As the years go by I am having more and more difficulty lighting a candle for Holocaust Day. It's getting harder and harder to read a story that someone sends me over the Internet, listen to the ceremonies in Jerusalem and stand for a moment of silence (120 seconds) when the siren goes off at 10:00a.m. on Holocaust Memorial Day.
I guess that it's because, as the years go by, I am more aware than ever of how utterly massive and unstoppable the destruction and murder really was. I can almost feel the desperation of the people who were caught up in the those years. Hearing about every new atrocity -- I won't detail them here, but believe me, there are always new ones to surprise -- causes me sleepless nights.
I know that there's not a whole lot that the country can really do, other than ensure that the ceremonies and memorials continue. And there's really not a whole lot more that I can do either. Yet it seems terribly trivial.
Last year a website made its way around. 20 Photos that Change the Holocaust Narrative. It's a collection of photos of defiance during the Holocaust and deliverance after liberation. It makes you feel good to look at them, and it bothered me. Because when you're remembering the Holocaust, you shouldn't feel good. You should try, just for a few minutes, to understand the fear, the hunger, the dispair, the pain, the helplessness....that the victims felt.
Sure the people were thrilled on liberation day. But what did they go through to get to that day? We're so used to focusing on "feel-good" that we forget that sometimes, it's not appropriate to feel good.
I guess that it's because, as the years go by, I am more aware than ever of how utterly massive and unstoppable the destruction and murder really was. I can almost feel the desperation of the people who were caught up in the those years. Hearing about every new atrocity -- I won't detail them here, but believe me, there are always new ones to surprise -- causes me sleepless nights.
I know that there's not a whole lot that the country can really do, other than ensure that the ceremonies and memorials continue. And there's really not a whole lot more that I can do either. Yet it seems terribly trivial.
Last year a website made its way around. 20 Photos that Change the Holocaust Narrative. It's a collection of photos of defiance during the Holocaust and deliverance after liberation. It makes you feel good to look at them, and it bothered me. Because when you're remembering the Holocaust, you shouldn't feel good. You should try, just for a few minutes, to understand the fear, the hunger, the dispair, the pain, the helplessness....that the victims felt.
Sure the people were thrilled on liberation day. But what did they go through to get to that day? We're so used to focusing on "feel-good" that we forget that sometimes, it's not appropriate to feel good.
RSS Feed
