This week Rabbi Woznica reflects on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Yom HaShoah—Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today is Yom HaShoah, a day dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. When Elie Wiesel z”l (may his memory be a blessing) was asked, “Do you fear the Holocaust will be forgotten?” His response was immediate and clear: “No, I fear it will be trivialized.”
I believe what Professor Wiesel meant was the Holocaust was so immense, so extraordinary, so unimaginable, that attempts to explain it or to speak about it too easily would lead to it being trivialized. In fact, he often referred to the Holocaust as “The Event.”
We are the last generation that will ever meet a Holocaust survivor. Take a moment to ponder that statement. Others will read their books and see videos of their testimony. And yet, only we will ever meet them, look into their eyes, see their smiles, and try to imagine their pain.
People frequently ask if there are miracles today. Many survivors married, had children and grandchildren, became active members of society, and shaped a better world. They are walking miracles.
And we will be the last ones ever to meet them.
Six million of our people were murdered in the Shoah: six million men, women, and children (one million children). Observing a moment of silence for each of them would take eleven years and four months.
May God cradle their souls in a loving embrace for eternity.
Rabbi David Woznica
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