Commemoration as a form of representation of the Holocaust in the cultural space of Ukraine in the XXI century
Authors: Sharpylo M. 
Published: December 2023

The relevance of the article. Commemoration1 of the Holocaust2 is a practice that is the quintessence of the memory of the Jewish past and a promising approach for comprehension of collective experience. Successful realization of forms of remembrance is actively implemented in the main historical centers associated with Jewish history: Poland, Hungary, Germany, and others. It is there that commemorative practices have become an integral part of the multicultural dimension. For a long time, the national focus of Holocaust remembrance was regulated by political mechanisms post-Soviet space, depriving society of the opportunity to expand the functionality of commemoration. This influenced the presentation of the perpetuation of the tragedy and the formation of self-identity among Ukrainian Jews.

The purpose of the research. The article presents an examination of individual examples of modern Holocaust commemorative practices and their impact on the cultural space of Ukraine. The dynamics of urban, visual and memorial aspects of commemoration are identified and analyzed, and their specifics are outlined.

The methodology is based on the use of the following methods: historical and cultural methods, which were used to characterize the peculiarities of Jewish cultural memory within the framework of the Holocaust representation; sociological method of visual analysis, which was used to study the specifics of commemoration practices using examples of commemoration; structural and semiotic methods, which were used to determine the relationship between individual and collective reflection within the memorial space, and to outline the specific symbolism of the tragedy. It is determined that the rethinking of the tragedy of the Jewish people is the result of rethinking the Holocaust in society. This became possible due to the intensification of research into the meaning of the tragedy.

The results. It is proven that by reconstructing the image of the past in the sociocultural dimension, it becomes possible to deprive the Jews of local perception and focus on building intercultural communication through the prism of a positive trend in preserving and restoring memory.

The scientific novelty of the research. Іs presented in the analysis of examples of Holocaust commemoration in Ukraine and the identification of the constituent elements of the cultural space of remembrance.

The practical significance. The prospect of a further vector of research is the practical implementation of the theoretical material for creating projects dedicated to the tragedy and Jewry in the national territory.

Conclusions. Having carried out a cultural analysis of illustrative examples of Holocaust remembrance, we can draw the following conclusions. Firstly, in the course of the study, we determined that the urban perspective of the Holocaust commemoration, together with the elaboration of the trauma of witnesses, aims to create a tendency to perceive the «other». We believe that this is a mentally necessary strategy for Ukrainian realities. Secondly, we have generalized that commemoration focuses on creating an individual experience of perceiving the tragedy of the Holocaust, making it unique. We argue that a complex conglomerate of feelings, which concentrate visual forms, will allow everyone to find their place in this event, discover its leitmotifs, and construct the context of the future with a clear understanding of the cyclical nature of history. Thirdly, memorial commemoration is the most accessible for reflection. However, the places of memory executions are not without variability in interpretation and are an example of a primary source that makes it possible to study of the Holocaust.