Sacred Testimony: The Transformation of Holocaust Survivors into Digitized Moral Exemplars

Holocaust survivors have long held a unique moral and cultural space in western societies, constructed by a combination of Holocaust remembrance institutions, media, policymakers, and the public, serving as both living witnesses to history and ethical figures. As their numbers decline, the reverence and authority associated with their testimony become increasingly transferred to digital forms. This paper seeks to explore the conceptualisation of Holocaust survivors as sacred or holy figures, and the challenges of preserving their moral authority in an era where direct testimony is no longer possible. By conceptualising Holocaust survivors in this way, it could be argued that eternalising their memory in digital formats reinforces their status as sacred, characterising survivors as moral exemplars in western society rather than mere historical witnesses. However, this paper critically examines the potential dangers to this sacralisation of survivors.