The Origami Forum

We got a school project to make a WWII or Holocaust momorial thing. Does anyone have diagrams for something like that (preferably free online)? Thanks

the only thing i can think of is there is a japanese tradition of folding cranes for peace. there's a big thing about people leaving cranes around where the bomb dropped in hiroshima. somehting about a thousand cranes too. dont know the details.

i've seen a model for a biplane but a) it's difficult and b) that's more WW1 anyway.

Sounds like you need to think of what you want to create for your memorial before you choose the models. What do you want your memorial to say?

I was thinking maybe a Jewish star with maybe Hitler or something along those lines

From dictionary.com:

memorial: Something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event.

So how does a "Jewish star" (not the correct name for it, BTW) and Hitler serve to memorialize the Holocaust or WWII? That's what I meant when I asked you what you want this memorial to say. A memorial has a message. Just putting a couple of things together doesn't say very much. You need to think about your assignment before you make it. It's your assignment, not ours. Once you decide on what you want to say, then we can help you with finding models that fit it.

There is diagrams for the "jewish star"(star of david) in origami to astonish and amuse by jeremy shafer and its one-piece of paper too.

You can also find the diagrams for this Star of David on Jeremy's Page.

I find now that I must make a holocaust project for school, too. My idea would be to fold several insects and put tiny Jewish stars on them. Above that, I will try to design a german boot that is trying to crush the insects. To the side, I will make a trash can surrounded by barbed wire. This would be possible to make, but what are your opinions of my idea? Does it look like I am trying to depict the Jews as dirty creatures (if so, I am sorry that my idea might make that thought)? What I am trying to do is to show how the Nazi's attempted to degrade the Jews and to liken the diaspora to the extermination of helpless insects. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

mastermattdude, I suggest that you make the insects butterflies. Because I seem to remember a book or something about the Holocaust called "I Never Saw Another Butterfly". Plus it might seem rude if you use any other insect (though I am quite found of other insects, not many people are and might take it the wrong way).

O yes, excellent idea! I also remember going to a field trip to a Holocaust memorial where the innocents killed in the Holocaust were portrayed by butterflies. Using butterflies would definately symbolize my point clearer. Thank you Android raptor!

You're very welcome! Please post pics when it's finished!

Update on my progress: So far I have made a swastika, a star of David, 4 different butterflies, and I am going to make the trash can soon (I already designed it ). I think that I will use real boots because 1. they are proving difficult to fold and 2. the substance of real boots would have a stronger juxtaposition against the frailty of paper butterflies. Sorry, but I can only manage to post pictures after it is due (March 22nd) because I am short on time and also because there really isn't anything to take a picture of yet.
Overwhelmed!

Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to make a fasces (axe with sticks wrapped around it, the symbol of fascists) that would be nice!

...oh boy this is going to be an interesting project to say the least.

Fasces are not an exclusive symbol of fascism, they are simply a Romanic symbol of power which is still used to represent justice and authority in many countries (There is one on the Lincoln memorial and American dollar as I recall). Its history is an interesting one and worth reading about but I would stick with the swastika for your project.

Remember that the Jews were not the only people to suffer under the holocaust... however if you are deciding to focus on this group then perhaps your project could focus on the simple fact that there are very few countries in Europe that have not abused the Jews at some point, for example my people once left them out on the Sandbanks to die.

The Nazis applied German efficiency with new technologies in an attempt to exterminate an entire race, but there is no country in Europe that given the chance would not have done exactly the same in its recent history. I think a more fitting memorial should remind people that they should look more deeply into why this atrocity occurred.

So here's my idea for a memorial, you take a map of the world and for each of the Axis and Allies list their major crimes against the Jews for the past 300 years. In doing so you will show one of the reasons as to why the holocaust happened and the foolishness inherent in pretending that it could only have came about as a result of the 'evil' of one nation.

I speak as someone who's family did lose people to the camps but still believe it is more important to focus on the real reasons as to why this occurred than to fall into traps which leave us using a logic no better than the perpetrators of the holocaust.