Long-Term Effects
After fifty plus years after the end of World War II, the trauma experienced during the Holocaust is clearly long-lasting. Those who physically experienced the Holocaust live with psychological effects, such as post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD) , anxiety, and depression decades after the liberation of concentration camps in 1944-1945. Furthermore, the lasting effects of the Holocaust manifest through the "second generation" survivors. Children of those who experienced the Holocaust live with feelings of guilt and absorbed trauma from the effects that their parents (and family) live with. This phenomenon of "second generation" pain is demonstrated through Art Spiegelman's graphic novel series "Maus" (visit the "Maus Book Reviews" page).
Following the Holocaust, on November 29, 1947, the United Nations suggested the adoption of a Jewish Democratic state of Mandatory Palestine. On May 14, 1948, the Executive head of the World Zionist Organization (David Ben-Gurion) declared the establishment of the State of Israel. Israel is known as a Jewish Democratic state located in the Middle East, on the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The adoption and implementation of the State of Israel has led to strife and wars between bordering countries who supported Palestinian Arabs located in Israel. While Israel has signed peace contracts with Egypt and Jordan, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has yet to be resolved.
In reaction to the devastation of the Holocaust, several memorials have been established around the world to commemorate those who died during the Holocaust, as well as for individuals to discern more information about the event and peoples involved. Some memorials include: Yad Vashem memorial in Israel; this memorial is noted for it's slightly tilted architecture that is meant to represent the horrific events of the Holocaust. Another includes the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is located in Berlin. This memorial is meant to address the nature and magnitude of the tragedy directly, without the euphemisms or obfuscations that occur in another memorial, the Deportation Memorial, in France. The French memorial is considered problematic because it's title does not adequately portray the nature (and France's involvement) of the Holocaust. Furthermore, some have argued that by naming the memorial "The Deportation Memorial," France has attempted to diminish it's controversial involvement in the deportation and imprisonment of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. While the ways in which the same event is portrayed differs from memorial to memorial, the fact that there are several memorials (and museums--the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C.) to the Holocaust demonstrate the lasting impact that this event has had not only on survivors and descendants of surivivors and those who lost their lives during the Holocaust, but society around the world.