This week’s Cathedral Services focussed on Holocaust Memorial Day, which this year commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In the Senior service Mr Medhurst spoke on our widening perspective of the Holocaust in popular consciousness and asked the question “Where was God in Auschwitz?”, while the Preparatory School Service detailed the moving story of Hana Brady, an eleven year Czech Jew, one of a quarter of a million children murdered at the hands of the Nazis. The focus was retained in the Lower Sixth “Banned Book” elective, which this week explored Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel “Maus” detailing the lives of his parents, both of whom were Holocaust survivors.
To conclude matters, the first of the term’s Zetountes lectures examined “Art and the Holocaust”. The talk explored the motives of contemporary artists whose work variously offered an escape from reality and spiritual resistance, at the same time recognising that “when people are dead and their testimony is mute, art remains”. Consideration was given to Jewish victims such as Felix Nussbaum, gassed in Auschwitz, war-artists who depicted the liberation of camps like Bergen-Belsen and Majdanek, survivors like Samuel Bak and contemporary painters, including Anselm Kiefer, whose monumental works address German collective guilt.
Related Posts
Upper Sixth student Reuben D has played a vital role in bringing a major new artwork to life at Rochester Cathedral, earning high praise from local artist Matthew Darbyshire for his extraordinary commitment and hard work throughout the project. Reuben assisted Darbyshire in constructing White on White, an ambitious sculpture commissioned by Rochester Cathedral [...]
The Paddock was transformed into a spectacular venue for this year’s Summer Ball, with the Cathedral and castle providing the perfect backdrop. Guests gathered in a beautifully decorated marquee to celebrate the end of the academic year, bringing together parents, staff and Upper Sixth leavers for an unforgettable night. The atmosphere was fantastic, with [...]
The historic nave of Rochester Cathedral provided a magnificent backdrop for this year’s Speech Day and Prize Giving on Saturday, 4 July. The ceremony opened with the National Anthem, followed by an address from Mr John Maas, Chair of Governors, who reflected on the School’s continued growth and future strategic direction. Head of School [...]
