Holocaust Museums as Sacred-Secular Space

In this episode RSP co-editor Breann Fallon talks to Dr Avril Alba of the University of Sydney about the tension between the secular and sacred in Holocaust museums. Having worked in museum curation, as well academia, Alba gives a specific insight into the sacrality of museums, the creation of such spaces, and how this area of study came to be. Speaking on Holocaust museums specifically, Alba highlights the tensions between Jewish ritual and religious practices with the secular notion of a museum. In particular, questions of theodicy, the role of the Holocaust museum in the mourning process, and the centrality of education play a key role in her analysis. This podcast highlights the complex nature of ritual and religion in the experience of public places of history, as well as the liminality of such purpose-built sites of commemoration.