Kristallnacht 2024 – Beyond “Never Again

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Reassessing our Jewish identity in the face of antisemitic Resurgence

As we approach the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, this year the message of the darkest chapter in our recent history seems somehow more poignant, more relevant and certainly more relatable than anytime in our collective memories.

Current circumstances would suggest that the efforts of the past forty years at ingraining Holocaust messaging to prevent and eradicate antisemitism, has been a noble but failed mission. The real question is where did it all go so horribly wrong?

Our generation grew up surrounded by survivors in our daily lives and while we were certainly conscious of the scars in the background, it was very much hushed whispers when discussing the war. This all changed at some point between the mid 80’s and the release of Schindlers List, the floodgates were finally opened and the half a century build of still raw emotional deluge, came storming out.

What emerged from this awakening was the heightened urgency of Shoah education. Recognizing that the longevity of the survivors amongst us was finite and leveraging their newly verbose and expressive disposition, the time was right to channel these resources into a global initiative at ensuring “Never Again.”

Most Western nations adopted some form of mandatory education syllabus, dozens of major cities incorporated museums and memorials, archives were established and incredible initiatives such as March of the Living were instituted. The goal was to inculcate and instill the entire generation with a historical perspective and a moral compass. As Elie Wiesel said the opposite of love is not hate, its indifference and we were determined to eliminate indifference.

Every aspect of Jewish life was positively affected with a profound societal shift that was felt both in the macro and micro level even in the simple routines of our every day lives. It was not just a matter of religious tolerance but there was an elevated sense of comfort in being Jewish that was hitherto unprecedented in our long exile.

My personal favorite was in the political arena where not only did we cheer on a Vice-Presidential nominee that was Orthodox, but every politician would go to extraordinary lengths to establish their Jewish bonafides. I would love watching Presidential debates in the golden era of civilized discourse, where the only thing they could agree on was their unwavering and unconditional support of Israel.

To be fair, there were the prescient few who were harbingers of future catastrophe, but they were dismissed as dampeners of enthusiasm instead of the canaries in the coal mine. These were heady times and there were those who boldly declared that we had entered a new golden age of post antisemitism and that the worst of our history was now firmly in the rear-view mirror.

It seems unfathomable that we were so intoxicatingly self delusional and so lulled into a hypnagogic state that our antisemitic radar, honed through centuries of progroms and blood libels somehow malfunctioned at such a critical juncture. We have indubitably reversed course and regressed to the mean and can no longer afford to be laissez-faire or sanguine about our status quo.

As counterintuitive as it might sound, it was our emphasis on the nazi atrocities that doomed our strategy to failure. Holocaust fatigue is inevitable and there is only so long the sheer horror can meaningfully impact before the shock effect dissipates. The tragic events have taken on an almost distant surreal cinematic noir quality and while time heals all wounds, it also tends to diminish the effects of even the greatest horrors. The ideological distance between the Shtetl and New York has grown exponentially over the decades. With the dwindling generation of survivors, we have lost a human connection that provided a bridge to a world that is not our own.

Then there is also the issue of well meaning but intentional holocaust dilution. Once we had achieved a modicum of success in defeating our ancient albatross, it occurred to some that this strategy could be franchised to rid the world of all racism and prejudices.

Holocaust, Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, became accusations attached to every injustice big and small, which drained the indictment of its impotence. It was only a matter of time before the United Nations, ICC and countless others began to throw these very same monikers against the Israeli wall in the hopes that it will stick.

There is a survivor that I know in our community who is well into his 90’s now, with a convivial joie de vivre and a wicked sense of humor. I recall on several occasions when the old timers in Shul would start talking about their wartime experiences, he would always pipe up and comment that he didn’t find his time Auschwitz to be that bad. This would at once incite a riotous response from the coterie of survivors who were aghast at his insouciance about the whole ordeal. He would just shrug his shoulders and concede that perhaps the food preparation could have been better and the linens were not the best.

I always found his approach humorous in a dark Woody Allen style, but it recently occurred to me that I was missing the point entirely. The reason his generation were silent for so long was not out of trauma but out of pride. They did not want to be identified as victims and they did not want to be viewed through the lens of pity nor seek the indulgence of sympathy. These were proud Jews who resented the survivor label and wanted to be recognized for their achievements and not for what they perceived to be their humiliations. Their sense of accomplishment in the establishment of a Jewish state was one of long due entitlement, not gentile guilt but Jewish empowerment.

The holocaust is sadly just one in a protracted line of Jew hate manifestation we do not need the ultimate sacrifice of six million Jews in a barbarous fashion to justify our right to exist unmolested and protected by the laws of society.

We are a people with a long and glorious history and while adversity might be a running theme and certainly contributed to our strength and resilience, we should not seek pity nor compassion as we have rightfully earned respect and dignity.

We must shift our emphasis from being a nation of victims and teach our children what it means to be a proud and chosen people. As Victor Frankl, himself a survivor, has expressed so eloquently, “Being a victim is not a choice, but remaining in victimhood is”

This year, as we mark Kristallnacht, let us honor their memory by focusing on our future. Our children need to stop viewing themselves as descendants of victims, but as the links in a chain of a proud, resilient and dynamic legacy. We must always remain vigilant against antisemitism, but we should also celebrate our strengths and achievements, embrace our identity, and stand tall as a people whose core is rooted in our perseverance, creativity, and community.

It’s time to shift our focus from ‘Never Again’ to ‘Together Victorious.’ We are more than just survivors, we are builders, leaders, fighters and creators of a future where Jewish dignity stands unyielding. Let us light the torch of our heritage, not just as a memorial flame, but as a beacon of strength and pride, ensuring that future generations carry forward in their hearts both the lessons of our past as well the boundless possibilities of our future.