A major theme of the Novel Sarah's Key is the importance of remembering the past, especially at its darkest moments. Julia is one of the very few people in France who values this knowledge, and her efforts to recover the past meet a lot of resistance. When Julia tries to speak to her sister in sister-in-law about her family's involvement, she says, "Bringing back the past is never a good idea, especially whatever happened during the war. No one wants to be reminded of that, nobody wants to think of that." (de Rosnay 266) This quote shows how the French people as a whole chose to forget the past instead of taking accountability for their actions.
However, there is hope for French society. Julia's work, along with the work of many others she meets on her journey, is necessary to reviving the past. Also, the French government can be seen taking liability for the past when, "Chirac (French prime minister) gave a speech... Urging people
to remember France's responsibility during the Vel d'Hiv roundup ad what followed. Chirac pronounced the same words my mother had write at the end of her letter. Zakhor, Al Tichkah. Never Fogret. In Hebrew." (de Rosnay 288) This speech shows thenevessary actions that must be taken for the French to recover from their past atrocities and ensure that they do not repeat themselves.
Not only is "Zakhor, Al Tichkah" a major theme in Sarah's Key, but it is also an extremely important aspect of Jewish culture today. As a Jew, I have been taught about the Holocaust, or Shoah (catastrophe) for as long as I can remember. I really enjoyed reading Sarah's Key because it presented this horrible Shoah in a new light and even taught me about something I had no previous knowledge of. However, I believe that the importance of this novel lies not in what it teaches about the Holocaust, but what it teaches about remembering the past. Literature like Sarah's Key is essential to preserving the history of my people and preventing another Shoah in the future.
However, there is hope for French society. Julia's work, along with the work of many others she meets on her journey, is necessary to reviving the past. Also, the French government can be seen taking liability for the past when, "Chirac (French prime minister) gave a speech... Urging people
to remember France's responsibility during the Vel d'Hiv roundup ad what followed. Chirac pronounced the same words my mother had write at the end of her letter. Zakhor, Al Tichkah. Never Fogret. In Hebrew." (de Rosnay 288) This speech shows thenevessary actions that must be taken for the French to recover from their past atrocities and ensure that they do not repeat themselves.
Not only is "Zakhor, Al Tichkah" a major theme in Sarah's Key, but it is also an extremely important aspect of Jewish culture today. As a Jew, I have been taught about the Holocaust, or Shoah (catastrophe) for as long as I can remember. I really enjoyed reading Sarah's Key because it presented this horrible Shoah in a new light and even taught me about something I had no previous knowledge of. However, I believe that the importance of this novel lies not in what it teaches about the Holocaust, but what it teaches about remembering the past. Literature like Sarah's Key is essential to preserving the history of my people and preventing another Shoah in the future.