One of the most difficult stories that the Jewish people have to tell is the story of the Holocaust. Nevertheless, no matter how hard it is, retelling the story is essential.
The Holocaust is the darkest time in human history, especially for the Jewish people. It was an unprecedented event from 1942 to 1945 when Nazi Germany attempted to annihilate the Jewish people. Six million Jews – one third of the Jewish population – were murdered for the sole reason that they were Jewish.
Every 27th of January, we commemorate International Holocaust Day. On this day, the United Nations urges every member-state to honor the victims of the Holocaust. The date marks the anniversary of the day in 1945 when the main extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau – where more than a million Jews were exterminated – was liberated by the allies.
Today, we are hearing rising voices of denial of the Holocaust and increasing antisemitism – attacks and discrimination against Jews. It is frustrating to witness this hatred towards Jewish people who, for more than 80 years, have struggled to survive the trauma of the past.
The theme for this year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day is “Home and Belonging.” I want to share personal stories of beloved family members, wrenched from their homes, who perished in the Holocaust or were forced to try to rebuild a home elsewhere.
My mother was born in a jail of the Gestapo in Germany in 1937. Her parents were Jewish and communists, the worst combination for the Nazis. Her parents were arrested the night they learned that my grandmother was pregnant with my mother. My grandfather only saw his daughter twice in his life. He was in prison, and later was sent to Auschwitz, where he was murdered in 1944. My grandmother and mother, who was two years old by then, were able to escape Germany in 1939.
Despite the horrible trauma, my grandmother stood tall and started a new life in England, a place far away from her home. Her husband, parents and some of her siblings were all murdered by the Nazis.
I can vividly remember when my grandmother and I talked about her life experiences, including the times when she was in jail. The story of how she left Germany and built a new life was so inspiring that I urged her to write a book about it. She took it seriously and joined creative writing classes just to make sure that it was worth publishing. At the age of 85, she was able to share her story in the book “Herta.”
The Nazis may have torn families apart and caused unimaginable trauma, but they did not break my grandmother’s faith in humanity. I believe that her secret was to be optimistic and to believe that there are still good people. This belief made her so gracious, generous and modest.
My father-in-law is a Holocaust survivor. He had no choice but to conceal his Jewishness and to hide in a monastery as a Christian child. Every night, whenever the Christians read their evening prayer, he quietly recited the most important Jewish prayer of “Shema Yisrael.” Even as a child, he always remembered who he was. I spoke with him the other day and his message to me was “to never forget what happened in the Holocaust.”
These stories of homes torn apart by the Holocaust taught me the most important lessons in life. First, to never again allow persecution of Jews and other races and second, in order to survive, one must keep one’s faith, be optimistic and do good deeds.
Many turned a blind eye during the Holocaust. Nevertheless, there are a few that opened their doors and provided a safe haven to Jewish refugees, one of which was the Philippines. In 1939, President Manuel Quezon welcomed more than 1,300 Jewish refugees into this country. They were treated as family; they were welcomed and made to feel at home. Some of them even learned the Filipino language, studied in Philippine universities and even settled in this beautiful country.
We are forever grateful to the Philippines for saving not only those precious lives, but also their future families. This is one of the reasons why Filipino visitors have visa-free access to Israel and are received with open arms.
The Israeli embassy initiates annually a ceremony in Manila to commemorate International Holocaust Day. This year, we collaborated with the Department of Education (DepEd) led by Vice President Sara Duterte, who has Jewish roots. We appreciate the efforts of DepEd for spreading awareness of the story and lessons of the Holocaust – especially among the younger generation – by incorporating the story of the Holocaust into the curriculum. This is one of the most important tasks for me as the Ambassador of Israel to the Philippines.
I would like to commemorate some of the Holocaust victims among my ancestors. I will start with my grandfather, Karl Chaim Rosenberg, who was murdered in Auschwitz; my great grandparents Simon and Emma Friedmann; great uncles and aunts Walter Zeev and Elfriede Friedmann; Kurt and Irma Friedmann; Thea Schartze; Ewald Rosenberg and my wife’s grandfather, Benjamin Brachfeld. These names are forever engraved in our hearts.
HOME and BELONGING. Families were torn apart, six million Jews were murdered and only a small number survived. Most of them felt homeless, but they were able, in Israel, to feel at home again.
Every victim of the Holocaust could have had a future, a family, a life. We, the Jewish people, will always tell the story, learn and teach about it and are grateful to all those who join with us to share our story and to emphasize this most important of lessons: NEVER AGAIN.
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Ilan Fluss is the Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines.