Bystander to Critical Thinker: Memory in Historical Knowledge

Photo source: Bring them home now

From Bystander to Critical Thinker: The Importance of Memory in Historical Knowledge

The concept of being a bystander goes beyond simply witnessing current events without taking action; it extends to how we engage with history. Being a bystander in a current situation involves seeing something happen and doing nothing. Similarly, being a bystander to history means learning about a historic event, often a horrific one, without integrating its lessons into our modern-day life.

This distinction between information and knowledge is crucial. A relatable example of the difference between information and knowledge can be seen in cooking. Imagine you have a recipe (information) that lists all the ingredients and steps needed to make a dish. The recipe provides you with data—measurements, cooking times, and techniques.

However, knowledge is what you create from that information. It’s the understanding you gain from cooking that dish multiple times, learning how to adjust the seasoning to your taste, knowing when to tweak the cooking time based on your oven, or even how to modify the recipe to suit different dietary needs.

Information is the recipe itself, but knowledge is the skill and insight you develop through experience and critical thinking, enabling you to not just follow the recipe but to make the dish your own and adapt it to new situations.

Memory is the retention of information about something or someone, but knowledge requires critical thinking—analyzing, interpreting, and transforming that information for use in current and future situations. Without this deeper engagement, we remain passive bystanders to history.

As I witness current events echoing the past, especially in my work, I am increasingly concerned that we lean too heavily into remembering and neglecting the other aspects of this process. This concern is particularly relevant in my role as a teacher of the Holocaust and in my work with Action for Post-Soviet Jewry and the Soviet Jewry Movement Archives Project. The memory of the successful grassroots Soviet Jewry Movement is close to being forgotten by younger generations, as this history is not being adequately remembered or taught.

The significance of this loss is underscored when we consider images from protests during the Soviet Jewry Movement, of prisoners of conscience in Soviet jails, and how they resemble recent images of hostages held in Gaza. Additionally, a recent New York Times article tells the story of a US citizen being held in Russia for treason for donating to a charity supporting Ukraine, a situation that echoes Natan Sharansky’s imprisonment in a gulag for similar charges.

History may not be repeating itself exactly, but it is certainly rhyming. As we’ve seen with protests on US campuses, the next generation has not been adequately equipped with the history, memory, or knowledge to think critically about their current actions. This gap underscores the importance of not just remembering the past, but actively engaging with it, reflecting on its lessons, and applying them to the present. Only by doing so can we move from being passive bystanders to history to becoming critical thinkers who can shape a more informed and just future.

There are many ways to bridge the gap between memory and critical engagement, and I would encourage you to explore the work of Action for Post-Soviet Jewry and the Soviet Jewry Movement Archives Project. Both organizations are dedicated to engaging the next generation in memory, knowledge, connection, and action, ensuring that the lessons of the past are not only remembered but also actively applied to shape a better future.

1980sRallyEmigres.jpeg Action for Soviet Jewry