Humanizing the Holocaust
Loading...
Date
2021
Authors
Lewis, Danielle
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
2020 marked 75 years since the end of the Holocaust, often referred to as the Shoah, meaning “catastrophe” in Hebrew. As the Shoah becomes a more distant part of our history, we begin to lose the eye-witnesses, the survivors, who carry the truths of the Shoah and the memories of its victims. This thesis intends to illuminate and immortalize the stories of those who experienced the Shoah so that the truth persists through generations to come. The software created with this intention is a facial recognition software that pairs the user with a Holocaust victim or survivor that mirrors their appearance. Ideally, this creates a surreal, visceral, and emotional connection across time. This would allow for a more genuine mourning and humanizes the individual, as well the user’s understanding of the Holocaust. The match’s history, even if just a small portion, would live on in the user. Ideally, the carrying of this story and its weight would encourage the user to then not only see the Shoah in terms of what they read about, but in terms of human life. This thesis also serves to combat Holocaust denial, a form of antisemitism that unfortunately still exists today. There is an immense amount of physical evidence and personal accounts that serve as educational tools in Holocaust research. I hope this software can also serve as both a gateway to exploring these resources and a reminder to keep humanizing the Holocaust amidst its horrible history of dehumanization.
Description
25 pages
Keywords
Facial recognition, Holocaust studies, Holocaust education, Python