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193–209, 2011
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doi:10.1016/j.annals.2010.08.003
Abstract: Based on a study at Yad Vashem, the Shoah (Holocaust) memorial museum in
Jerusalem, a new term—in populo—is proposed to describe dark tourism sites at a population
and spiritual center of the people to whom a tragedy befell. Learning about the Shoah in
Jerusalem offers a different but equally authentic encounter with the subject as visits to sites
in Europe. It is argued that a dichotomy between ‘authentic’ sites at the location of a tragedy
and ‘created’ sites elsewhere is insufficient. Participants’ evaluations of seminars for
European teachers at Yad Vashem indicate that the location is an important aspect of a
meaningful encounter with the subject. Implications for other cases of dark tourism at in
populo locations are discussed. Keywords: dark tourism, Holocaust, education, location,
authenticity. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION
Educational Dark Tourism
‘‘Dark tourism’’—tourism to sites related to death and disaster
(Lennon & Foley, 2000; Seaton, 1996) is not a new phenomenon; bat-
tlefields, cemeteries and sites of natural disasters have long drawn tour-
ists (Ashworth & Hartman, 2005; Timothy & Boyd, 2002) and it has
received increasing attention by researchers in recent years. Within this
growing body of literature, authenticity of location has been addressed
as one of the key elements (Belhassen, Caton, & Stewart, 2008; Miles,
2002; Tumarkin, 2005). The actual sites of disasters have been referred
to as in situ or primary sites, while memorials and museums set up in
other locations have been referred to as secondary or created sites (Len-
non & Foley, 2000; Wight, 2006; Wight & Lennon, 2007).
In this article I argue that such a dichotomy is too simplistic to accu-
rately describe the authenticity of dark tourism experiences. I propose
Erik Cohen is a senior lecturer at the School of Education at Bar-Ilan University [38
Bethlehem Road, Jerusalem, Israel 93504. Email: <ehcohen@mail.biu.ac.il>]. His research
interests include tourism (with a focus on Jewish travel to Israel and Shoah-related travel),
education (especially informal) and ethnic-religious identity. He has directed numerous
national and international empirical studies and has been widely published in these fields. He
lives in Jerusalem with his wife and three sons.
193
194 E.H. Cohen / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 193–209
RESULTS
Dark Pilgrimages and the Search for Authentic Meaning
The survey results indicate that participants were searching for a
meaningful dark tourism experience, which, to a large degree, they
found in their seminar at Yad Vashem. Over 90% of the seminar par-
ticipants declared that study of the Shoah influences their outlook
on the world, and well over half said that it ‘definitely’ does. Further-
more, virtually all participants agreed that the Shoah has universal
meaning. This indicates that the visit to Yad Vashem is not only related
to the particular historical event, in which participants’ families may or
may not have been directly involved, but is part of an exploration of
broader, more fundamental issues.
The majority of participants were satisfied with the quality of the pro-
gram. The overwhelming majority of participants said their under-
standing of issues such as the history of the Shoah, pedagogy of
teaching the Shoah, Israel, Judaism and attitudes about the Shoah in
their home culture expanded as a result of the seminar. At the same
time, they found it emotionally difficult. Participants who said they
were ‘very satisfied’ with the program, found it ‘definitely’ met their
expectations and said they would ‘definitely’ recommend it to others,
were also the most likely to say they found the program emotionally dif-
ficult. In other words, tourists who were emotionally moved by the pre-
sentation at Yad Vashem got more out of the program.
Interviews with the seminar participants indicated that many of them
were struggling with personal issues related to the Shoah and with is-
sues in their classrooms such as denial of the Shoah and re-emergent
anti-Semitism, controversy surrounding the State of Israel, the rights
of minority groups, and discussions of subsequent instances of geno-
cide. Virtually all participants (over 95% in each case) indicated an
interest in learning about and discussing their country’s role in the
Shoah and the older generation’s role in WWII, Jewish populations
of their country, history of anti-Semitism, and the ongoing Israeli-
E.H. Cohen / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 193–209 201
Authenticity of Location
The fact that international tourists who are highly knowledgeable
about the Shoah chose to come to Yad Vashem and specified high
satisfaction with the experience indicates that they perceived it as a
legitimate and authentic site for learning about the Shoah. Their eval-
uations in the questionnaires and their statements in the interviews
and focus groups showed that the seminars at Yad Vashem offered a
unique opportunity for learning about the Shoah in a way that is linked
to victims and their descendents. Some participants had previously
visited concentration camps (one even worked for an organization that
arranges tours to such sites). Nevertheless, many said that the visit to
Yad Vashem broadened and expanded their understanding of the
Shoah, particularly by allowing them to learn about Jewish life prior
to and after the Shoah.
The itinerary and curriculum of the seminars at Yad Vashem in-
cluded many activities that illustrate the concept of an in populo site.
Participants met with Shoah survivors and heard their testimonies; they
toured Israel and Jerusalem, and attended workshops on the role of
the Shoah in contemporary Israeli society.
The participants were asked to suggest ways of improving the semi-
nar program. The most frequent suggestion by far was for more
encounters with Israelis in general, not only survivors or their direct
202 E.H. Cohen / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 193–209
DISCUSSION
Authenticity of Place: In Situ and In Populo Memorial Sites
The linked identity of the host community, subject community and
owners is a key component of Yad Vashem, differentiating it from
E.H. Cohen / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 193–209 203
CONCLUSION
This case is an example of how meaning is transmitted at an in populo
site through interaction between people-based and environmental
experiences. The results of this study indicate that Yad Vashem was per-
ceived by the European tourists as an authentic site for study of the
Shoah. To define Yad Vashem as a ‘secondary’ site fails to accurately
describe its nature in terms of consciousness or identity. Geographic
distance from site of the tragedy did not diminish the educational dark
tourism experience. Tourists found the Yad Vashem seminar to be
meaningful, if emotionally difficult, and the location in Israel was an
important contributing factor, according to their statements in the
questionnaires and focus groups. The staff and resources available at
Yad Vashem made the dark tourism experience highly educational;
alongside the emotional experience, participants’ cognitive under-
standing of various aspects of the subject improved significantly.
Because of its pedagogical approach and its location, Yad Vashem of-
fers a dynamic view of the ongoing implications of the Shoah, for
example through testimonies of survivors and exhibits on survivors
in Israel today. Tourists’ interest in meeting Israelis and seeing Israeli
society and their perception of the connection between these encoun-
ters and the learning experience were reinforced by Yad Vashem staff
and the seminar program. By allowing tourists to interact with survi-
vors, their descendants and others in the victimized population, this
in populo site provides an alternative to the encounter with the issue
of the Shoah presented at sites of former death camps. Encounters
with the population of victims add an ethical element to the tour. Par-
ticipants in the Yad Vashem seminars expressed a desire for encounter
with Jewish Israelis as part of their quest to understand and even atone
for the events of the Shoah.
There may be a trend in dark tourism towards including more edu-
cational and ethical considerations. In a study of tourism to WWI bat-
tlefields, Winter (2009) finds interpretation and motivations for
visiting evolved and broadened over time, from primarily memorializ-
E.H. Cohen / Annals of Tourism Research 38 (2011) 193–209 205
ing the dead to including education about the historic events and even-
tually touching on larger ethical questions. Wight and Lennon (2007)
point out that ‘‘addressing the ethical and spiritual dichotomies’’ is
critical in creating meaningful interpretation at dark tourism sites,
especially those with controversial political implications. Shoah-related
tourism in specific raises numerous ethical questions regarding inter-
pretation and presentation. This cannot be addressed fully in the scope
of the current article, but the comments of the participants in the sem-
inars indicate that they are interested in exploring the ethical and mor-
al aspects of the subject.
the actual site of the events. This study indicates that there is an inher-
ent and unique importance to learning about the Shoah in Israel, even
for those who are not part of the ‘subject group’ (that is, non-Jewish
tourists). Future studies may look at the ways in which Diaspora Jews
and Jewish Israelis perceive a visit to Yad Vashem or similar sites in Is-
rael as compared to their experiences at sites in Europe. Additionally,
this provides a theoretical basis for the concept of in populo memorials
in other cases of dark tourism.
Acknowledgements—I would like to thank Einat Bar-On Cohen for her remarks and suggestions
on a previous version of this paper and Allison Ofanansky for her editorial support. I would
also like to express my sincere appreciation for the helpful and constructive criticism offered
by the reviewers. Thanks to the staff of the ‘Yad Vashem International School for Holocaust
Studies Seminars for European Teachers’ for their continuous support in the research; The
anonymous reviewers of this journal whose remarks and suggestions helped improving the
manuscript; Allison Ofanansky and Ruth Rossing for their help in editing the text.
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Submitted 10 August 2009. Resubmitted 10 January 2010. Resubmitted 7 April 2010. Final
version 16 June 2010. Accepted 4 August 2010. Refereed anonymously. Coordinating
Editor: Jens Kr. Steen Jacobsen.