Honoring the Memory of the Holocaust Tomorrow
Jan. 26, 2022
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,We’re living within a century of the systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of other victims of Nazism between 1941 and 1945, known as the Holocaust. The UN designated tomorrow, Jan. 27, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
There is no standard observance for Holocaust remembrance, especially here in America. It is common to commemorate the unimaginable tragedy by hearing from survivors — ideally in person, but if that is not possible then at least online. It is impossible to comprehend the scope of the Holocaust, but hearing someone’s personal story can help.
The Holocaust was unique, but it should not only be seen as part of Jewish history.
Before Hitler rose to power, Germany was a strong democracy. It had some of the most robust protections for individual liberties of any country. And yet, within a matter of years, the Holocaust happened. Antisemitism is tragically still not a spent force in the world. The Holocaust teaches us all about the profound and sometimes deadly danger of inaction.
Standing up for the defenseless and for what is right remains more relevant now than ever.
Please join me in taking a few moments tomorrow to remember and learn about the Holocaust.
We cannot expect to make sense of such horror, but we can and must honor the memories of the millions lost by protecting today’s most vulnerable people. And we cannot delude ourselves into believing that just because we have a wonderful democracy, we will still have it tomorrow.
Rabbi Seth Winberg