Never Again.
The words on which I was raised.
The words that once had meaning.
The words that once came to my mind each time I heard the Israeli Airforce in the skies above me.
Tonight and tomorrow are Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. In previous years on Yom HaShoah I have written about the importance of guaranteeing that the Shoah is not forgotten, as fewer and fewer survivors remain to bear witness firsthand. Here in Israel children being learning about the Shoah in elementary school – every school in the country will hold a memorial ceremony tomorrow morning. Outside of Israel, Holocaust education depends very much on where you live, and where you go to school. In the United States less than half of the 50 states (23) have mandatory Holocaust education. Globally, only 13 countries have mandatory Holocaust education. Those countries are: Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Perhaps therefore, we should not be surprised that since October 7th, 2023 when Hamas and Gazans infiltrated Israel and massacred over 1200 Israelis, and took over 200 hostage, that those words “Never Again” seem to have lost all meaning.
Perhaps we should not be surprised that in the woke world of 2024 it is acceptable for antisemitism to have increased globally. The annual antisemitism worldwide for 2023 report from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “…reveals that 2023 saw an increase of dozens of percentage points in the number of antisemitic incidents in Western countries in comparison to 2022. A particularly steep increase was recorded following the October 7 attacks, but the first nine months of 2023, before the war started, also witnessed a relative increase in the number of incidents in most countries with large Jewish minorities, including the United States, France, the UK, Australia, Italy, Brazil, and Mexico.”
https://tinyurl.com/mv6nu3ht for the full report.
Perhaps we should not be surprised that the world holds the State of Israel to a higher moral standard, while asking nothing of our enemies.
Perhaps we should not be surprised when ignorant university students protest against Israel and call for a “global Intifada” – after all, they have no idea what an Intifada is.
Perhaps we should not be surprised when keffiyeh wearing protestors call for an end to the “Occupation” – and have no idea that Gaza has had zero Jews or Israelis living there since 2006.
Perhaps we should not be surprised at the cries of “From the river to the sea” from people who cannot find either the river or the sea on a map, nor can they name them.
Never again we’ve been told.
Never again is now.
Never again was October 8th, when the world had an opportunity to shout out “we said never again! We meant never again!”
But history tells us that never again are empty words.
Never again since 1948 is the State of Israel and the IDF.
This time when the world forgets “Never again” the Jews have somewhere to go.
Never again. Never. Again.
Recent Comments