ANEWWAYTO REMEMBER
Twe mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War while in the midst of another global battle – the COVID-19 pandemic. The viral outbreak is altering plans for public Remembrance Day ceremonies in November, including those of the Royal Canadian Legion, which announced that their ceremony at Ottawa’s National War Memorial (shown above) will be pared down, with only 100 people present.
But in a year where technology, more than ever, reinvented how we communicate, it’s also allowing us to honour war veterans and survivors in digital form. In January, the Duchess of Cambridge photographed two Holocaust survivors with their grandchildren – images that were widely disseminated across social media — to mark the U.K.’s Holocaust Memorial Day. And in May, Queen Elizabeth II – an avid pandemic Zoom user – marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day via a video address.
Meanwhile, Dimensions in Testimony, an initiative conceived by exhibit designer Heather Maio and produced by Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation, films Holocaust survivors discussing their experiences and uses AI technology to turn them into interactive holograms, which the public can engage with in a real-time conversation. The first interviewee was Toronto resident Pinchas Gutter, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Canada, and so far the exhibit is featured in three U.S. Holocaust museums.
And don’t forget Capt. Tom Moore, the 100-year-old British Second World War vet who became a sensation during the pandemic for walking around his garden for charity and raising more than £30 million. Social media spread his story around the world, inspiring similar acts of charity and providing hope in a time of distress. So, while Remembrance Day looks different this year, we’d do well to remain hopeful and recall the mantra Capt. Tom tweeted: “Tomorrow will be a good day.” —Mike Crisolago