The Holocaust was an unprecedented attempt to annihilate a people and a culture. It illustrates the dangers of state-sponsored terror and it provides us a painful lesson on what happens when attitudes of prejudice, discrimination and dehumanization prevail.
2023 provided me with an opportunity to learn more about the Holocaust and explore its impact on humanity. I observed how European and Latin American commemorated key events, learned about the work of individualsdocumenting previously unknown concentration camps, and watched speeches marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. I was moved by the thousands of people who gathered at former site of Auschwitz to remember family and loved ones and unite their voices declaring “never again.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is based on the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. Yet it seems to me that the Holocaust should be something we remind ourselves of every day. Even though the last Nazi camp was liberated in 1945, we live in a society where levels of intolerance are rising, threatening the dignity of all human life.
Keeping the Past in the Present
The lessons of the Holocaust have their roots in Jewish experience, but their applicability is universal. Learning more about the Holocaust enables us to examine the roots of intolerance and hatred and recognize the dangers of prejudice, racism and antisemitism. Programs like the March of the Living provide opportunities for people from all walks of life to study the past and prevent history from repeating itself. Museums like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum exist to inspire citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.
Despite these excellent programs, and others like them, intolerance and hatred remain. The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism reported an increase of 34% in antisemitic events between 2020 and 2021. Eleven people died when Tree of Life Synagogue was attacked and four people were held hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas in 2022. Antisemitism has also found its way into mainstream culture – with sports and entertainment stars using social media and other platforms to make offensive statements.
In his remarks on Remembrance Day, President Biden said, “ Hate must have no safe harbor in America or anywhere else. Today and always, we make our message clear: Evil will not win. Hate will not prevail. And the violence of antisemitism will not be the story of our time. Together, we can ensure that “never again” is a promise we keep.”
Brining President Biden’s words to fruition requires that we internalize the lessons from the Holocaust. Understanding the atrocities that took place during the Holocaust – and the trauma and pain these events have caused for the Jewish people – can spark a commitment to demonstrating greater acceptance, tolerance, kindness and concern for one another.