Now what?

The Holocaust was more than a Jewish tragedy.  It was a human tragedy. Auschwitz did more than claim the lives of its victims. Something of the image of God that is mankind died there too. 

We cannot change the past, but the survivors have shown us that out of the wreckage of destruction something can be redeemed from the past if we fight hate with love, brutality with compassion, and death with an unconquerable dedication to life.

-Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Today marked Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, a day set aside to remember and remind others of the horrors that the Nazi regime committed against the Jewish people between the years 1933-1945, and how incredibly easy it was to do so. The date – the 27th day of the Month of Nissan – was chosen because that was the day the Warsaw Ghetto uprising began, perhaps the largest revolt against the Nazis throughout the war. 

The Israeli press is full of stories: 

There are about 161,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel, with an average age of 85.5, meaning that in a few more years, there won't be any left at all. This creates the problem of how to pass on the memory of what happened to our people to the next generations. 

Nearly half of all Israelis are afraid of a second holocaust. Living with one of the world's strongest armies has not offset the generational muscle memory with which we also live. 

And with good reason; Putting aside Iran and its grisly and very real threats, antisemitic attacks have risen exponentially across the globe, including, very notably,  in America. 

Our problem here is twofold; 

a) how do we perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust – and perhaps more importantly, the individual histories and stories of those who were murdered and how they were murdered – to coming generations once the War generation – the survivors, the perpetrators, the witnesses, the bystanders, the liberators – are gone? We will never forget! we declare. Yet, even with taped testimonials, survivors' stories, and movies, well over half of all Western adults between the ages of 20 and 34 don't know what Auschwitz is. Even Israeli kids are not being fully taught. Will buildings full of documents, testimony, and pictures of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime be enough to pass on our muscle memory?

b) how do we combat the growing global anti-semitism? How do we combat the propaganda, the lies,  the hate emanating from mosques, churches, campuses, government officials? Never again! we shout. But how does a young Israeli combat the 'soft' anti-semitism she confronted for the first time when an online friend posted an anti-Israel meme during last spring's skirmish in Gaza? When this young Israeli (who happens to be closely related to me) called her friend on the anti-semitism, she was told that anti- semitism isn't a 'thing', except for maybe online, and that she (the online friend) herself (who is of non-Jewish lineage and did not even realize her Israeli friend was Jewish) had never encountered any, so it couldn't be real.  Where does one begin with that?

 

We have built museums and memorials, filmed and filed away thousands of testimonials of survivors, produced hundreds of movies and documentaries touching on every aspect of the War. 

Nonetheless, Holocaust denial is growing, and antisemitism has become normalized. 

So what now?

I am not a wise person, nor a philosopher, nor an educator, so, spoiler!! I don't have any answers. 

But it seems to me that if all the museums and testimonials have not stemmed the tide, lighting real or virtual candles won't help either. 

But we have to begin somewhere, even in ways that may seem ineffectual—baby steps, as it were. 

Here are a few ideas to begin with:

To counter the first part of the problem:

•  Ask questions. Ask a lot of questions, from survivors, from liberators, from witnesses, from volunteers, from their children, and from their grandchildren, and from the old guy down the street who sells nails and plungers. Be nosy. Most people like to talk about their history. And everyone has a story. Keep those stories alive, even if the characters in them no longer are. 
• Tell stories. To your children, to your grandchildren, to their friends and neighbors, and to the guy who sells falafel down the street. Most people love stories, even those who roll their eyes when you start. Your story is important too. 
• Read books on the subject; novels, biographies, textbooks, it doesn't matter. Arm yourself with knowledge. Give your kids of all ages books on the subject. There are all sorts of age-appropriate books.  
• For those with Jewish lineage (warning—this is NOT going to be politically correct), in whatever way you act Jewish, do a bit more, and do it publicly. This is especially important in Not-Israel Land. Some off-hand suggestions: make a point of not eating that cheeseburger with the gang; casually insert a Shabbat Shalom (or Gut Shabbes) into your Friday night parties, or Saturday hikes. I read this morning of two Israeli footballers (soccer players) who play for a team in Germany. In last night's game, they wore black armbands, and one had the name of his Grandmother's family on the back of his shirt, instead of his own.  Like that.  (This approach counters both parts of our problem. First, it shows that it's OK to be Jewish, that Jews are actual real humans much like others, and second, it will deepen your own Jewish identity, making you more aware of being Jewish and of being part of a minority group that has faced and that still faces an enormous amount of discrimination....)

To counter the second part:

• Call out anti-semitism where and when you see it—even the soft kind. Call out – loudly, consistently, and openly – every 'you people', every 'you must be good with money', every 'follow the Benjamins', every 'Israelis (aka Jews) are doing what the Nazis did'. Do so whether it's some stranger online, your boss, your father-in-law, your neighbor, or the guy down the street who sells newspapers. 
• Understand, with every fiber of your being, that anti-Israelism (aka anti-Zionism) unequivocably equals anti-semitism. While criticism of the Israeli government is valid, double standards, lies, and terrorism are not. Call it out. 
• Replace the evil that engulfed us, which is still engulfing us, with Godliness, by bringing God into our lives and into the world; by doing good, by helping others, by being kind. It's harder than it looks at times, I know, but do it anyway.  

That should keep us all busy for a while. 

One more thing: Living in a state that has one of the strongest armies in the world, and this time it's on OUR side, is not only comforting, but our victory.  

If you haven't already, join us.