PROCEEDINGS | Scientific Symposium
Bokobza deviates the discourse on the memory of the Holocaust , which is directly associated with Jewish Identity , and uses this memory to raise ethical questions and create empathy and understanding of the others story . The Holocaust in his work is no longer a specific event that occurred to a specific group of people , but a metaphor for many other traumatic memories .
In his book , Micheal Rothberg ( 2009 ), discuss the notion of Memory and how this is represented in different public contexts . His book encompasses the philosophy behind Bokobza ’ s work ; rather than focusing on specific events , he writes about the memory and feelings associated with traumatic experiences . These approaches unify large numbers of people in their experiences and emotions , rather than dividing them through their individual memories of a specific event . He argues that the discussion around genocide is never happening in a comparative way , there is a belief that when it comes to making the traumatic memory recognized in the public sphere , the different memories compete with one another as if it were a Zero-Sum game ( Rothberg 2009 ). He calls this phenomenon “ Competing Memory ”, noticing that often the encounter of different memories , instead of creating solidarity , creates competition ; communities take possession of their historical event , thus limiting the message that could derive from it . Instead of “ Competitive Memory ”, Rothberg proposes a “ Multidirectional Memory ” that replaces the privatization of the memory of pain , which makes it a finished product , with a productive memory , which has the ability to create new experiences and approaches ( Ibid ).
Fig . 6 - Ivangorod , Ukraine 1942 . A German policeman aims his rifle at a woman and her child
Multidirectional Memory is a comparison and connection between different histories . Rothberg argues that it is possible to think of the interaction of different memories in a non competitive way and not as part of a zero-sum game ; it is possible to talk about the Holocaust and compare it to other traumatic memories . Multidirectionality , he argues is part of the memory work that can produce more memory from interaction instead of delegitimizing one another ( Ibid ).
Not all memories are represented equally in the public sphere , and some memories are silenced on purpose because they would challenge the accepted narrative . For the Israeli case , representing the Palestinian memory of pain would undermine the defensive narrative that had been built around the
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