(Jewish Group) Young Jews grapple with remembering what some Holocaust survivors would rather forget

[Behind the Aegis]

Young Jews grapple with how to remember what some Holocaust survivors would rather forget

“They should absolutely be allowed to forget,” said Eliya Smith. “Insisting on remembering as a political act is not always the most benevolent thing to do.”

It was the dinner break during a rehearsal for Deadclass, Ohio, a new play going up at the New Ohio Theatre in Manhattan, and we were discussing the ever-present imperative to “never forget” in the wake of the Holocaust.

“But then history disappears,” interjected Mitchell Polonsky.

This is the central quandary of the play, which Smith, who is a former Forward fellow, wrote; Polonsky is co-directing with Chloe Claudel, who is also an actor in the show. We’re often taught that for the sake of history, we must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust. But remembering isn’t so easy.

more...