Literature - Masha Gessen sticks to controversial ghetto comparison
Following the controversial award of the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought, Masha Gessen is sticking to her comparison of the situation in Gaza with Jewish ghettos during the Nazi era. "The assertion of the uniqueness of the Holocaust places it outside of history," said Gessen on Monday in Berlin during a discussion about the position at the Heinrich Böll Foundation with the foundation's board members Imme Scholz and Jan Philipp Albrecht.
The Jewish author - Gessen defines herself as non-binary and therefore does not identify with any gender - was awarded the prestigious prize. Gessen, born in Moscow in 1967, lives in New York and writes about political currents and conflicts in US and Russian society.
Following an article in "The New Yorker" magazine in which Gessen compared the situation in Gaza with the Jewish ghettos in occupied Europe, the award ceremony originally planned in Bremen City Hall was canceled after criticism of these statements. The Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Bremen Senate withdrew from the award ceremony, which was held on a small scale on Friday.
"If we place the Holocaust outside of history, we betray the promise of "never again". You can only fulfill that promise if you constantly ask yourself whether the things that are happening in the present are reminiscent of what happened 90 years ago, or are essentially similar," Gessen said. "We can't pretend that the Holocaust is impossible, even if it has already happened."
"The reason I think the comparison is important is because I believe in language," Gessen said. "If we use bad metaphors or analogies, we miss the point." Gessen referred to numerous reports, including from Jewish voices in Gaza. "The majority of the population in Gaza is suffering from extreme hunger today."
There was a lot of support for Gessen in the packed hall of the foundation, which is affiliated with the Green Party. Individual voices opposed. Scholz and Albrecht justified the foundation's withdrawal from the award by saying, among other things, that a debate was not possible in this setting. They were therefore all the more grateful that Gessen had accepted the invitation to Berlin.
Information on the prize
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- Despite the cancellation of the original award ceremony in Bremen City Hall due to her controversial statements about Gaza and Jewish ghettos, Masha Gessen still received the prestigious Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought in Berlin.
- In her acceptance speech, Gessen, a Russian-born Jewish author and political commentator living in New York, emphasized the importance of not placing the Holocaust outside of history and constantly questioning if current events resemble or remind us of past atrocities.
- Gessen's comparison of the situation in Gaza with Jewish ghettos during the Nazi era has caused significant controversy, leading to criticism and calls for the cancelation of the award ceremony.
- During her discussion at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin, Gessen was joined by foundation board members Imme Scholz and Jan Philipp Albrecht, who later withdrew from the award ceremony due to the controversy.
- The Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, have become a focal point of contention in discussions about human rights and political conflicts, with Gessen arguing that the comparison is necessary to raise awareness and improve conditions for the suffering population.
- Masha Gessen's literary works and political commentary have earned her numerous awards and recognition, underscoring the importance of her contributions to the field of literature and political thought.
- Critics and supporters of Gessen's comments on Gaza and the Holocaust continue to engage in debates, highlighting the complex and sensitive nature of historical comparisons and their impact on contemporary politics and societal perceptions.
Source: www.stern.de
