Between evidence and symbol: the Auschwitz album in Yad Vashem, the Imperial War Museum ...

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

Between Evidence and Symbol:
The Auschwitz Album in Yad Vashem, the Imperial War Museum
(London) and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

by

Jaime Ashworth

Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

November 2011
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
ABSTRACT
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
Doctor of Philosophy
BETWEEN EVIDENCE AND SYMBOL: THE AUSCHWITZ ALBUM IN YAD
VASHEM, THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM (LONDON) AND THE
AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU STATE MUSEUM.
by Jaime Ashworth

This project explores the representation of the Holocaust in three museums:
Yad Vashem in Jerusalem; the Imperial War Museum in London; and the
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland. It uses the so-called
Auschwitz Album, a collection of photographs taken in Birkenau in May 1944,
as a case-study. Employing the concept of mythology in the Barthesian sense
of a ‘language in which we speak’, it examines the ways in which the
Holocaust is more and more a prism through which other things are viewed; a
language in which other things are spoken of.
Chapters 1 and 2 lay the groundwork for the results of fieldwork
described in chapters 3-5. Chapter 1 is concerned with the photographs
themselves. Describing the structure and content of the collection, it
demonstrates the degree to which the interpretation of photographs is
complicated by what the viewer brings to them. While photographs might
appear to transmit information, this chapter suggests that they are better
understood as reflective objects. Chapter 2 interrogates the assumptions of
five “classic” accounts of the Holocaust by Raul Hilberg, Helmut Krausnick,
Lucy Dawidowicz, Martin Gilbert and Saul Friedländer, in light of a proposed
‘Holocaust metanarrative’.
Chapters 3, 4 and 5 engage with the particular museums on their own
terms, posing questions about how they interact with the societies they are
found in. Each museum, these chapters argue, raises a set of questions about
the host nation’s relationship with the past.
Chapter 6 looks at the specific display strategies employed by the
museums to display the Auschwitz Album, considers how this relates to the
broader institutional and national agendas as explored in Chapters 3-5. An
epilogue takes the basic conclusion of this section – that all memory is local,
and that debate about meaning is likely to be the continuing legacy – and
asks if there is an alternative language in which to speak of the Holocaust.
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 An Illusion of Wholeness: The Auschwitz Album 38

Chapter 2 A Mythology of Annihilation: Holocaust 84
Metanarrative, 1961 to the present.

Chapter 3 On the Mount of Memory 125

Chapter 4 Rose-Tinted Spectacle? 153

Chapter 5 ‘After Auschwitz’? 185

Discussion: To the end of the story? 210

Epilogue: After-thought, After-writing 256

Bibliography 280
List of illustrations

Introduction
Figure 1 Memorial to the Deportees, Yad Vashem (Moshe Safdie, 29
1995) (Jaime Ashworth)

Chapter 1
Dust Breeding (Marcel Duchamp/Man Ray 1921) 44
Figure 1 USHMM 77222/ USHMM 77223 49
Figure 2 USHMM 77220 54
Figure 3 USHMM 77229 55
Figure 4 USHMM 77319 56
Figure 5 USHMM 34582 57
Figure 6 USHMM 77236 59
Figure 7 USHMM 77242 60
Figure 8 USHMM 77253 61
Figure 9 USHMM 77218 61
Figure 10 USHMM 77259 64
Figure 11 USHMM 77256 66
Figure 12 USHMM 77280/ USHMM 77281 67
Figure 13 USHMM 77338/ USHMM 77339/ USHMM 77340 68
Figure 14 USHMM 77348 69
Figure 15 USHMM 77317 70
Figure 16 USHMM 77290 72
Figure 17 Unemployed Man 1928 (August Sander) 75
Figure 18 USHMM 77359 78
Figure 19 USHMM 77374 79
Figure 20 USHMM 77381 80

Chapter 3
Figure 1 Balcony of the Historical Exhibition, Yad Vashem (Jaime 125
Ashworth)
Figure 2 ‘From Holocaust to Rebirth’ Naftali Bezem 1970 (Jaime 126
Ashworth)
Figure 3 Chamber of the Holocaust, Mount Zion. (Jaime Ashworth) 139
Figure 4 Jacket sewn from Torah scrolls, Chamber of the Holocaust 140
(Jaime Ashworth)
Figure 22 Still from ‘Living Landscape’ www.yadvashem.org 145

Chapter 4
Figure 1 Outbreak 1939, IWM Exhibition (Jaime Ashworth) 155
Figure 2 ‘All behind you, Winston’ (David Low, 1940) 157
Figure 3 IWM Large Exhibits Gallery (Jaime Ashworth) 162
Figure 4 In Memoriam, IWM Exhibition (Jaime Ashworth) 164
Figure 5 IWM Lower Ground Map, 2010 165
Figure 6 The Blitz Experience (Jaime Ashworth) 166
Figure 7 London Blitz (George Rodger, 1940) 167
Figure 8 Elephant and Castle Shelter (Bill Brandt, 1940) 169
Figure 9 The Bomber Offensive, IWM Exhibition (Jaime Ashworth) 172
Figure 10 The Bomber Offensive, IWM Exhibition (Jaime Ashworth) 173
Figure 11 The Bomber Offensive, IWM Exhibition (Jaime Ashworth) 175
Chapter 5
Figure 1 Functions of Auschwitz 186
Figure 2 Map of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum (Jaime Ashworth) 187
Figure 3 Auschwitz II-Birkenau (Jaime Ashworth) 188
Figure 4 Relics in Block 5, Auschwitz I (Jaime Ashworth) 191
Figure 5 Auschwitz I, Block 27 (Jaime Ashworth) 192
Figure 6 Auschwitz I, Block 15 (Jaime Ashworth) 195
Figure 7 Remuh Cemetery, Kraków (Jaime Ashworth) 206
Figure 8 Memorial plaques for Brzezinka village (Jaime Ashworth) 207

Chapter 6
Figure 1 Yad Vashem first gate (Jaime Ashworth) 216
Figure 2 Yad Vashem second gate (Jaime Ashworth) 216
Figure 3 Yad Vashem reception building (Jaime Ashworth) 217
Figure 4 Senator Barack Obama at Yad Vashem www.yadvashem.org 218
Figure 5 Senator Barack Obama at Yad Vashem www.yadvashem.org 220
Figure 6 IWM: Model of Auschwitz-Birkenau 230
Figure 7 IWM: model of devastated city (Jaime Ashworth) 231
Figure 8 IWM: detail of Auschwitz model 232
Figure 9 IWM: ‘Final Solution’ 234
Figure 10 IWM: ‘Deportation’ 235
Figure 11 Death mask of Heinrich Himmler, IWM (Jaime Ashworth) 240
Figure 12 Auschwitz album displayed in Auschwitz I (Jaime Ashworth) 244
Figure 13 Stairwell of Block 4, Auschwitz I (Jaime Ashworth) 247
Figure 14 Memorial plaques at Auschwitz II-Birkenau (Jaime Ashworth) 248
Figure 15 Memorial plaques at Auschwitz II-Birkenau (Jaime Ashworth) 249
Figure 16 The Alte Judenrampe (Jaime Ashworth) 250
Figure 17 Tourists at Auschwitz II-Birkenau (Jaime Ashworth) 251

Epilogue
Figure Entrance to In Memoriam, IWM (Jaime Ashworth) 275
DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

I, Jaime Robert Alan Ashworth,

declare that the thesis entitled

Between Evidence and Symbol: the Auschwitz Album in Yad
Vashem, the Imperial War Museum (London) and the Auschwitz-
Birkenau State Museum

and the work presented in the thesis are both my own, and have been generated by
me as the result of my own original research. I confirm that:

(cid:1) this work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at
this University;

(cid:1) where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any
other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly
stated;

(cid:1) where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly
attributed;

(cid:1) where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the
exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work;

(cid:1) I have acknowledged all main sources of help;

(cid:1) where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made
clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself;

(cid:1) An early and incomplete version of Chapter 5 has been published as: Jaime
Ashworth, ‘After Auschwitz’, Emergence: Faculty of Humanities Postgraduate
Journal, Volume Two ‘The Defining Moment’, Autumn 2010, pp. 34-39.

Signed: ………………………………………………………………………..

Date:…………………………………………………………………………….
Acknowledgements

Any academic work is much more than the sum of its bibliography. Many
conversations and kindnesses have contributed to this project, and identifying
them all would be impossible.

My supervisors, however, have to be acknowledged for their unstinting
academic and personal support. Dr Andrea Reiter’s faith in the project and its
author has sustained both through some difficult moments, and her rigorous
testing of my wilder hypotheses has been immensely supportive. Mention
must also be made of her ability to tell when I was pursuing a blind alley, even
if I didn’t always listen. Professor Joachim Schloer has been a supportive and
critical presence whose sense of humour has tempered his acute comments
on my work. I owe both of them a considerable debt.

Dr Adrian Smith, Dr Shirli Gilbert, Dr Helen Spurling and Dr Oren Ben-Dor all
made time to read specific parts of the texts and made very useful comments.
It cannot go without saying that any mistakes or errors of judgement that
remain are entirely my responsibility.

The same applies to the assistance I received from members of staff at the
many museums that I visited. In Israel, Dr Gideon Greif and Naama Galil were
very helpful and forthcoming. At the Imperial War Museum, Suzanne
Bardgett, Sarah Batsford and Emily Fuggle always responded promptly and
fully to some fairly odd questions. The ‘out-of-hours’ tour of the Holocaust
Exhibition with Suzanne was a particular highlight of my research. In Krakow,
Kate Craddy of the Galicia Jewish Museum has been very helpful. In
Oświęcim, Alicja Białecka and Krystyna Oleksy have always extended a warm
welcome. Though they did not have much involvement with this project, I owe
a debt to Teresa Świebocka and Wojtek Smoleń for many kindnesses over
the years. Lidia Jurek has been a stalwart friend in Kraków and done much to
alleviate the problems of writing about Poland while not at the same time
living there.

I have been a member of two departments and one institute during my time at
Southampton, all of which have been stimulating and safe environments to
pursue this challenging research across clear disciplinary boundaries. The
department of Modern Languages has provided me with a lot of support,
including supporting my initial research trip to Israel in conjunction with the
History department and the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/Non-
Jewish Relations. I have also been lucky enough to do a lot of teaching within
History/Parkes and must thank my students on HIST 1012: ‘Who is Anne
Frank?’ for being so enthusiastic and genuinely making it feel like a joint
voyage of discovery rather than an extraction. There are some points in this
study which might not have occurred to me without teaching them.

Financially, this research was made possible by grants from the Rothschild
Foundation Europe (2006-2007), the Arts and Humanities Research Council
(2007-2009: Award Number 2007130434), and the Wingate Foundation
(2009-2010).
While at the University of Southampton, I was also a member of the Wardenal
Service, providing support to students in difficulty and discipline for those
misbehaving. Dr Richard Dudley and Joanne Honey (formerly of the Wessex
Lane Wardenal Team) made sure that I got through two very difficult winters
in one piece.

On that note, I need to mention some people by name for their particular
friendship during this project: Zachary Abraham, Jenny Warner, Jennie
Cobley, Adam Chapman, Kara Critchell, Will Lingard and Matt Kelly have all
been very good friends, and my life would have been much poorer without
them.

And finally, of course, there is my family, whose patience and love made sure
I started and without which I might never have finished.

Copyright permissions

The images from the Auschwitz Album appear courtesy of the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC.

The images from Yad Vashem are used with the permission of Yad Vashem.

The images from the IWM are used with the permission of the Imperial War
Museum.

The images of the Auschwitz sites appear by permission of the Auschwitz-
Birkenau State Museum.

I have made every effort to trace the copyright of the following but either the
copyright remains unclear or the rights holder has not responded to enquiries about
reproduction.

‘Dust Breeding’ (Marcel Duchamp/Man Ray 1921) on p. 44.

‘Unemployed Man 1928’ (August Sander) on p. 75.

Fragment from ‘Dream’ by Abramek Koplowicz on p. 149.

‘All Behind You, Winston’ (David Low, 1940) on p. 157.

‘London Blitz’, (George Rodger, 1940) on p. 167.

‘Elephant and Castle Shelter’ (Bill Brandt, 1940) on p. 169.

The fragment from the poem ‘Campo dei Fiori’ by Czesław Miłosz on p. 205.
Introduction

In her text on ethnographic methods, Karen O’Reilly identifies five points which
the author of an ethnographic text must bear in mind. Since they are fundamental
to the way this study is organised, they are worth quoting in full:

• Chapters do not appear by themselves. We decide on them.
• Subheadings are not natural phenomena. They are imposed on the data.
• Many things could be written; many interpretations, in many forms, with many
different focuses. [sic]
• We select what we write and how.
• We have a reader in mind.1

While O’Reilly’s comments are directed at the ethnographer, they are useful for
engaging with any discipline or institution which claims for itself some measure of
authority to describe the world and interpret its meaning. Since this study is
concerned with the representation of a historical event in museums, with
particular reference to the use of images, these criteria have obvious relevance,
since both the discipline of history and the institution of the museum have as their
goal ‘definitive – not provisional or variable – interpretation and explanation’2
whether or not their practitioners view this as possible or not.
A book or article may take a view that is ‘fallibilistic and limited’3 but to the
reader it is a unit which sets out a particular view and can never be completely
explicit about the means by which its evidence and arguments were selected. We
may argue with what is on the page but we are powerless to change it unless,
like Humpty Dumpty, we insist that words mean whatever we choose them to.
Similarly, a museum may present alternative perspectives or provide
space for visitors to add their own reflections, but what the visitor is responding to
is – for the duration of the exhibition as experienced by the visitor – definitive. No
matter how museums strive for ‘polyvocality with representations being focused

1 Karen O’Reilly, Ethnographic Methods, Routledge, London and New York 2005, p. 218.
2 Alison Arieff, ‘A Different Sort of (P)Reservation: Some Thoughts on the National Museum of the
American Indian’, Museum Anthropology, Vol. 19, No. 2 (1995), p. 78.
3 Karen O’Reilly, Ethnographic Methods, p. 218.
1