Dear JCOGS family,
Yesterday marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, as recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. On this day, we remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism.
How necessary is Holocaust remembrance in 2021, 76 years since the liberation?
As a teen, one of the most influential and moving books I read was the graphic novel Maus by the Pulitzer-Prize winning Art Spiegelman. Just two days ago, a Tennessee school board banned Maus from the school curriculum.
Meanwhile, a 2020 Claims Conference survey showed a deep lack of Holocaust knowledge among millennials and Generation Z, who were often unclear about the basic facts of the genocide. 1 in 10 respondents did not recall having heard the word “Holocaust” before. 63% did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, and nearly half could not name a single concentration camp.
As survivors slowly leave this world, in the spirit of sharing stories, not banning them, in the spirit of remembering, never forgetting, I share with you these stories of resolve in the face of the Holocaust:
- Read this compelling story of Holocaust-survivor Jose Levkovich, a Polish turned Montrealer turned Israeli diamond dealer who captured notorious Nazi war criminals.
- Listen to two Vermont teen sisters, Eliza and Emma Doucet, who are making a big difference with youth and adults on the necessity of Holocaust education.
- As always, continue to follow the tremendous work of the Vermont holocaust memorial in educating our Vermont neighbours on the history and effects of the Holocaust and genocide.
Now more than ever, we remember.
Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well. Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David
