Living Memory
I told myself that I would not post to this blog more than once or twice a month, but I had an experience tonight that changed my mind. I went to see a special performance of The Diary of Anne Frank at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Tonight’s event was a collaboration between Steppenwolf (www.steppenwolf.org), the Ravinia Festival (www.ravinia.org) and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (www.ushmm.org). In the playbill, the artistic director’s story of the decision to produce this play included these words:
The people who hold the event of the holocaust in living memory are passing. It becomes attendant upon all of us to remember and to educate our next generation to the memory.
Theater can keep memory alive in a very personal way, and that is invaluable. Having seen tonight’s performance, I want everyone to see it because I don’t know how anyone could see it and not be moved, not be changed by it. But I was struck anew with the little piece of preservation of which I am a very small part.
The living memory of the holocaust will pass, as will the living memory of 9/11… of Apartheid… of every human tragedy. The living memory will pass, inevitably, yet we will remember.
Nonprofits understand the importance of remembering. Here in Chicago, for example, a few weeks after Anne Frank leaves the Steppenwolf stage, James Conlon will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this summer in the works of Alexander Zemlinsky as part of the “Breaking the Silence” series highlighting music that was suppressed by the Third Reich.
It’s been said that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Nearly every Jewish temple I pass has a large sign in front – “Never Again”. We cannot afford to forget.
For those who do not have access to theater or museums or concerts, there is another way.
Technology – seemingly the most impersonal of tools – keeps memory alive.
For many people, software is boring or geeky; technology is alien or geeky; the internet is frightening or… okay, geeky. I’m willing to stipulate that there is a geek component here. I’m even willing to stipulate that there’s really nothing “sexy” about software, unless of course you are a self-described geek. Software is nuts and bolts. And we need nuts and bolts to build on. CJW Consulting is really about making sure you have the right nuts and bolts to do your building.
Building on the nuts and bolts allows you to do so much more. Every web site begins with nuts and bolts. Tonight, a director from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum spoke before the performance, and she mentioned a recent exhibit at the museum about the writings of Anne Frank. And she mentioned that you can still see the exhibit – online.
The internet will keep alive the memory of the horror that was the holocaust, and so much more. Software archives will keep alive Anne Frank’s writings, and allow millions worldwide to see it and be touched… and remember. Imaging software will allow people to see these historical documents and photographs. All from nuts and bolts made up of 1s and 0s.
It’s a lot to take in. I believe that if there is to be an end to the insanities that humans inflict upon one another, it will come about largely from the work of the nonprofit community. And I believe that it will come with the help of technology, bringing us all closer to one another.
By the way – software also allows you to buy tickets or books online. Go to the Amazon.com website for a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank, or find a production to see. Do both, if you can.
Never again!
The people who hold the event of the holocaust in living memory are passing. It becomes attendant upon all of us to remember and to educate our next generation to the memory.
Theater can keep memory alive in a very personal way, and that is invaluable. Having seen tonight’s performance, I want everyone to see it because I don’t know how anyone could see it and not be moved, not be changed by it. But I was struck anew with the little piece of preservation of which I am a very small part.
The living memory of the holocaust will pass, as will the living memory of 9/11… of Apartheid… of every human tragedy. The living memory will pass, inevitably, yet we will remember.
Nonprofits understand the importance of remembering. Here in Chicago, for example, a few weeks after Anne Frank leaves the Steppenwolf stage, James Conlon will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this summer in the works of Alexander Zemlinsky as part of the “Breaking the Silence” series highlighting music that was suppressed by the Third Reich.
It’s been said that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Nearly every Jewish temple I pass has a large sign in front – “Never Again”. We cannot afford to forget.
For those who do not have access to theater or museums or concerts, there is another way.
Technology – seemingly the most impersonal of tools – keeps memory alive.
For many people, software is boring or geeky; technology is alien or geeky; the internet is frightening or… okay, geeky. I’m willing to stipulate that there is a geek component here. I’m even willing to stipulate that there’s really nothing “sexy” about software, unless of course you are a self-described geek. Software is nuts and bolts. And we need nuts and bolts to build on. CJW Consulting is really about making sure you have the right nuts and bolts to do your building.
Building on the nuts and bolts allows you to do so much more. Every web site begins with nuts and bolts. Tonight, a director from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum spoke before the performance, and she mentioned a recent exhibit at the museum about the writings of Anne Frank. And she mentioned that you can still see the exhibit – online.
The internet will keep alive the memory of the horror that was the holocaust, and so much more. Software archives will keep alive Anne Frank’s writings, and allow millions worldwide to see it and be touched… and remember. Imaging software will allow people to see these historical documents and photographs. All from nuts and bolts made up of 1s and 0s.
It’s a lot to take in. I believe that if there is to be an end to the insanities that humans inflict upon one another, it will come about largely from the work of the nonprofit community. And I believe that it will come with the help of technology, bringing us all closer to one another.
By the way – software also allows you to buy tickets or books online. Go to the Amazon.com website for a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank, or find a production to see. Do both, if you can.
Never again!
posted by Cheryl J. Weissman at
11:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home