As a people, our monuments never commemorate victories. They commemorate the names of the fallen. We don't need the Arc de Triomphe; we have Masada, Tel-Hai, and the Warsaw Ghetto - where the battle was lost, but the war of Jewish existence was won.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that true remembrance lies in honoring those who sacrificed for a cause rather than celebrating victories.
David Elazar's quote reflects the profound respect for sacrifices made by individuals and groups during difficult times. It underscores the idea that while triumphs are celebrated in traditional monuments, the true essence of a people's struggle lies in recognizing those who faced persecution and loss, such as those commemorated at sites like Masada, Tel-Hai, and the Warsaw Ghetto. This perspective values resilience and the ongoing fight for existence over mere victories.
In practice
This quote can be used during a memorial service to honor fallen heroes.
But what began in 1941 was a process of destruction not planned in advance, not organized centrally by any agency. There was no blueprint and there was no budget for destructive measures. They were taken step by step, one step at a time. Thus came about not so much a plan being carried out, but an incredible meeting of minds, a consensus - mind reading by a far-flung bureaucracy.
Nations without a past are contradictions in terms. What makes a nation is the past, what justifies one nation against others is the past, and historians are the people who produce it.
One thing 'not right' on the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches is the sad fact that the Edmund Pettus Bridge hasn't been renamed the John Lewis Bridge.
No history is mute. No matter how much they own it, break it, and lie about it, human history refuses to shut its mouth. Despite deafness and ignorance, the time that was continues to tick inside the time that is.
History will tell you that borders are not inevitable, they hardly existed at the end of the 19th century.
America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts.
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