Tonight and tomorrow is Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, which serves as a memorial to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust between 1933 - 1945. There will be readings of the names of victims in locations all over the world.
"If we wish to live and to bequeath life to our offspring, if we believe that we are to pave the way to the future, then we must first of all not forget." ~Professor Ben Zion Dinur, Yad Vashem, 1956
The year was 1978 and I was a sophomore in college, sitting cross-legged on my bed, alone in my dorm room watching television. I was lost, unaware of my surroundings except for the gripping drama that was unfolding before me.
It was the last of a four-part series starring Meryl Streep, James Woods, John Houseman and Michael Moriarty. Holocaust told the fictional story of a German Jewish family being ripped apart by the Nazi regime.
I felt like my heart was palpitating out of my chest and my hands were sweaty.
I grew up learning about the Holocaust through family stories and what our Hebrew School teachers taught us. In high school one history teacher showed the film Night and Fog, a brutal documentary about the history and liberation of concentration camps. It included film footage of piles of discarded bodies being tossed into mass graves after being murdered in Nazi crematoriums.
I saw the film in Hebrew School and uncharacteristically spoke up to beg my teacher to excuse me from class. He flatly refused. I stormed out of the room thinking, "Let him fail me for the day. I don't care. I don't want to start having those nightmares again."
After the fourth part of Holocaust ended I quickly ran down the hall to use our dorm's hallway telephone. There was one person I knew that I desperately needed to talk to.
My father. He was the man I trusted and respected more than anyone else, and was the one person who I knew could offer me reassurances that what I just watched on TV would never happen again.
Today as a parent I think back on that moment from my dad's point of view. I realize how naive I was, and that what I was about to ask him would be the most difficult question I ever asked. I wanted him to reassure his little girl, the one who lived in a Utopian universe, that everything would be alright.
I remember hearing a long pause in my father's voice after he excitedly answered the phone. In his analytical mind he must have raced to find the right words to say. There were none. I wanted a guarantee that he simply could not give to me.
Thinking back I realize I grew up a lot that day. The world was no longer filled with the promise of a happily ever after for everyone. I grew up hearing over and over again "Never Again" but somehow seeing this series finally connected all the dots. From that day forward I became more aware about the realities of war, maniacal dictators, and the truth that "man's inhumanity to man" is still going on somewhere in the world.
When I was 14 I spent the summer in Israel and our group visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem. It was the first and only time that my group was quiet for the remainder of the day. If you plan on traveling to Israel I recommend that you make Yad Vashem part of your journey.
I am not a religious person but a spiritual one, and I continue to believe in tolerance, compassion and kindness. In today's world that may seem naive, but so be it. So as I say private prayers for the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust I will continue to also hope that all wars, all genocides, will someday come to an end so that future generations will, as it says in Isaiah, never "learn war any more."
"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." ~Isaiah 2:3-4
Thank you for writing this important post, Cathy. Only by talking about the Holocaust can we make sure no one forgets about this atrocity. I agree that the phrase "never again" does not ring as strongly anymore, given what continues to take place in other parts of the world. Nonetheless, we must continue to fight oppression and prejudice in the hopes of a more peaceful future. I also saw 'Night and Fog" in Hebrew School and had the exact same reaction. Those images have never left me. Just horrifying.
I'm very glad you wrote this post. In the face of all of today's horrors, it would be easy to forget the horrors of the past, but I don't think we should forget any of them. I think we should add them up and amass them, that way maybe we'll really see what we have done. Thanks.
Anita
Someone local who reads my blog asked me about my post "Why the Jews" the other day. You never know when something you write will resonate with someone. This IS an important post. And...The world just keeps getting more vicious... it's upsetting.
Your writing is powerful, Cathy. I toured the Dachau Concentration Camp 20 years ago, and the images continue to haunt me. I believe evil exists on earth and was manifested in the sub-humans who committed the atrocities. What shocked me the most was to learn that the people in nearby Munich saw ash falling on their homes - and never questioned. Thank you for reminding us to question - and to be spiritual.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece Cathy. It's still chilling to me and alway will be.
I will,say prayers too, Cathy. No other words fit. Hugs.
When I was eleven (or so) i was at a friends house. Her parents weren't home yet and so we decided to snoop. It turns out her father was one the liberators of a camp and he had taken black/white photo's and had them in a box- hidden. I COULD NOT get my head around what I was looking at. Later that night I asked my parents about what I had seen. They really didn't want to talk about it- so I asked my grandfather. He said, 'As long as one person is abused, EVERYONE is abused'. I thought about that for years before I knew what he meant- as long as it's 'possible' it can happen to anyone. By remembering we make it less so.
You write so vividly of that moment we all have as a young teen when we realize that the world is not always that happy, optimistic place we thought it was. xo
Thank you for sharing this important post today Cathy. It is also a testament to the kind, sensitive person that you are. I think many teenagers think of themselves as invincible (I know I did...) and can not always relate to horrors of the past because it seems so far away from their current world. You clearly had the "sensitivity chip" from a very young age -- a wonderful trait to have. 🙂
The family stories are always killers. When I think about mine I cry every time. Every holiday turned into a Yarzheit. But we must remember. It can never happen again.
I became a true History buff the day I learned of the Holocaust. I've read more books, fiction and non, about that horrific time and still find it hard to believe. I know it is why I get so worked up over some of the politics and issues abounding today because there are those who would allow this to happen again. We must be diligent.
Thanks for posting.
b
This is such a tough topic for me. It's hard to comprehend how mankind could be so vicious and filled with hate. And for what? Because someone is different. There will never be any words to explain this. I visited the Museum of Tolerance in L.A. last summer. It took weeks to get out of the funk that what I saw was a reality of horror. I will never forget what happened. Neither will millions of others. But is it those who don't care that we all need to worry about. Holding fast, true, strong onto one another...that is the only way mankind will survive itself.
I did a lot of research on this time....both undergrad and grad. I've been to Dachau. It freezes my blood...it is so beyond my comprehension.
The Lord giveth, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
I don't know. Unmerited and horrible death does not seem to me to be in any way blessed. I hope that if there is a God, She cried for the suffering of the people who were slaughtered.
Such a very important post, Cathy. I'm not Jewish but the events of the holocaust are felt by everyone world wide.
I grew up the day I learned about the Holocaust too. I have never stopped being sad for or praying for those who lost or were lost.
My Mother is on a Viking cruise and is at the memorial today. She said it is overwhelming. Our 12-year-old grandson just finished reading the Boy in the Striped Pajamas and they are seeing the movie in school today. My heart broke because I knew he would never be the same. He cried through the book but he said he wanted to know and that he would never forget. He wasn't looking forward to seeing the movie today but again he didn't want to stay home. I will talk to him in a bit.
This is such an important post. As sad as it is we must never stop talking about it.
Cathy, such a powerful post. I think your reaction in high school shows what a sensitive person you were and are. Too bad that teacher couldn't see that the screening had an emotional effect on his students!
My parents were not in the Camps but were survivors as they escaped from the Nazis with their families as children. They told us many stories.
It's crazy that there is so much evil in the world and I only pray that good things are coming. We have so much to be grateful for and yet our children live in a different world than you and I were raised in as Boomers.
Regarding the movie, Holocaust: Someone from his work once asked my husband "was it really that bad?" To which my husband responded, "No. It was much much worse!" My husbands father was in the camps and told many stories.
Yes - never again. Excellent tribute, Cathy on Yom Hashoah.
A powerful, poignant recollection, Cathy. Thank you for sharing. This - "The world was no longer filled with the promise of a happily ever after for everyone" - is such an incredible and painful reality we all learn eventually. I appreciate (and am humbled by) the story of the day you learned that.
Hugs to you.
I first studied about the Holocaust in 8th grade when a very special teacher allowed me to do independent research on the Holocaust. I was a Peace Studies student for a while when I attended a small Anabaptist college. I read Wiesel's Night at age 18. Since that time, I have been aware of much more of what happened than most people I meet. I go to museums. I cry and want to tear something apart. I have had the honor of knowing Holocaust survivors. I will never understand, and I am frightened when I see much of what is happening today with intolerance blossoming like nightshade. Remember.
So important that we all remember. It seems impossible that could have happened but it did. I know other are being tortured today in areas of the world for what they believe. Heartbreaking to know that individuals had to endure such a nightmare. One you could not wake up from. One you had to live day after day. So heroic.
Cathy,
We must be the same age; I remember watching the series in my college dorm, my sophomore year. I also grew up seeing gruesome footage in Hebrew School. People do forget, they have forgotten...
Thank you for this remembrance.
I too grew up seeing many documentaries and films about the horrors of the Holocaust. My dad who grew up during WWII felt that it was very important for his kids to know what people are capable of. It's also important to know history in order to never repeat it. Perhaps that's what's not happening today and we're doomed to repeat it! 🙁
I came across your web post as I was searching for a special prayer for Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is a heart-felt day for certain. The Cantor at the Temple was a survivor. He made weekly calls to my son to help him with his Hebrew lesson in preparation for his Bar Mitzvah. I think of him often and thank G-d for his kindness and gentle spirit.
I found, a few minutes ago, a Prayer for Holocaust Remembrance Day. It reads: Lord, remember not only the men of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember the suffering they inflicted upon us. Remember rather the fruits we have brought, thanks to this suffering: our comradship, our loyalty, our humility, the courage, the generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown out of this. And, when they come to judgment, let all the fruits we have bourne be their forgiveness.
We must never forget and pray always.
Such a difficult subject. I've never been able to bring myself to write about the Holocaust on my site for teachers/students. Sigh. After three or four trips to Yad Vashem, I finally seem to be able to get through it without completely falling apart. Is that progress? I'm not sure.
Thank you for sharing this important post. Yes, it is imperative that we never ever forget our past. Each year at my international school, we study The Diary of Anne Frank and the horrific atrocities of that time period. We also have gone to a concentration camp where the profound impact of that visit haunts me to this day. In spite of all the conflict and violence still in our world today, like you, "I continue to believe in tolerance, compassion and kindness."