Visual Representations of the Holocaust in Memorials in the Czech Republic and America

This thesis will address Holocaust memory and memorialization in the Czech Republic and the United States. I will compare the differences between three Holocaust memorials in the Czech Republic and the United States and how they visually present the Holocaust and how they teach the Holocaust to the public. I will not be analyzing whether these memorials and museums present the Holocaust well or poorly, but rather what implication the cultural and historical conditions of these locations have on their teaching and presentation of the Holocaust. My focus is on the memorial at Terezín, Czech Republic; the Jewish History Museum Holocaust Memorial in the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague; and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (henceforth referred to as the USHMM) in Washington, DC. In order to understand the different aspects of representing the Holocaust in memorials I will examine these different memorials' architecture, location, historical significance, and their use of language, buildings and artifacts. I will examine and compare the different representative histories these memorials present. I will also examine the audience expected at each memorial, as well as the current preservation issues at the site. I will compare their different forms of outreach as an avenue of understanding the Holocaust within a greater historical and culture context, to which many museums owe their funding and audience.