It's that time of the year in Israel - a time of Remembrance. Next week, on April 8th we will honor the victims of the Holocaust and the week after that on April 15th we will remember those fallen in the wars on Israel.
Israel has built itself from the ashes of the Holocaust. I was lucky to be born in Israel. As such I can appreciate the huge personal price paid by those that built Israel from the ground up.
How do people that lost it all, that have been victims to such unthinkable crimes against humanity, find the strength and energy needed to build a new state? I believe they were fueled by a believe that a strong Israel will ensure that the Holocaust will never happen again.
They were right and as antisemitism continues to bubble beneath the surface and fuels hatred against Israel it's clear that this is still true.
Anti Israel activists are taking it further threatening to attack Israeli web sites on Holocaust Remembrance day. I'd say it leaves no room for doubt with regard to modern antisemitism.
This is the time to stand strong for Israel, to stand up to hate. This is the time to remember the Holocaust and the highest price so many people paid just for being Jews. This is the time to tell the stories of your loved ones that survived the Holocaust, because not too many are still here to tell about it.
Part of the importance of Holocaust Remembrance Day is that it brings about a fresh wave of information old and new. Here are some of the stories that touched my heart this week - feel free to share them to help us all remember and never forget:
- Grandfather hidden photos were an inspiration to a new movie documentary about the liberation of concentration camps
- Yad Vashem is seeking photographs of Holocaust survivors and their family members. The photographs are needed for the permanent exhibition opening in the Jewish Block at the Auschwitz Memorial, for the section depicting the survivors’ return to life.
- Holocaust survivor describes the music of Terezín concentration camp
- Holocaust victim offers a simple directive to high school students - to love and not to hate. "When you love," he says, "it makes you feel good, and it makes the other people feel good," he says. "We have a beautiful world to live in. But it's not the world that makes the people. It the people that make the world."
Thanks for supporting Israel..
