Memorializing October 7: Lessons from Holocaust Education

More than a year has passed, but the Jewish world continues to grapple with the trauma and profound implications of October 7, 2023, a day that marked the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. On that tragic day, over 1,200 people were murdered by Hamas terrorists, and 252 were taken hostage. Among the victims were Holocaust survivors who, decades after enduring unimaginable horrors, faced terror once more.

Bella Haim, a Holocaust survivor whose grandson Yotam was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and later was tragically killed by IDF troops as he attempted to escape captivity, recalled a voice message he sent: “He said he could smell houses burning and that sent me right back. The smoke of Jewish homes, of whole shtetls burning.”

While the Holocaust remains unparalleled in its scale and horror, the events of October 7 were a modern-day antisemitic atrocity targeting Jews simply for being Jews. As Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “Hamas harbors intentions that echo the Nazis, though fortunately they lacked the same means”.  As we grapple with the gravity of remembering this tragic event, we must draw lessons from Holocaust education to help ensure that October 7 remains in our collective memory.

It is imperative for the sake of history that the events of October 7 become   permanently marked on the calendar of Jewish commemorations. However, the significance of that day reaches far beyond the Jewish community.

October 7 was an assault on Western values and human dignity, driven by Islamist ideology and backed by Hamas’ sponsors in Iran. And while the attack primarily targeted Jews, its implications extend far beyond the Jewish community.

This fact re-enforces the crucial need for the Jewish community to commit to organizing future memorial events in partnership with the broader public. Parliaments, universities, schools, and religious institutions must be included in solidarity and remembrance events which promote tolerance, the sanctity of life and shared human values.

By adding October 7 to the calendar of global human rights commemorations, we can keep the memory alive of those murdered, maimed and held hostage while also addressing the need to confront antisemitism, which has surged around the globe since that dark day.

A critical component of commemoration events is the truthful bearing of witness to what transpired. Despite being one of the most well-documented massacres in history, with footage live-streamed by the murderers themselves, there are already voices denying and downplaying the events.

We are all too familiar with this phenomenon. Just as there are Holocaust deniers despite the undeniable and irrefutable physical evidence, the same insidious denial of the recorded and documented massacre of October 7 abounds with a vengeance.

Unlike the Holocaust, these haters did not wait decades to start denying the massacre. Within days of October 7, the denial, victim-blaming and justification of the atrocities began. And our battle against those who seek to  trivialize or minimize the atrocities is a crucial front in the larger war against antisemitism.

The way to combat distortion and denial is through rigorous documentation and preservation. Every image and witness account of the destruction and horror must be meticulously preserved. In an era of ‘post-truth’, fake news and the manipulative use of AI, documentary evidence remains our most potent weapon in the fight against denial.

Equally crucial is our determination to confront denial and distortion of the truth. Survivor testimonies must be complemented by robust and appropriate educational materials. We must utilize all forms of evidence to coherently narrate the horrific events of that fateful day by employing a diverse range of rigorous historical research.

Our efforts to remember the events surrounding October 7 are intrinsically linked to the ongoing fight against rising antisemitism. Since that day, Jews have faced relentless attacks across the globe, even being accused of genocide. Just as antisemites are drawn to Holocaust denial, they are now threatening the memory of October 7, as we have seen in numerous antisemitic attacks in recent months.

For over three decades, the International March of the Living has memorialized victims of the Holocaust and paid tribute to survivors by retracing their footsteps with marches in cities across Europe.  Last year, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, a delegation of survivors of the October 7 massacre led the 2024 International March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau, highlighting the connection between the events of the Holocaust and those of October 7, recognizing the continuum of antisemitism we face as a people.

“Just as the Jewish people rose from the ashes of the Holocaust, we will rise from the ashes of October 7,” said Holocaust survivor Bella Haim who joined the most recent March of the Living.

Today, we are not alone: we have Israel, our ancestral homeland, and a vibrant nation with a profound desire to overcome adversity and survive. We have steadfast allies like the United States, and the Jewish people today are immeasurably stronger than we were after the Holocaust.

Today, it is imperative we use our voice – individually and communally – to ensure a better tomorrow. As we have already learned in the prophetic words of George Santayana: “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”