Today, on Yom HaShoah, we remember the victims of the greatest crime of man against man – the young, the old, the innocent, the million and a half children, starved, shot, given lethal injections, gassed, burned and turned to ash, because they were deemed guilty of the crime of being different.
We remember what happens when hate takes hold of the human heart and turns it to stone; what happens when victims cry for help and there is no one listening; what happens when humanity fails to recognise that those who are not in our image are none the less in God’s image.
We remember and pay tribute to the survivors, who bore witness to what happened, and to the victims, so that robbed of their lives, they would not be robbed also of their deaths.
We remember and give thanks for the righteous of the nations who saved lives, often at risk of their own, teaching us how in the darkest night we can light a candle of hope.
Today, on Yom HaShoah, we call on You, Almighty God, to help us hear Your voice that says in every generation:
Do not murder.
Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbour.
Do not oppress the stranger.
We know that whilst we do not have the ability to change the past, we can change the future.
We know that whilst we cannot bring the dead back to life, we can ensure their memories live on and that their deaths were not in vain.
And so, on this Yom HaShoah, we commit ourselves to one simple act: Yizkor, Remember.
May the souls of the victims be bound in the bond of everlasting life.
Amen.
For further viewing: The Connection Between Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, Judaism and Israel, by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
As we approach Yom HaShoah, the day in the Jewish calendar when we remember the victims of the Holocaust, it is worrying to see levels of antisemitism and antisemitic attacks continue to rise in countries all over the world.
In my latest whiteboard animation, which you can watch here or by clicking the image below, I explore the connection between Jews as a people, Judaism as a religion, and Israel as a state. I also show how this connection is intrinsic to the link between antisemitism and anti-Zionism; something too often overlooked or misunderstood.
Please share this video on Facebook or Twitter, and help spread the message.
p.s. This is the third in a mini-series of animations produced over the past year or so. To watch the videos on the mutation of antisemitism and the dangers of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, please click here.
