ollects and organises such facts that are available and relevant, provides some sort of framework for them, and lays down the guidelines for their presentation. It supplies order, harmony, and direction, for what might otherwise be a chaotic assemblage of miscellaneous facts. The history presented through The Sydney Jewish Museum reflects some of these objective characteristics. The exterior of the building was a big white sandstone building with a number of steps leading up to two large glass doors. Above these doors in large black writing was the name of the museum “THE SYDNEY JEWISH MUSEUM”. Such a simple but striking exterior immediately gives the impression that the museum and the history presented through the museum, is very serious, solemn and important. The museum itself was designed in a rising spiral shape, where each layer rolled onto the next, systematically going through the Holocaust from the beginning of the Jewish existence to their liberation. Such structural orderliness gives the impression that history is a lot more objective than memory. Archive documents have a reality and objectivity of their own. The names, numbers and expressions on the pages do not change, no matter who is looking at them. For instance, there is no disagreement among historians that the Hossbach Memorandum is a record, reasonably accurate, of a speech made by Adolf Hitler on the 5th November 1937. The language used throughout the museum in regards to the archives, diagrams, photographs and pictures on display was rather conservative, factual and informative. Such objective language used beside these artefacts emphasised the truth and objectivity of the history being expressed through them. Similarly, throughout the Fiftieth Gate, Baker places great amounts of “truth” on the archives. Numerous times throughout the book when his parents’ memories are not sufficient Baker uses archives to fill in the spaces. Mark...
