Never Forget, Never Again

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Jewish author and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech From the Rabbi Each year Jews around the world observe Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — commemorating a horrific chapter not only in the history of the Jewish people, but also in the history of the world. Motivated by a fanatical hatred of Jews and a desire to rid society of “undesirable” elements, the Nazi regime that ruled Germany during the mid-20th century engaged in a systematic and brutal campaign to destroy the Jewish people. Harvesting the fruits of seeds sown through centuries of anti-Semitism, they nearly succeeded, murdering six million Jews, or about one third of the world’s Jewish population at the time. The full name of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Hebrew is actually “Yom HaShoah Ve-Hagevurah,” meaning “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.” This reminds us that even though many ignored evidence of Nazi crimes, there were those who went to great lengths to save Jews. Many of these heroes are remembered today as “righteous gentiles.” In Holland, Corrie ten Boom sheltered those fleeing Nazi oppression. In France, Pastor André Trocmé helped to make an entire town, Le Chambon, a safe haven for persecuted Jews. Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish Chris- tian, rescued thousands of Jews from the Nazi death machine. And there were, of course, many more who are less well-known, but no less deserving of our gratitude. Some say the Holocaust is too terrible to remember. But there is a reason why the Jewish people have vowed to “never forget.” They remember so that they may prevent such horrible events from ever occurring again. Today there seems to be a trend to forget the lessons taught by the Holocaust, or even to rewrite history as if it never occurred. The radical Islamic regime of Iran, which has dedicated itself to Israel’s destruction, held a “Holocaust denial” conference in recent years that attracted not only Islamist fanatics, but Western academics and other public figures as well. Recent events in North America, Europe, and around the world, where Jews of all ages have been targeted for intimidation, vandalism, and even death in radical ter- rorist attacks, are a stark reminder that “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Indeed, my friends, the threat of anti-Semitism remains very real today. It is my hope and prayer that as you read the stories that follow of those who survived the horrors of the Holocaust and learn more about the history of anti-Semitism that allowed the unthinkable to occur, you will join The Fellowship not only in caring for and helping the survivors of this horrific event, but also in continuing to fight anti-Semitism whenever, and wherever, it occurs. With prayers for shalom, peace, President and Founder International Fellowship of Christians and Jews of Canada NEVER FORGET Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of children, whose bodies I saw turned to wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Elie Wiesel, Night, (New York: Hill & Wang, 1960), 43–44 t has been more than 70 years since the Holocaust — the year 2015 marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. For some, the events remain real and ever-present. For others, the Holocaust seems Ilike ancient history. But, since those horrific events, the Jewish people have adopted a motto: Never again. Never again will they allow such a catastrophe to occur. From the ashes of Auschwitz, Treblinka, Dachau, Belzek, and other Nazi death camps, the Jewish people have vowed to live. As Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein wrote in his book, How Firm a Foundation, “Like the psalmist long ago, Jews today collectively declare, 4 NEVER FORGET NEVER AGAIN “I will not die but live, solemn day. Some Jewish people light and will proclaim what the six candles to represent the six mil- LORD has done.” lion Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust. (Psalm 118:17) Holocaust survivors are encouraged to share their stories at public events. In Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Israel all public entertainment venues Yom HaShoah, was inaugurated in 1953 are closed, and at 10:00 a.m., sirens are as a day set aside to memorialize the sounded throughout Israel, and every- six million Jews murdered during the one stops what they are doing for two Nazi reign of terror. As befits the event minutes, even on busy highways, to it commemorates, Yom HaShoah is a stand in silent remembrance. How should we respond to the Holocaust? As Rabbi Eckstein has noted, “All Jews live after having been tormented and alive today regard themselves as Holo- persecuted for centuries. She epito- caust survivors since Hitler’s plan was mizes the Jewish rebirth as a dynamic, genocidal—to eradicate the entire living people … The existence of Israel Jewish nation. All bear the awesome re- goes to the very core of Jewish identity sponsibility of telling the story of those today,” says Rabbi Eckstein. excruciating years.” But how does one He concludes that, “The primary address something so devastating; imperative Jews have elicited from the something that is at once unfathom- Holocaust is to live, and never allow a able, yet real; something unspeakable similar Holocaust to occur again.” And that we nonetheless must discuss in or- for the Christian, the Rabbi adds this der to prevent it from ever happening challenge: “The primary imperative again? Rabbi Eckstein proposes that, to be elicited by Christians from the “The appropriate way to confront the Holocaust is equally as compelling as Holocaust is first through silence and is that of the Jews — to expunge any then through well-considered words. and all traces of anti-Semitism and Only after mourning the terrible loss anti-Judaism from their midst … They, dare we speak of that tragedy; only too, are divinely obligated to ensure after reverential silence may we risk Jewish survival and to prevent a future talking about it.” Holocaust.” Of the many responses to the Will you join with us, Rabbi Eckstein, Holocaust, support for Israel is per- and millions around the world of all haps the most widely accepted and faiths and backgrounds to reflect, to most deeply felt. “Israel is the symbol be on guard, and to declare “Never of the contemporary Jewish resolve to Forget” and “Never Again”? 5 NEVER FORGET NEVER AGAIN TELLING THEIR STORIES One significant way that we “never forget” is to keep the voices of the Holocaust alive and strong through hearing the stories and experiences of those who lived through this horrific chapter in history. Below are accounts from two such individuals who were courageous enough to share their story. JOSEF KATZ osef, a 75-year-old Ukrainian Jew, 58 program, he began telling his story. is a Holocaust survivor. During The centre is a place of hope for Josef, World War II he was imprisoned where this impoverished man receives Jat the notorious Nazi death camp at food and medical assistance on a reg- Auschwitz. For many years, Josef kept ular basis. And now, it has also given his horrific stories of the events during him a means of release, and a sense the war to himself. that his history will not be forgotten. But recently, after encouragement “I was working in a coal mine when from a worker at a local Hesed centre the frontline of the fighting was ap- supported by The Fellowship’s Isaiah proaching,” Josef began. “We were 6 NEVER FORGET NEVER AGAIN marched away in lines wearing pris- on clothes. We had wooden soles on our boots. It was cold and people were weak. Those who couldn’t go further were killed and stayed where they lay. We were driven forward this way for three days, day and night. When the front was coming too near, we were put into carriages where the coal was usually kept. We were piled one on top of another. “As we rode in the carriages, some- how people in one of the villages we were passing through learned that prisoners were in the carriage, so they threw us bread and meat. We were weak and hungry. We tried to catch the pieces of food. People were so hungry that the crowd crushed each guards. It was night, dark. We saw a big other trying to get the food. The Nazi barn. Very carefully, we approached guards shouted, ‘Halt!’ and they shot the barn, crawled in, and slept there the prisoners. A lot of people were all night. We didn’t hear a tank coming “We arrived one night at Auschwitz. The train cars slowed down. We heard a lot of shouting in German and the dogs were barking. They opened the carriages and there was light everywhere. They arranged us into col- umns. I was on one side and my mother and two sisters, who were four and twelve, were on the other.” killed. The guards made us take the near. But then we looked out and saw a bodies and stack them inside the car- five-angled star.” riage like a bench. Then they made us At first, Josef and the others thought sit on them. Three more days we lived they were seeing a Russian tank.

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