What does the commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz mean to Israelis today?
The commemoration itself does not necessarily mean so much but the Holocaust obviously means a great deal. The Holocaust has in recent years become a very central element of Israeli identity. There is not a single day in the Israeli media, for example, without some reference to the Holocaust. The Israelis carry the Holocaust in themselves very much and that is also true for Israelis who do not even come from European origins. So it is an all-Israeli experience, very deep. Q: Is there any difference in attitude towards the Holocaust between survivors and those born since? Most Holocaust survivors experienced the Holocaust as children and for that reason the Holocaust is today regarded very often as a crime against children. But there is a difference between those people who remember the Holocaust and those who just experience it as part of their identity obviously. There was a time in fact when Israelis would not talk about the Holocaust at all. Parents would not tell their children wha
