With Tattoos, Young Israelis Bear Holocaust Scars of Relatives
I strongly support the right of people to get whatever tattoo they desire, even if said tattoo would shock or offend others.
That said, I feel this practice is taking the "cult of remembrance" regarding the Holocaust yet another step too far. As Jonathan Ornstein said to me before I left Krakow, "Judaism as a religion has always encouraged people to move on, to not wallow in our grief. By constantly memorializing the Holocaust in this way, we risk constantly reliving it, not just remembering it." He was referring to the March of the Living, but I feel that this practice follows in the same category. It's one thing to want to signify or remember your family member's sacrifice and memory, it's quite another to say this:
“All my generation knows nothing about the Holocaust,” said Ms. Sagir,
21, who has had the tattoo for four years. “You talk with people and
they think it’s like the Exodus from Egypt, ancient history. I decided
to do it to remind my generation: I want to tell them my grandfather’s
story and the Holocaust story.”
Our generation, whether in the States or Israel, knowing nothing about the Holocaust? Where did this kid go to school? While in Israel, I saw nothing but reminders about the Holocaust - after all, it is the primary reason why Israel was founded, and why many Jews say we need a Jewish state, in order to ensure that the Holocaust doesn't happen again. I'd say that the odds of us forgetting about the Holocaust anytime soon is quite simply an over-reaction.
Should we forget about the Holocaust? Fuck no. But do we, as a people, need to move on? I'd say so.
Article written by Jodi Rudoren, and published by the New York Times.
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