoing care for dead Jewish bodies marks Belarus as a central site of Jewish life and counters state politics that continue to marginalize Jewish history and culture.
Split Memory: The Geography of Holocaust Memory and Amnesia in Belarus
Author(s): Walke, Anika
Date: 2018
Topics: Geography, Holocaust, Holocaust Memorials, Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial, Memory, Oral History and Biography
Abstract: The remote location of Beshankovichy's mass grave for Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide reflects the exclusion of local Jews during the German occupation of Soviet territories and limits their memory to a few knowledgeable survivors and witnesses. In contrast, local commemorative practices focus on memorials for Soviet soldiers, partisans, and their aides. The paper reveals an incongruence of the place of historical experience on the one hand, and the locale of popular commemoration on the other, highlighting the impact of the Holocaust in Belarus to destroy Jewish history and its memory. The spatial division reflects the trauma of loss as much as shame for local participation in the mass murder. Drawing on oral histories, archival materials, and field visits, the study builds on a growing field of scholarship on the role of space and place in the construction of memories and identities in the aftermath of atrocity and trauma to discuss the geographical dimensions of memory and amnesia.