Our true museums are our vibrant synagogues and Hebrew schools.
Groups of young children huddled high upon the playground equipment in our simple park. They faced a makeshift stage on which a black backdrop blazed under yellow spotlights. A draped Israeli flag and a large cardboard candle surrounded the words ‘Remember, do not forget’.
Holocaust Remembrance Eve… Our teenagers who had just returned from Poland told and retold the story of the Holocaust. “Some ashes, some hair, some shoes, some clothing” they said “All that remained of our people.” The children and adults listened, remaining silent.
At the Yad Vashem ceremony in Jerusalem Prime Minister Netanyahu reminded us that today there are those who wish to annihilate us. They say so loud and clear. The leaders of Iran pledge to complete the job Hitler began, this time with nuclear weapons.
And the world remains silent again. No, not silent, accusatory of Israel. World leaders blame the Jewish State for unrest in the Middle East.
Our Jews, our ever-fearful Jews, remain silent. Our Prime Minister even feared to receive yellow roses from American Christians who care deeply about Israel. We seem to be cowering in fear waiting for the annihilation in silence.
I watched television for hours and hours listening to stories of the Holocaust. There were documentaries, films, and talk shows. Rabbi Berel Wein spoke of our need to remember our past and to be proud of our present and our accomplishments despite the hate of the world. He talked of the museums that are built to memorialize the Jewish people. “Museums,” he said, “generally show a people who no longer exist and artifacts that are no longer used. Our true museums are our vibrant synagogues and Hebrew schools, our houses of learning and our Jewish homes where Jewish life exists every day of the year.”
Who would have imagined that tiny Israel would become a giant in technology, in medical breakthroughs, in agriculture, in security systems, and the first to offer and deliver help to other countries in times of disaster.
Dear friends, do not remain silent. Your silence emboldens those who wish to destroy us. When anti-Semitism raises its ugly head, no one is safe. The hate begins with the Jews but rapidly spreads until it engulfs the world. Do not be afraid. Do not pretend it will go away if we pay it no heed.
No, we cannot remain silent. The children straddling the playground slides and chinning bars must know they have a future. They must not become “some ash, some hair, some shoes, some clothing.”
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I recommend the play, A Tiny Piece of Land, now at the Pico Playhouse in Los Angeles until April 28th. The play, by two wonderful people, describes life in the refugee camp after the Gush Katif expulsion. It is an almost unique pro-Israel voice in an ocean of anti-Israel hatred.