Memory & Memorialization: A Comparative Analysis of Israel and Rwanda

This paper provides a comparative analysis of memory and memorialization of the Holocaust in Israel and the Rwandan genocide in Rwanda. The importance of memory in Rwandan and Israeli societies, embodying the adage never forget , is paramount; efforts have been undertaken by both countries to ensure that a culture of commemorating the Holocaust and the Genocide Against the Tutsi, respectively, are not forgotten. This is a continuously evolving and delicate process for both states. In some respects, Rwanda has managed to streamline their memorialization effort to that of Israel’s, melding meaningful commemoration with content meant for broad consumption, despite a chronological gap of nearly 50 years. Rwanda is quickly developing mechanisms, often with the help of Holocaust historians, Holocaust museum curators, and organizations dedicated to Holocaust education and genocide prevention, to build upon existing efforts to preserve memory and memorialize their genocide in a fashion that imitates that of Israel but remains culturally relative. Parallels will be drawn from annually observed commemorative events, museums dedicated to documenting genocide, the role of media, the use of modern technology (e.g. to preserve oral histories), and the role of the state in memorializing their respective genocides. This paper’s comparative analysis will look at the ways in which memory is preserved in each country and the mechanisms for memorialization that have been instituted, focusing predominantly on the national level. Sources Used: Declassified state documents, press releases, and publications; USHMM, KGM, and Yad Vashem archives; ministry and organization materials, including transcribed interviews, correspondence, and documents; primary source materials, including testimonies and oral histories provided by survivors and witnesses; and personal observation and experience. This is an interdisciplinary paper drawing from international relations, political science, anthropology, comparative genocide studies, and history