This lecture explores how memorial practices surrounding the October 7 attacks mobilize forms of Holocaust memory to produce affective experiences of trauma and existential threat. Focusing on the traveling Nova Exhibition as a case study and situating it within broader debates on collective memory, museum studies, and political affect, Ratskoff analyzes how immersive simulations encourage visitors to acquire prosthetic memories of victimization, shaping narratives of present insecurity and legitimizing ongoing violence and repression.

Benjamin Ratskoff was the recipient of the first annual Penn State Jewish Studies Junior Scholar Article Prize. This lecture is based on his winning article of the same name.