Opinion
Israel will make sure the holocaust never happens again
Jews now always have a state to which they can turn, whatever their situation
January 27, 2022 11:07
2 min read
Jews now always have a state to which they can turn, whatever their situation
January 27, 2022 11:07As an Israeli and as a Jew, I am constantly surrounded by the memory of the Holocaust, just like other families in Israel, the UK and around the world. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I thought of my husband’s grandpa, Shmuel.
Samuel Freiberg was just 15 when the Second World War broke out. He studied at the Yeshiva in Lublin, Poland, and during the course of the war was sent to more than ten concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Majdanek. His parents and eight brothers and sisters were murdered.
Samuel survived and, after the war, committed himself to supporting Jewish refugees across Europe, bringing them to Israel. Later he made aliyah, fought in Israel’s War of Independence and raised a beautiful family.
In 2022, some 77 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, it is the sad reality that such in-person, first-hand survivor testimonies will not be with us for ever. So our duty to educate the next generation is paramount. And we have to find new ways to do it.
It is even more pressing due to the fact that in recent years, the UK, as with other Jewish communities around the world, has experienced a dramatic rise in antisemitism.
Last May, the UK saw the largest number of antisemitic incidents ever in one month. Less than two months ago, as Jews in London celebrated Chanukah, they were subjected to antisemitic abuse on a bus on Oxford Street; and within the past two weeks, we witnessed the antisemitic Texas synagogue attack.
These are but three examples. History has shown us that we must be loud in the face of antisemitism and it is my role, as the Israeli Ambassador, to stand with the Jewish community and to work with the British government in order to fight this scourge.
This week, the Israeli embassy held a ceremony alongside the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
This annual event demonstrates the need to keep the memory of the Shoah alive.
The tangible benefits of positive Israeli-UK relations on Holocaust remembrance can also be seen in the UK’s co-sponsorship of Israel and Germany’s UN resolution on Holocaust denial, adopted last week, on the 80th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference.
It was only the second time in the history of the UN that an Israeli-led resolution was adopted in the General Assembly.
On this day, it is important to remember that Israel is living testimony to the fact that Jews will now always have a state to which they can turn, whatever their situation. Israel would do everything to protect Jews from all four corners of the world.
As I reflect on grandpa Shmuel’s story, I feel a real sense of pride that I can carry on his legacy and share his story. This is the essence of Holocaust remembrance.
As younger generations may feel disconnected to the horrors of 80 years ago, we must acknowledge our collective responsibility that we have to tell the stories of survivors.
In witnessing survivor testimonies, we carry the obligation to share their stories.
In the words of Holocaust survivor, Lily Ebert, “I will do all I can to share my story, for myself and for those that did not survive.”