by Rabbi Judy Schindler
Saying “never again” means that when we hear that the Jews of Donetsk, Ukraine, were handed leaflets as they left their synagogue demanding that they pay a $50 fee to register as Jews with pro-Russia militia forces or face having their citizenship revoked and assets frozen, we cry out, “This cannot be!”
Saying “never again” means that when we learn the leaflets were forged and fake, we do not return to our daily tasks without delving deeper.
Saying “never again” means that when we find out that a pro-Russian group has seized the city of Slavyansk’s television station and is spewing anti-Semitic propaganda as a part of its programming, blaming the Jews for the takeover of power in Kyiv, we shudder.
Saying “never again” means that when the main synagogue in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Nikolayev is firebombed and a Holocaust memorial in the Crimean city of Sevastopol is vandalized, we condemn it and ask our country’s leaders to do the same.
Saying “never again” means that when the Jews in Ukraine are fearful about their security, we speak out in their defense and send donations to protect them.
Saying “never again” requires that when we learn that Ukrainian Jews are seeking to immigrate to Israel, we lend support.
To be a Jew is to not be complacent.
To be a Jew is to not be silent.
To be a Jew is to look beyond the headlines to unearth the truth.
To be a Jew is to remember the past and not let it be repeated.
To be a Jew is to be concerned for the safety of all Jews; from the Former Soviet Union to France to Kansas City. We are a small family and must fulfill the Talmudic dictum “The Jewish people are responsible one for one another.”
To be a Jew is to pray that the Creator of peace not only make peace but also give us the strength to be partners in that effort.
To be righteous is to care, and to learn, and to act to fix that which is frighteningly broken.
On this Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, may we remember the six million Jews, among them 1.5 million children, who were victims of genocide simply because of their beliefs, and all the others who were also murdered by the Nazis.
On this Yom Hashoah day, may we say “Never Again” and may we mean it.
NOTES:
Holocaust Remembrance Day begins at sundown on Sunday, April 27, 2014. You can light a 24 hour candle in remembrance, give charity, or study a Jewish text to honor the memory of the six million departed souls.
The NCSJ: National Conference Supporting Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia (NCSJ) whose mission it is to safeguard the rights, freedoms and security of the Jews in the former Soviet Union, is regularly in touch with communities there. Ukraine has a population of 260,000 Jews. If you want to stay connected to what is happening in the Ukranian Jewish communities go to http://www.ncsj.org/.
2 Responses
Reblogged this on RABBI SHARON SOBEL.
Very well said. We will miss you but keep in touch.