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Seventy-five years after that wretched place, the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp was liberated and our imprisoned brethren who survived its horrors were set free, world leaders have arrived in Israel to honor this memory.
They did not come here just for our sake, but for theirs – for their own future; the future of each leader's society; the future of humanity.
The memory of the Holocaust is not a currency nor is it a commodity to be traded, God forbid. Israel invited the nations of the world to our memorial hall in the eternal city, to learn and teach. Just as we have given the world the Holy Book, Torah and morality, social amendments and eternal philosophical ideas, we also "provided" it with the disgrace of Auschwitz, the shame of turning a blind eye to the cries of the victims, and the ignominy of their indifference.
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Israel and the Jewish world do not need international memorial days to remember. We are a people that remembers every detail of its national life, even if it happened thousands of years ago. We knew how to envelop the national nucleus and our memory in a religious mantle that assured it eternal life, regardless of any exile, be it for a few years or a millennium.
It was only two weeks ago that we fasted to mark the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 588 BCE. From a historical perspective of the eternal people, the disgrace of Auschwitz took place merely an hour ago. All it takes is one glance at my children to be reminded that they are the fourth generation of Auschwitz on their mother's side.
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Last week, I addressed the Italian Senate about the new forms of anti-Semitism, which opposed the existence of the Jewish people under the guise of opposing "only" the existence of a Jewish state.
We wanted the Italian government to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, which states, among other things that "Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor."
Joining me in such tireless daily efforts are the other envoys of the Foreign Ministry, which is really our diplomatic defense ministry, each in their respective countries.
In my address before the Italian Senate, I said, among other things, that "Jews managed to live without a land, but our existence had always been a tenuous, partial, fragile one. We aspired to realize full existence: To live in our country as a free people – as any normal people."
I added that the Holocaust highlight this aspiration, and if there is a lesson to be learned from it, then "it does not boil down to trying to understand how European society has deteriorated into a situation where many of its members enlisted to annihilate a people that has contributed so much. The lesson is that we cannot exist without a political and sovereign center in our ancient homeland."
I further explained that "the State of Israel is the insurance policy for all the Jews worldwide. By the virtue of its existence they can hold their head up high in the countries in which they live, and if necessary, if things take a turn for the worse, they can always come home."
Last Friday, the Italian government joined a host of other countries and adopted the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism.
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The main event slated to be held at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in the presence of the president and prime minister of the Jewish state, and in the presence of dozens of world leaders, is intended to project this unparalleled moment in historical memory from Jerusalem to the whole world.
For it is Zion, the guardian of memory, that will impart the memory of the Holocaust, the symbol and parable of the Jewish people's trials and tribulations vis-à-vis the other nations of the world; how it was torn to pieces again and again during its many years of wandering, seeking respite for a generation or two in different countries. How, despite everything we have contributed to the world in general and to the various peoples in particular – in culture and commerce, in economics and education, in science and philosophy, in religion and art, in construction and in politics – we have never been shown any gratitude.
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This millennial-long encounter may have left us with great intellectual and spiritual property, but it has almost cost us our lives. When the sun finally shone on our national renaissance, it found us beaten and bruised, limping like our ancestor Jacob after his struggle with the angel.
The leaders of the world who came to Jerusalem also salute the miracle of our people's rebirth – "the unparalleled miracle," in the words of poet Nathan Alterman.
The Prophet Zephaniah, who lived in Jerusalem in the 7th century BCE, foretold that: "On that day they will say to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp ... Behold, at that time, I will deal with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather the scattered ... For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your captives before your very eyes, says the Lord" (Zephaniah, 3:16-20).
Seventy-five years after the fact, the memory of Auschwitz is no longer just ours, the descendants of those murdered – it belongs to all of humanity. The disgrace of Auschwitz should remain a warning sign for all nations for eternity.
