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JolantaAmbrosewicz-Jacobs
UniwersytetJagielloński
Wrestingthepastfromfictionsandlegends...
Challengesformemoryandeducationabout
theHolocaustinpost-1989Poland
Thosewhoarestillalive,receiveamandatefromthosewhoaresilentforever.Theycan
fulfilltheirdutiesonlybytryingtoreconstructpreciselythingsastheywerebywresting
thepastfromfictionsandlegends.
CzesławMiłosz,Nobellecture,quotedafter:Hartman,GeoffreyH.
(1994),"Introduction:DarknessVisible”In:HartmanGeoffrey(ed.)
(1994),HolocaustRemembrance:TheShapeofMemory,Cambridge,
Blackwell,8.
Introduction
Theworld’ssymboloftheHolocaustisAuschwitz,acampinitiallysetupforPolish
prisoners,which,togetherwithAuschwitzII–Birkenau,becamethelargestsiteofgeno-
cide,wherebetweenJune1940andJanuary1945from1.1to1.5millionpeoplewere
murdered,90%ofthemJews.AuschwitzisthelargestJewishcemeteryintheworldand
alsothelargestPolishcemetery.Ithasbecomeauniversalsymbolofterror.And,asRuth
EllenGruber(2002,32)wrote,"TheAuschwitz-Birkenaudeathcampcomplexhasbeen
apoliticalandemotionalbattlegroundofmemorysincetheendofthewar”.Isthere
awaytorememberinclusively,toreconcilethesememoriesorcommunitiesofmemory,
orwilltheyalwaysbemutuallyexclusive?
"TheHolocaustprovidesus”,saysSybilMilton(2000,14–15),"withanawareness
thatdemocraticinstitutionsandvaluesarenotautomaticallysustained;andthatthe
Holocaustoccurredbecauseindividuals,organisations,andgovernmentsmadeachoice
