The Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, by Natan Rapoport, commemorating the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto, is placed in two locations: the top, the original in Warsaw, and the other (at the bottom of the page) is located in Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.
(Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_the_Ghetto_Heroes)
Before delving into the subtle differences (some officially noted) within the actual sculpture, I first want to pause and focus on the 'interactivity' of the audience with the sculpture. Located right in the center of the memorial park, it has become part of the scenery.
Warsaw ghetto monument - photo by -Cezary Piwowarski
For many obvious reasons, the "almost" replica in the Yad Vashem Memorial Square provides a completely different experience. It was the not-so-obvious reasons that sparked my idea of giving this project the name... "Don't Touch My Holocaust."
Yad Vashem
The purchased mold with 'minor changes' was placed a few years later by the same artist, Natan Rapoport, in the 'memorial square' at Yad Vashem, where annual ceremonies are held. Look at how untouched the sculpture is, isolated, almost frozen in time - even in the scorching heat of Israel. Seeing this sculpture, knowing about the other, has provoked my thinking to a different level as I observed it from afar.
In my next post, I will delve into the obvious and subtle differences and what they mean to me. 🙏
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