October 7th in Israel as a New Shoah?
Should We Consider October 7th in Israel as a New Shoah? Yes, and Here’s Why
October 7, 2023, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in Israel’s modern history. A coordinated and unprecedented attack struck at the heart of Israel, leaving a trail of death, destruction, and terror. The images of massacres, shattered lives, and inflicted brutality cannot help but evoke the memory of the Shoah, which indelibly marked the history of the Jewish people. Although the historical contexts are profoundly different, there are valid reasons to consider October 7th as an event that recalls the shadows of the Shoah.
The Shoah was not only a physical genocide but also a systematic attempt to destroy Jewish identity, culture, and historical memory. The attack on October 7th targeted innocent civilians with a level of ferocity that surpasses the logic of armed conflict. Homes burned, families annihilated, people kidnapped—the message is clear and frightening. This is not merely a war between “states,” but a direct attack on the right of a people to exist.
One of the most shocking aspects of the attack was the dehumanization of its victims. Videos and testimonies reveal calculated cruelty, utterly devoid of empathy. This kind of violence echoes the methods used by Nazi propaganda to justify atrocities against Jews, reducing them to non-persons. Dehumanization is a crucial step in any genocide: it creates fertile ground for extreme violence, making it acceptable in the eyes of perpetrators and, in some cases, even in the eyes of the world.
Another unsettling parallel between October 7th and the Shoah is the international reaction. During the Shoah, the world often looked the other way, unwilling or unable to intervene. Even today, we witness displays of indifference or, worse, justification for the attacks, fueled by blatant antisemitism that continues to permeate parts of global society. This attitude not only deepens the pain of the victims but risks “normalizing” violence that should never be tolerated.
Remembering the Shoah does not merely mean honoring the victims of the past but also learning to recognize the warning signs of the present. The events of October 7th remind us how fragile security is and how necessary it is to remain vigilant to prevent similar tragedies from recurring. Defining that attack as a “new Shoah” is not an exaggeration but a reality: every act of violence aimed at erasing a people and their identity is an attack on humanity as a whole.
In these days, where hope (Tikvah) alternates with moments of fear and uncertainty, we must remember that Memory—whether tied to January 27th or October 7th—must be a starting point to ensure that such situations never happen again.
“Never again” must not be an empty slogan but a commitment, fought for every day of the year.