You Shall Tell Your Children: Holocaust Memory in American Passover Ritual
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Passover is among the most widely observed holidays for American Jews. During this festival of redemption, Jewish families retell the biblical story of Exodus using a ritual book known as a haggadah, often weaving modern tales of oppression through the biblical narrative. References to the Holocaust are some of the most common additions to contemporary haggadot. However, the parallel between ancient and modern oppression, which seems obvious to some, raises troubling questions for many others. Is it possible to find any redemptive meaning in the Nazi genocide? Are we adding value to this unforgivable moment in history?Liora Gubkin critiques commemorations that violate memory by erasing the value of everyday life that was lost and collapse the diversity of responses both during the Shoah and afterward. She recounts oral testimonies from Holocaust survivors, cites references to the holiday in popular American culture, and analyzes examples of actual haggadot. Ultimately, Gubkin concludes that it is possible and important to make a space for Holocaust commemoration, all the time recognizing that haggadot must be constantly revisited and "performed."About the Author:Liora Gubkin is an assistant professor of religious studies at California State University, Bakersfield
Acknowledgments viiIntroduction: Listening to Voices from the Killing Ground 1Passover and the Challenge of Holocaust Memory 9Collected Memories 34Wrestling with Redemption 62Anne Frank, Hope, and Redemption 96Heroism Redeemed: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising 124Provisional Conclusions 155Notes 171Glossary 189Bibliography 193Index 201
