Visitors to the memorial site in Treblinka are often astonished to witness an interesting natural phenomenon: Every winter, as a result of the heavy rainfall on the very grounds where mass murder occurred 80 years ago, the earth opens up and exposes human bones for all to see: the bones of children, babies, women, men, and the elderly. However, this is not the only natural phenomenon that occurs at this site. Due to the digging of various rodents, such as moles, remnants of the belongings of Jews who had arrived at the accursed camp just before being gassed are also unearthed: pots, bottles, various kitchen utensils, and more. The Germans and their accomplices responsible for the largest, most monstrous, and industrial genocide in the history of nations spent considerable efforts in covering up and concealing these horrific acts. Yet, nature has its own strength.
The harsh truth could not be concealed in the past, and it will not be possible in the future: Six million Jews, citizens of various countries, were murdered and their remains spread across Europe. This was preceded by processes of ostracism, deportation, labeling, humiliation, and dehumanization of the worst kind. The sole reason was for being a Jew. It was impossible to escape this fate. Those directly responsible for the murder were, of course, the Germans under Nazi rule, “ordinary people,” many with families, who saw themselves as acting not only out of morality but in its name. But they were not the only killers. Without active assistance and a genuine motivation to kill Jews from collaborators in nearly all the occupied countries in Europe and North Africa, the Holocaust could not have reached its monstrous scale: six million Jews—families and entire communities—were wiped off the face of the earth.
Addressing the memory of the Holocaust is unbearably difficult, every year. But this year presents an even greater difficulty after the brutal massacre of more than 1,200 Israeli men, women, children, and elderly on October 7 by Hamas and their assistants.
It is crucial to understand that while these are two immense tragedies in the history of the Jewish people, they are two distinct historical events, and one must be careful not to make dangerous comparisons between them. The October 7 massacre was a horrifying and tragic disaster that befell the citizens of the State of Israel and the Jews of the world, but it is not the Holocaust. The Holocaust was an unprecedented and singular event in human history that does not and did not have an equal. The main goal of the Germans was to exterminate every Jew from the face of the earth. Escaping the so-called “Final Solution” was impossible, and the Jews certainly did not have a sovereign state as a safe haven for them at that time.
It is very important to remember this and refrain from making such comparisons. They are dangerous and undermine historical concepts, ultimately discrediting the events themselves and the memory of the victims. The events must be treated separately and examined well and truthfully. The way to achieve this is through education. However, I am doubtful if the students in Israel are indeed on the right path today in this respect.
In memory of the six million. human beings who existed and are not anymore.
Visitors to the memorial site in Treblinka are often astonished to witness an interesting natural phenomenon: Every winter, as a result of the heavy rainfall on the very grounds where mass murder occurred 80 years ago, the earth opens up and exposes human bones for all to see: the bones of children, babies, women, men, and the elderly. However, this is not the only natural phenomenon that occurs at this site. Due to the digging of various rodents, such as moles, remnants of the belongings of Jews who had arrived at the accursed camp just before being gassed are also unearthed: pots, bottles, various kitchen utensils, and more. The Germans and their accomplices responsible for the largest, most monstrous, and industrial genocide in the history of nations spent considerable efforts in covering up and concealing these horrific acts. Yet, nature has its own strength.
The harsh truth could not be concealed in the past, and it will not be possible in the future: Six million Jews, citizens of various countries, were murdered and their remains spread across Europe. This was preceded by processes of ostracism, deportation, labeling, humiliation, and dehumanization of the worst kind. The sole reason was for being a Jew. It was impossible to escape this fate. Those directly responsible for the murder were, of course, the Germans under Nazi rule, “ordinary people,” many with families, who saw themselves as acting not only out of morality but in its name. But they were not the only killers. Without active assistance and a genuine motivation to kill Jews from collaborators in nearly all the occupied countries in Europe and North Africa, the Holocaust could not have reached its monstrous scale: six million Jews—families and entire communities—were wiped off the face of the earth.
Addressing the memory of the Holocaust is unbearably difficult, every year. But this year presents an even greater difficulty after the brutal massacre of more than 1,200 Israeli men, women, children, and elderly on October 7 by Hamas and their assistants.
It is crucial to understand that while these are two immense tragedies in the history of the Jewish people, they are two distinct historical events, and one must be careful not to make dangerous comparisons between them. The October 7 massacre was a horrifying and tragic disaster that befell the citizens of the State of Israel and the Jews of the world, but it is not the Holocaust. The Holocaust was an unprecedented and singular event in human history that does not and did not have an equal. The main goal of the Germans was to exterminate every Jew from the face of the earth. Escaping the so-called “Final Solution” was impossible, and the Jews certainly did not have a sovereign state as a safe haven for them at that time.
It is very important to remember this and refrain from making such comparisons. They are dangerous and undermine historical concepts, ultimately discrediting the events themselves and the memory of the victims. The events must be treated separately and examined well and truthfully. The way to achieve this is through education. However, I am doubtful if the students in Israel are indeed on the right path today in this respect.
In memory of the six million. human beings who existed and are not anymore.