Thursday, April 12, 2018

Yom Hashoah part two

Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem
How do we feel the loss of someone we never knew?  My family was lucky.  Depending on how you count, I'm a fourth or fifth generation American citizen.  My great-great grandparents came to this country from all across Central and Eastern Europe.  While I am sure that I lost distant relatives to the plague of Nazi hatred, massacre and murder; my immediate family has been in this country for almost a century and a half.

How do I thank my ancestors for making a decision to leave their homes, their families, everything they knew and coming to the Goldeneh Medinah?  How do I show my appreciation to the United States of America for welcoming them with open arms--or at least letting them in the door?

Yet, even without a direct personal connection to the Shoah, I find this a mournful day.  Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh lazeh-All Israel is responsible for one another.  We are a people.  We are a nation.  We are a faith.  As Jews, we are all connected to each other--and to the broader human family.  We are all one.  If one person is hurt, we all cry out.  As a Jew, the Shoah pains me deeply.  The candle on my desk reminds me of the loss of millions of Jews, as well as millions of gays, lesbians, political prisoners, people with disabilities, Roma, and so many others.  Hitler started with us, but the cancer of hate spread quickly.

Today I see massacres all across the world.  Whether in Sudan, against the Rohinga in Myanmar, against gays and lesbians in much of the Muslim world, massacres still happen.  Genocide still happens.  And the hatred of Jews remains one of the most stubborn viruses in the world.

This blog does not say much, but it also says everything.  As Jews, we have a responsibility to one another, but we also have a responsibility to the world.  We, who have been the victims of violence against us from near the beginning of time, must continue to cry out against hatred everywhere.  Yet it cannot just be as Jews.  It must be as all humans.  Humanity as a whole must know that if one of us is injured, we all bleed.  Never forget.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Thank you FJMC!

Since 1981 the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs has commemorated the Shoah with Yellow Candles.
https://www.fjmc.org/content/yellow-candles-home

They have reminded us of the importance of remembering.  They have shown us that while the number of living survivors dwindles each year, that we are perilously close to having no one left with their own memories, WE are the memories.  Our existence as Jews is a living memorial to the Shoah.

The Shoah is in our bones.  It is in our DNA.  Every living Jew is a reminder of the failure of Nazi Germany and its collaborators throughout Europe.

Today, we must remember.  We must see the blood, the hate, and most perilously, we must see how ordinary the violence was and remains.

If only immigration was possible for our relatives.
If only more Germans had stood up against Hitler.
If only the League of Nations had done anything.
If only more Poles and Ukranians hadn't been ready to hand over or murder their neighbors. 
If only Stalin had done something, like welcomed more refugees.
If only Roosevelt had done something, like bombing the tracks to Auschwitz.
If only Churchill had done something, like opening the doors of Mandate Palestine.
If only...

And yet, what happens today?  Across the world there is violence and unrest, nationalism, fascism, hatred are again rearing their ugly heads.  What are we doing?  Are we welcoming the stranger? Are we feeding the hungry?  Are we staying quiet?  Are we speaking out?

I am proud to be Jewish.  I am proud to speak of my identity, my religion, my faith, my Gd.  I am grateful that others spoke out for me.  I am grateful that my ancestors came to the United States to escape persecution and find new opportunities.  I am grateful to the FJMC for their work in sharing memories and creating new ones.  We must continue to remember and speak out.