Holocaust memorials and museums face a difficult task as their staffs strive to commemorate and document horror. On the one hand; the events museums represent are beyond most peoplersquo;s experiences. At the same time they are often portrayed by theologians; artists; and philosophers in ways that are already known by the public. Museum administrators and curators have the challenging role of finding a creative way to present Holocaust exhibits to avoid clicheacute;d or dehumanizing portrayals of victims and their suffering.In Holocaust Memory Reframed; Jennifer Hansen-Glucklich examines representations in three museums: Israelrsquo;s Yad Vashem in Jerusalem; Germanyrsquo;s Jewish Museum in Berlin; and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington; D.C. She describes a variety of visually striking media; including architecture; photography exhibits; artifact displays; and video installations in order to explain the aesthetic techniques that the museums employ. As she interprets the exhibits; Hansen-Glucklich clarifies how museums communicate Holocaust narratives within the historical and cultural contexts specific to Germany; Israel; and the United States. In Yad Vashem; architect Moshe Safdie developed a narrative suited for Israel; rooted in a redemptive; Zionist story of homecoming to a place of mythic geography and renewal; in contrast to death and suffering in exile. In the Jewish Museum in Berlin; Daniel Libeskindrsquo;s architecture; broken lines; and voids emphasize absence. Here exhibits communicate a conflicted ideology; torn between the loss of a Jewish past and the countryrsquo;s current multicultural ethos. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum presents yet another lens; conveying through its exhibits a sense of sacrifice that is part of the civil values of American democracy; and trying to overcome geographic and temporal distance. One well-know example; the pile of thousands of shoes plundered from concentration camp victims encourages the visitor to bridge the gap between viewer and victim. Hansen-Glucklich explores how each museumrsquo;s concept of the sacred shapes the design and choreography of visitorsrsquo; experiences within museum spaces. These spaces are sites of pilgrimage that can in turn lead to rites of passage.
#2596224 in eBooks 2014-03-01 2014-03-01File Name: B00IX69KPY
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A book to study and use as part of your spiritual practice.By M. CorcoranThis was sensitively and beautifully done by someone who clearly is deeply connected with his religion. I find re-reading it a number of times is helpful to assimilate the material and make it your own. In one place he does discuss how an "educated Tibetan" would understand more of each symbol; and I wish he had done more of that kind of "extensive explanation." I would have liked to see more of linking the symbols with the literature and art to help Tibetan art come "more alive." I dont know if anything like that exists.I would most certainly recommend this book. I read it daily as part of my spiritual practice/ study. As a Catholic; I also try to link the symbols with my own religion.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An easy read! Very well organizedBy WariatQuick; well organized and easy to digest and remember. Great for beginners!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Sacredfulfilling book for everyone
