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On Holocaust Remembrance Day, this gives me Hope

Today, at 10 AM in Israel, the country stood still for two minutes to pay their respects to the six million Jews who were murdered by Nazis during World War II. Around the world, others stood in solidarity with them. And in Poland, thousands of people marched silently from Auschwitz to Birkenau to remember the victims of the Holocaust who died there, by participating in the annual March of the Living.

One manifestation of unity and peace that gives me hope today is the fact that Israeli Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze walked together in the March of the Living, along with people of all faiths from around the world. Yoseph Haddad, who organized a delegation from Israel through his organization, Together – Vouch for Each Othersaid in a statement: “It is important for us to make the memory of the Holocaust accessible to Israeli Arab society and the Arab world, because every human being must know about this shocking event in human history and learn about it and from it, thus fighting hatred today from Holocaust denial to any manifestation of racism.”

On this solemn day, we reflect on humanity's capacity to let hate, murderous action and inaction result in the deaths of innocent millions. Let us renew our commitment to fighting anti-semitism, racism and other forms of prejudice, which, left unchecked, can grow into a cancer of hate that harms countless more victims. I am heartbroken to acknowledge that in the twenty-first century, we have not yet learned the lesson, "never again."

 

Let “never again” become so obvious we never have to say it again.

 

To give us hope and inspire us to take courageous action, let us celebrate the millions of heroes who intervened to save the lives of friends and strangers during the Holocaust, by hiding  and protecting Jews, or fighting against Hitler's army. Let us reflect on present-day hatred and injustice, and discern where we can take action on the side of love, justice and reconciliation. Because, my siblings around the world, we are One Global Family.

My name is Carole, and I'm your sister.

 

 

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Photo:  Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council, lights the Memorial Torch during their 2022 ceremony. Photo credit: Yad Vaschem.

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