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Why empathy is a priceless antidote in this painful world

An anti-Israel demonstration at Auschwitz turned my stomach but an Arab-Israeli delegation to the death camp and a Holocaust survivor who refuses to hate, are a cure

June 18, 2024 11:51
p16
Lessons for us all: Naomi and two of her children with her father's cousin Helen, a Holocaust survivor
4 min read

I think it’s fair to say that most of us as Jewish parents and grandparents have found these times challenging. When our kids are out on their own, we may worry about their physical safety. We see hostility at universities, and fear for our kids’ futures. We see the openly antisemitic rhetoric on our streets and wonder what this country may become. We may feel anxious about frequenting the places in the hub of our daily lives – the schools, shops and synagogues that are possible targets. And the endlessly depressing news cycle of grief, anger and hatred on repeat is constantly lingering, clouding our minds.

There have been so many concerning news stories that have pinged up on my phone in the past eight months. But one that turned my stomach last month was about anti-Israel demonstrations outside Auschwitz on Yom Hashoah. Just a few days earlier my father’s cousin Helen had been to my house for lunch. At 97 she is one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors in the UK. As we sat around the table she started talking about the past, and we were all spellbound by her deeply moving stories of survival in the Lodz ghetto and of her liberation.

A demonstration outside Auschwitz felt like such a violation of her experience and others who survived years of unimaginable horror – and a violation of the memory of those who died within those walls and in other concentration camps. So when I say it turned my stomach, I don’t say it flippantly. My body did whatever it’s programmed to do when the mind detects something uncomfortable.

Auschwitz being a target of hate feels so low. So lacking in empathy. So disrespectful of the trauma Helen and others went through. That’s the thing about this conflict and its fall-out – despite dominating discussion on the world stage, at times it feels so personal it can hit you in the stomach. And when those moments hit, they can be hard to shake off.

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