What does the Holocaust represent to the characters in the short story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank?

As befitting a complicated event, the Holocaust symbolizes different things to each character. For Deb and, to a degree, the narrator, the Holocaust is both a foundational part of Jewish culture and identity in the twenty-first century, as it reflects a shared experience and defining moment in where and how Jews live, and a lens through which they can understand the world at large. For Mark, the Holocaust was a historical event like any other, without the moralizing lessons and revealed truths that Deb sees.