This week the New York Times published an article which highlighted a new study which showed that knowledge of the Holocaust was falling dramatically in this country especially among millennials and younger people. This does not mean there is Holocaust denial, as that is very low in this country, but it does mean, a lack of knowledge of what happened and of the scope of appreciation for the millions of lives cut down as a result of hate.
This week, I also watched how in Israel, the country ground to a halt, as cars stopped in their tracks, people stood still, and all you could hear was the piercing siren across the country that called to remember the six million. On social media, I saw dozens of people share photos of loved ones who perished in the Holocaust and read heartbreaking testimonies of people who had seen it all.
For every person this piece of modern history elicits a different emotional response, for some it is extreme sadness, for some it is about remembering, for many it is about ensuring never again, and for survivors who can ever begin to imagine what this means to them each year.
Two Encounters
This week I sat down with two individuals who survived the Holocaust and had long discussions with them about their experiences during those terrible years. Despite me knowing these people for years and having heard certain parts of their experiences over time, I was blown away by various details of different incidents that they went through. I realized how the conversation we were having could so easily have never happened, had they not been lucky enough to be the ones who survived the inferno of the Holocaust when the majority of people around them did not.
I was inspired by anecdotes that they shared that included moments of human triumph in the midst of the raging inferno and moments of Jewish and spiritual determination when it would seem like the last thing people would be thinking about. It is this deep resilience of the soul and powerful Jewish spirit and grit that I always find so incredibly amazing when I converse with survivors.
I myself am 39 years old, and I find it so difficult to imagine that just over thirty years before I was born, the world was going through such atrocities. I cannot fathom the scope of it and the more I read about it, the more I am blown away by the magnitude of the evil and tragedy.
At the same time, I am even more blown away by the people who got up from the ashes and began new Jewish lives, as proud and engaged Jews, determined to make this world a brighter and better place no matter what. I am amazed by the faith of these people in holding on to our tradition and being proud and accomplished Jews who practice Mitzvot and Jewish values with joy and love.
Humbled by their Greatness
As part of my work, on several occasions I have been by survivors bedsides during their last hours in this world, and when I do so, I am humbled by their greatness and feel like I am escorting a “Tzadik” (a holy righteous person) into the next world. Sometimes, I have been able to help people put on Tefillin one last time, or sing Jewish songs of prayer like the Shema, or songs of faith and hope in a better future like Eliyahu Hanavi or Ani Maamin. As I have done so, I watch in awe as they use their last breaths on this world, to express the very core of their soul, its aspirations, and its purpose in this world.
Stuck in Munich
Several months ago, on a trip to Israel, I got stuck in Munich airport for twelve hours. As I walked around the airport, I contemplated the thought that only seventy years ago, my appearance as I dress, would have meant something very different. Throughout my hours there, I couldn’t stop thinking about the history of the place we were standing as it relates to the Jewish people and about the infamous Munich agreement.
As I walked around, I ended up meeting and chatting with a young Israeli entrepreneur who was on a business trip and got stuck in Munich Airport just like me. It turned out that he is making an amazing product in his startup that will help people with certain medical conditions tremendously. In addition, he lectures in Tel Aviv University on economics and is a Reserve Officer in the Israeli Navy and he is obviously proud of his heritage.
I greatly enjoyed conversing with him and then asked him if would like to put on Teffilin, and he willingly obliged. So right there in Munich airport this six foot tall young Israeli entrepreneur puts on Tefillin and prays the Shema. As he concludes, he told me that this is extra special for him, as his grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust, and for him to be able to express his Judaism right there in Munich airport, meant a lot to him.
My Personal Determination
As we think of the millions of lives that were snuffed out, we pledge “never forget” and “never again” to anyone.
Personally, I am also driven by a determination to make sure that the unbroken chain of Judaism and the values and faith that we represent, continue burning brighter and brighter all the time, so that the world will surely become a place that expresses its Divine design and potential, of goodness and morality for all mankind.
Evening of Remembrance
For those who would like to hear three child survivors share their firsthand reflections and experiences, please join us this Tuesday Evening April 17th at Chabad of Sudbury. For more info click here.
Good Shabbos & Shabbat Shalom
Yisroel