The Holocaust Museum

In Jerusalem, one of the major attractions is the Holocaust Museum. As you can imagine, it is a dark place to visit. But rather than pretend it did not happen, Israel has chosen to name up and own their history, and the impact it has on its national identity. Jews see themselves as the often persecuted but resilient survivors.

In our culture, identity is increasingly something private. Your identity is a product of your passions, gifts, choices, and your sense of self. We acknowledge that our first nations people may have a shared identity that flows from their connection to land, or experience of discrimination. Likewise, we get that migrant groups may have a shared identity because they have experienced all the trauma, dislocation, and adventure of leaving and starting again.

But for the average white Australian, identity is personal, not communal. We do not retell our history, we are not proud of our heritage, and we do not appreciate that we are deeply influenced by our past.

As we once again approach the thorny issue of what do with Australia Day, I despair. For some, invasion day is not a day to celebrate. There was real injustice, and we must be sensitive to that reality.

Australia is a combination of (at least) three powerful historical realities. Namely our first nation's people, migrant pioneers, and British Christendom culture. I am not an Anglo-Saxon, or indigenous. But I am a citizen of a culture that has been significantly influenced by both.

A lack of clarity and ownership of our heritage and past can leave us without a clear sense of identity in the present, and uncertain about where we go next.