Two ways of ritualization -Transgenerational Memory in our time (original) (raw)

The leading question before us is how to shape a culture of memory for any near future in order not to forget a traumatic event of gigantic dimension which is called, for the sake of keeping its uniqueness,-SHOA. As time is passing by, we must assess the significance of generations as a vehicle to transport the memory. Traumatic memories as the Shoah, are characterized by different reactions among following generations accordingly. The first generation of the victims and the survivals themselves, were marked by a traumatic silence. The second generation of the off springs was the one who got active because they were afraid of the biological disappearance of the first generation which did not yet tell their stories. This second generation after Shoah, was the one who established the culture of memory we know today. It is a secular one, which reflects a-religious mood of the public space since decades. The third generation which is taking over now is characterized by a certain polarization between hyperactivity or increasing indifference. This present polarization is triggering a question how the memory should be kept for future generations. What options do we have, can we choose them at all? What would be the better one in terms of viability to keep Shoah in memory? What does it entail to ritualize memory in religious or secular categories? Are they contradictory, and how can they be reconciled? These remain open questions. What becomes clear is that we are afraid that without ritualization in whatever form memory will fade away.