How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The what […] is not so important, but that we should remember. It is the act of remembering, the process of remembrance, the recognition of our past… Memories are small prayers to God, if we believed in that sort of thing. (6.3)
The people of the shtetl have an almost religious view of memory and remembering, almost as though they wouldn't exist if they didn't remember that they existed. We have a fancy term for this: bearing witness. It's not always necessary to do something; sometimes, you just have to listen.
Quote #2
It was the first occasion that I had ever heard Grandfather speak of his parents, and I wanted to know very much more of them. What did they do during the war? Who did they save? (15.13)
Er, try asking "who did they kill?" and you'd probably get a more accurate answer. Alex's Grandfather keeps his memories close to the chest because sharing the past makes it real again, and his past is not something he wants to relive.
Quote #3
"Have you ever witnessed anyone in this photograph?" I inquired, and I felt cruel, I felt like an awful person, but I was certain that I was performing the right thing. (15.46)
Not-Augustine's memories are so awful that she doesn't want to relive them. Alex has to ask Not-Augustine ten times whether or not she recognizes the people in the photograph. You'd think he'd take a hint, but it turns out to be a good thing that he keeps asking—for us, at least. We're not so sure about her.