Make Holocaust Remembrance Day – Am Yisrael Chai Day!

Once again, it is time to remind everyone of the Holocaust, the systematic plan to eliminate Jews from the world by murdering 6,000,000 in concentration camps — along with another 6,000,000 unfortunate prisoners of war and others not deemed to meet the standards of the Aryan race. 

Despite historical records, movies and museums bearing witness to the unfathomable, incomparable atrocities of the Holocaust, the term genocide seems to have now been coopted by countless groups claiming discrimination against them. 

Some people opposed to fat-shaming claim that the drug Ozempic is the genocide of the obese; supporters of transgender rights claim that limiting medical coverage for transgender procedures is an attempt at genocide of the trans community. While there is no doubt that many people in these groups are suffering emotional trauma, is their situation really equivalent to the systemic herding and murdering of millions of men, women and children during the Holocaust, justifying co-option of the term “genocide?” 

Then there are the Holocaust deniers, who claim that the Holocaust did not happen. Should we even engage? Would it make a difference in this 1984 Orwellian world in which we all now live where people feel entitled to create their own facts and claim their own truth?

I think it’s time to reframe the Holocaust, as we have done with many of our other tragedies as a Jewish people. Let’s take a quick walk-through Jewish history. Hanukkah — the scene: a battle for our holiest site; the holiday, an eight-day celebration about spreading light. Purim — the scene: a government minister bent on our annihilation; the holiday, a masquerade party. Passover — the scene: hundreds of years of enslavement; the holiday, a celebration of freedom. 

And how about our personal tragedies — like when someone we love dies? What’s the prayer we recite to mourn our loved ones? – the Kaddish, a life-affirming prayer that expresses gratitude for life and faith in God.

Many people wonder, “Why have the Jews survived when so many other nations have disappeared?” Some say Jews control the world. If it were true, we wouldn’t constantly be running for our lives from country to country. 

Some say Jews are the chosen people. Well, if you are Bible believing, that would be a reason for our survival. But there is another reason: Jewish values demand that we never accept victimhood. Each and every person exists to make a difference in this world. 

With this perspective in mind, what should Holocaust Remembrance Day be? Think about what happened after the Holocaust: Jews fled to Israel and revived our homeland — Polish Jews, who spoke no French; French Jews who spoke no German; German Jews who spoke no Arabic; and Jews from Arab countries who spoke no Russian and so many others. These Jews, who did not speak the same language and did not know each other, all reconnected with their shared values and nationality — the nation of Israel. A nationhood that Jews remembered while in exile, longed for in their prayers and, at the end of every Passover seder, hoped for as they recited “Next year in Jerusalem!” Tattered, war-torn people, filled with the pain of loss, collectively declared they would not be victims; and together, with the support of other Jews and many non-Jews around the world, re-established the nation of Israel. 

I’m not saying that the re-establishment of Israel justified the pain of the Holocaust. It’s that the Holocaust brought out the spirit of a nation in those survivors. It led them to create a nation that does not wallow in death and pain but basks in the joy of living and life. 

So I think it’s time to reframe Holocaust Remembrance Day – marking the fact that, following the Holocaust, Jews from all over the world came together with intense clarity to reclaim Israel — to chant “Am Yisrael Chai” (Israel lives)! 

We are not victims; we are the victors of the tragedies that befall us. 

We are the nation of Israel that lives, regardless of whether we reside in Israel or outside of Israel. It’s time to focus on the victory – our single-minded efforts to make every day in this world better, not just for us, but for others as well. 

The Holocaust – the scene: genocide; the holiday a commemoration of Am Yisrael Chai — the nation of Israel who lives.

Haleh is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all. The opinions expressed in this column are the opinions of the author, not the organizations she is a member of. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 800 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested in writing? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.