Unseen Scars: Vicarious Trauma at Holocaust Museums, Exhibitions, and Memorial Sites

by Julie J. Golding, Michael Berenbaum (Foreword by)

Overview

Holocaust educators and museums face an urgent challenge: preserving the memory of genocide while protecting the psychological well—being of those who learn about it. How can they teach about historical atrocities without traumatizing the very students they aim to educate?
This groundbreaking book examines the complex intersection of trauma, memory, and education in Holocaust learning environments. Drawing on research in trauma studies, educational psychology, and museum visitor experiences, it reveals how encounters with difficult histories can either create meaningful understanding or cause psychological harm.
Julie Golding introduces practical frameworks for educators regarding trauma—informed teaching and explores concepts like vicarious resilience as alternatives to vicarious trauma. Through analysis of survivor testimony, museum exhibitions, and empirical research on student responses, the book provides concrete tools for navigating the delicate balance between historical truth and emotional safety.
Essential for educators, museum professionals, and anyone involved in teaching difficult histories, Unseen Scars: Vicarious Trauma at Holocaust Museums, Exhibitions and Memorial Sites offers both theoretical insights and practical strategies for honoring the past while protecting those who encounter it. It demonstrates how we can learn from humanity's darkest chapters without being overwhelmed by them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798216381204
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/05/2026
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Julie Golding is presently the curator at the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education (HMCTE) in Suffern, NY. Her most recent exhibit, Sacred Scrolls of the Holocaust, teaches about Jewish life and Holocaust history through material culture. In 2020 she founded Yesodeinu, an experiential Holocaust education program that teaches resilience at local cemeteries and historical sites. Julie previously served as Director of Education at the Amud Aish Memorial Museum in Brooklyn, NY, and as an educational consultant at the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem.

Julie earned her PhD at Yeshiva University as a Wexner Graduate Fellow & Davidson Scholar. Her dissertation, “Vicarious Trauma Experienced by Visitors to a Central Holocaust Museum,” investigated secondary traumatic stress, student coping styles, and teaching about difficult histories in museum spaces. She also received a Master of Arts in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University and a Master of Arts in Judaic Studies from Touro University.

Julie's work in film, exhibitions, and site—based learning has reached thousands of learners across the globe. She presently teaches Holocaust Studies for Fairleigh Dickinson University. Julie was awarded the Board of Regents Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award for her outstanding contribution to New York State education about the Holocaust and other violations of human rights.

MICHAEL BERENBAUM was the Director of the United States Holocaust Research Institute of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Goldman Adjunct Professor of Theology at GeorgetownUniversity. From 1988—1993, he served as Project Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he was responsible for the conceptualization and development of the Museum's permanent exhibition. Berenbaum is the President and CEO of The Survivors of the Shoah, A Visual History Foundation, located in Los Angeles, CA.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Difficult Exhibitions: Exploring the complexities of challenging histories
Chapter 2: Through Their Eyes: Understanding vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress
Chapter 3: Teaching in Tension: Holocaust pedagogy and memory education
Chapter 4: Bearing Witness: Survivor voices and testimony
Chapter 5: Unlocking the Past: The promise and perils of museum engagement
Chapter 6: Teaching with Compassion: Trauma—informed approaches in Holocaust education
Chapter 7: Vicarious Resilience
Appendix: The Auschwitz Exhibit: A Case Study
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Golding offers a fresh, eye—opening study of Holocaust trauma, focusing on a dimension of it hardly researched before. Rather than set the focus on the small circle of Holocaust survivors and their children, Unseen Scars tells the story of how the Holocaust has impacted us – that is, the much wider circles of scholars, teachers, docents, students, visitors to Holocaust museums, and those traveling to sites of former ghettos and concentration camps. This book is a must read for all engaged in the field of Holocaust education, both as professionals or laypeople.” —Shay Pilnik, PhD, Director, Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Yeshiva University

“Unseen Scars is a riveting and beautifully written exploration of the human capacity to face trauma. It is essential reading for every educator, therapist, and anyone who seeks to understand the emotional cost of bearing witness.” —Jeff Lichtman, PhD, Psychologist & Director of Graduate Jewish Education, Touro University

“By centering the role of affect in learning, Golding's book offers a new and much—needed account of the role that emotions play in Holocaust education. With exquisite attention to the power of museums and memorials to evoke unpleasant feelings, Golding asks Holocaust educators to consider how their students might experience these sites, and, in the process, develops an innovative student—centered approach to Holocaust education.” —Ari Y. Kelman, PhD, Jim Joseph Professor of Education and Jewish Studies, Stanford University

“Unseen Scars is a transformative work on how we can teach about trauma without causing it. Drawing on psychological insight and empirical research, Golding crystallizes the challenges educators face in Holocaust education and redefines the field through a trauma—informed lens, offering a vital guide for all who engage with the emotional weight of this history.” —David Pelcovitz, PhD, Straus Chair in Jewish Education, Yeshiva University

“A major contribution to Holocaust education — Golding's emphasis on the psychological impact on learners is an important reminder of our responsibility not only to the history we tell but for the emotional wellbeing of those who encounter this difficult, traumatic past. Essential reading for all who work in this field.” —Paul Salmons, Curator and Pedagogue

From the Publisher