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.  

The Holocaust itself has often been described as a sacred event, a notion that has shaped the collective memory surrounding it. In particular, there has been a noticeable use of language of sacredness employed by public figures. For example, on 27 January 2014, British Prime Minister David Cameron outlined the vision for the newly established Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission, emphasising Holocaust memory and the missions task as ‘sacred’ (1). In 2019, British Prime Minister Theresa May, when speaking about the new United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, stated that ‘seeing this through is a sacred national mission’ (2). In Britain, such language is also reflected through the royal family. Earlier this year, King Charles stated that his visit to Auschwitz, and commemorating 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, was a ‘sacred moment’ (3). As David Tollerton observes, Holocaust remembrance has become increasingly intertwined with notions of sacrality, leading to the creation of new rituals, commemorative spaces, and symbolic pilgrimages (4). Similarly, Avril Alba argues that secular institutions, by using redemptive frameworks, elevate the Holocaust into a sacred and profoundly meaningful event. This quasi-sacralizing process, which Alba describes as the creation of a ‘built theodicy’, emphasises that the sacralisation of memory blurs the boundaries between historical documentation and moral imperative, and affords a sacred and redemptive meaning to Holocaust memory, transforming remembrance of this event into a duty that is more than mere historical preservation (5).  

In drawing together analyses of Alba’s work on the sacralisation of memory and the anxiety around the declining number of firsthand survivor testimony, it can be seen that a similar process of sacralisation has occurred with Holocaust survivors. If Holocaust memory itself is sacred, then those who embody that memory take on a sacred role. In this sense, they are holy figures – moral figures whose suffering, resilience, and endurance are revered. If Holocaust memory and survivors are sacred, then the move towards digital eternalisation can be seen as fulfilling a religious-like duty – ensuring that testimony never disappears. 

This push towards digital eternalisation has been coupled with an anxiety of historical transmission – the fear that as survivors pass away, their memories and testimonies will be forgotten (6). In response, Holocaust museums, institutions, and organisations have turned to digital approaches to preserve the testimonies of survivors. It is of course likely that the increasing use of technology in society plays a part in this shift, driven by the need to modernise educational tools and ensure accessibility for future generations, but there is also a sacralizing dimension to this effort. The notion that Holocaust survivors are ‘sacred’ can be deeply tied to the reverence for their resilience, their vital role as witnesses to history, and the moral weight of their experiences.  

This digital eternalisation of survivors could be said to reinforce the sacred framing of survivors – they are individuals who cannot be forgotten or become distinct. The implications of these technologies on sacralisation suggest that digital preservation itself plays a crucial role in constructing the sacred perception of survivors. By ensuring that their voices and memories remain untainted and eternal, this process mirrors the preservation of sacred relics. 

Simultaneously, however, the act of digitally recording interviews changes their memory from something organic and complex into a form that is more static and curated. As a result, Holocaust memory is increasingly shaped not just by survivors themselves, but by institutions and digital technologies that mediate their testimony. This raises a critical tension: if survivors are seen as sacred figures, does the act of reconstructing their memory in carefully controlled ways run against the authority of witness? While digital testimony offers permanence, the narrative in which it is constructed introduces an element of artificiality. Framing survivors as sacred holy figures in a digital format could distort the complexity of their experiences and the evolving nature of historical memory. Sacralisation, while ensuring reverence, risks placing survivors and their testimonies in a fixed, almost untouchable realm that may hinder crucial and critical engagement in future contexts. That is not to say that survivors are not morally educative figures, but that framing them as ‘sacred’ could obscure their individuality, reducing them to symbolic icons rather than acknowledging their historical perspectives and personal agency. 

1. David Cameron, ‘David Cameron’s Holocaust Commission Speech’, 27 January 2014, www.gov.uk/governnment/speeches/david-camerons-holocaust-commission-speech. 
2. United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation, ‘Prime Minister Leads Unprecedented Support for Holocaust Memorial as Further £25m Committed’, 7 May 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-leads-unprecedented-support-for-holocaust-memorial-as-further-25m-committed. (accessed 7 March 2025). 
3. The Royal Family, ‘A speech by His Majesty the King to Mark Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz’, January 27 2025, https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2025-01-27/a-speech-by-his-majesty-the-king-to-mark-holocaust-memorial-day-and 
4. David Tollerton, Holocaust Memory and Britain’s Religious-Secular Landscape (New York: Routledge, 2020). 
5. Avril Alba, The Holocaust Memorial Museum: Sacred Secular Space (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). 
6. Thomas Trevise, Witnessing Witnessing: On the Reception of Holocaust Survivor Testimony (Fordham University Press: 2013).