On January 27, 1945, the Red Army forces entered the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp and liberated the thousands held prisoner there. This was just a small minority of the camp's prisoners, most of whom were murdered. The soldiers who broke into the camp were the first ones exposed to the horrors perpetrated by the Nazi extermination machine.
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Sixty years later, in November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly decided that the day the camp was liberated would be marked from then on as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year, the day falls amidst a war, one that began with the greatest disaster to befall the State of Israel since it was established.
For many of us, the events of that Black Shabbat brought to the surface the memory of the Holocaust, and the deep scars imprinted on our souls in its wake. This is despite knowing that any comparison to the Holocaust would fail to accurately reflect the historical reality of the two horrors. After all, the Holocaust took place at a time when we didn't have a state, army, flag, or national anthem. And you can't compare any tragedy – no matter how horrific – to the extermination of six million human beings and the world's deafening silence. Beyond that, to our horror, since the massacre on that dreadful Shabbat, we have been witnessing a dramatic rise in antisemitic comments and attacks around the world.
These comments and attacks, of course, are not new to our history. On the contrary. Although the Holocaust was a singular event, it was not in any shape or form the only instance of murderous violence directed against the Jewish people.
Antisemitism is a chronic disease, and the Jewish people have been suffering its horrible consequences for generations. And now, even in our 'enlightened' era, it becomes clear that so many find it easier to blame any crisis on the Jews rather than, say, on Vladimir Putin or Bashar al-Assad.
How ironic that exactly on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are required to protest against the UN, an organization that was established against the backdrop of the earth-shattering atrocities of the Holocaust, and is the very organization that conceived and initiated this important day of Holocaust Remembrance. How horrible is the fact that since October 7, the overwhelming majority of this organization's members have chosen to ignore, yes completely ignore, the crimes against humanity committed by Hamas terrorists—acts of murder, torture, and sexual violence—and instead convene the Security Council specifically to condemn Israel.
Nurturing Jewish identity
I find that the most important lesson we can learn from the conduct of the UN, and from the dramatic rise in antisemitism across the world, is that the future of the State of Israel depends on the strength of the Diaspora Jewry and that the future of the Jews in the Diaspora depends on the resilience and security of the State of Israel.
Despite the differences in status, traditions, and opinions, our destinies are inextricably linked together and are essentially one. It's important to remember this, especially now, after a period during which we thought our solidarity had faded, and when there is a rift deepening within Israeli society – and even between the Jewish communities outside Israel. All the opinion polls conducted in recent years demonstrated that the bond linking young Jewish people in the US to Jews in Israel is waning.
The terrible disaster that befell our country awakened among many a renewed desire to strengthen their Jewish identity – but this isn't enough. Our solidarity must be enduring, not just when we are facing an enemy or disaster. It is our duty to strive for and nurture this bond, whether during stormy times of terror or more peaceful times of prosperity.
Closing the gap
As chairman of ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, I know that a pre-requisite to waging war on antisemitism is the existence of Jewish men and women who are proud of their heritage, and who are not afraid to take a stand against antisemitism. The path to this starts with deepening our roots and establishing a strong Jewish identity. Since the outbreak of the war, the Israeli public has adopted the slogan "Together we will win". 'Together' doesn't just mean those people living in Israel. Truly being 'together' happens when the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora are united.
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