| Abstract | In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: By its definition, collective memory is continuously transformed in response to society's needs. The Shoah as a central element of Israeli collective memory is no exception. It has been reinterpreted throughout the years, reflecting the changes in Israeli society. This article examines some of these changes by deconstructing the Israeli collective memory of the Shoah to some of its components, examining their transformations throughout the years mainly within the context of a cultural and historical perspective. The subject of collective memory has been a focal point in studies of the Shoah since the 1980s. Most of the profuse literature encompasses one of the following three aspects: (1) the examination of a specific issue (usually related to Zionist aspects of Shoah awareness) such as the importance of heroism, commemoration, the education system, the relations between Jewish and Zionist identities in the context of the Shoah, and the field of art, literature, and popular culture; (2) the discussion of a specific period or event. Most studies discuss the 1950s and the Eichmann trial as a turning point; (3) the surveying of a specific sector such as ultra-orthodox Jews (Haredim), Israeli Arabs and recently Sephardic Jews (Mizrahim). This research is part of recent studies, which examine changes in the development of the Shoah collective memory. It examines the changes and the reasons for these changes of two elements: the meanings of the Shoah and its main protagonists: the heroes. They are studied by looking at socialization agents that cultivate collective memory: public monuments, museums, rituals (especially memorial days), literature, movies, mass communication, and schools. These socialization agents are examined in three stages: the first period from 1948 to 1961 (from State independence to the Eichmann Trial), the second period from 1961 to 1980 (from the Eichmann trial to 1980), and the current period that began in 1980. Since transformations do not erase former symbols and meanings, each period has been supplemented by new additions. The Meanings and the Protagonists of Shoah The role of collective memory is to instill a common cause, to draw a lesson from the past and to bestow meaning to the existence of society. Unlike history, that tries to understand the past, collective memory tries to preserve it by emphasizing symbols and generalizations, often using constant patterns. One of the central characteristics of collective memory is that it focuses on the whole meaning of an event, ignoring its critical and rational analysis. Thus, while the Shoah as a historical event developed in stages and had various manifestations in several geographic areas during the Nazi rule in Germany, the Shoah as a collective memory represents selective historical events, and tends towards sentiment. Nevertheless, the meaning and significance given to the term Shoah by the general polity has hardly been researched. The word "Shoah" appears seven times in the Bible, indicating a disaster, distress, desolation, anguish, and destruction that strikes unexpectedly. The "shoah" can apply to individual persons or to a whole nation caused by other nations or as a punishment by God. Until the 1930s, the word "Shoah" was hardly used in everyday Hebrew. However, from the time Hitler rose to power, the term was used along with "Churban" (Destruction), pogrom, "Puranoot" (calamity), "Shchita" (slaughter). Since the end of World War II the term "Shoah" has been accepted by the Yishuv (pre-state residents and by new immigrants to describe the annihilation of the Jews in Europe during World War II. Nevertheless, my argument is that when looking at the usage of the word "Shoah" in the public sphere, reflecting its images in the collective memory, one can view that its whole meanings have changed over the years. While in the first period, the Shoah was associated with humiliation, in the second period it received the meaning of extermination, and in the third period it has been linked to catastrophe. The meanings correspond to the heroes championed in the public discourse. Collective memory employs the past in order to provide unity, uniqueness, and continuation, creating a collective identity. Heroes are fundamental elements in this process, generating symbols to be identified with, to be proud of, and to provide hope. Each period of the collective memory has different main...
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