International Holocaust Remembrance Day January 27
Never Again! Never Forget! These words reverberate in the hearts and minds of the few holocaust survivors who are still with us today. But every year there are fewer holocaust survivors. One day there will not be one. Then the only stories we will have access to are their written and video testimonies filed away in library archives.
When the Holocaust Survivors are gone, shall we gather together to read their stories? Shall we read about the terrors they faced in the Nazi German concentration camps and work camps? Shall we learn about the history of World War Two, Hitler's Final Solution, Anti-Semitism, Lebensraum, the Anschluss, Kristallnacht, the Nazi concepts of untermenschen, and the so-called Aryan race? Do you know what was the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact? The Munich Peace Agreement?
Or will you, the younger generation simply shrug and dismiss the Holocaust and World War Two history as something of the past, and consider it irrelevant? I recall an experience I had at work, about twenty-five years ago, when a supervisor with whom I was on friendly terms, reacted quite unexpectedly when I told her that my father was a Holocaust survivor. (She was considerably younger than me.) She said that it was time to forget the past and her demeanor was somewhat flippant. Her comment was thoughtless and unkind. In hindsight I recognize this as a mild form of anti-semitism - one can barely feel the bite. But it's there.
It seems that Anti-semitism has always been around and has ebbed and flowed like the waves along the shore, or crashed down like tidal waves. Nowadays anti-semitism seems to be on the rise - again. Who hasn't heard news about some high-profiled celebrity or politician vying for media attention by spewing anti-semitic comments like cobras spitting venom. Or the former United States president who openly socialized with neo-nazi white supremacists, and made frequent inflammatory comments to incite violence among the fringe elements of his supporters. After the January 6, 2021 insurrection at Capitol Hill, America's democracy came dangerously close to collapse. I wonder if the former president actually read a bit about Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch and tried to emulate it?
History is indeed repeating itself. But please do not take my word for it. You can read about it in the library archives. Get your information from Primary sources. Do not rely on influencers, celebrities, politicians, your parents, or your best friends. They may or may not be adequately informed.
Never Again! Never Forget! From all the reading you may do, and from all that you could learn, your understanding of the past will increase your understanding of the present. Then you will know the meaning of Never Again! Never Forget!
When you forget about past history, it is easy to obtain a false sense of security and let your guard down. You may not be aware of any eminent dangers and this is when calamity strikes.
It is happening now.
Ukraine is fighting for its life against the military forces of Putin's Russia. History is repeating itself. But this time, America is pro-active, and a staunch ally and supporter to Ukraine.
On this day, commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I encourage you to say a prayer for the victims of the Holocaust - the six million Jewish men, women and children, as well as for the millions of other peoples who also perished under Nazi German tyranny.
Never Again! Never Forget!
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