Today is a day of remembrance, so that we never forget the horrible events of the Holocaust. “Fascination” is probably the wrong word, but I’ve always been drawn to this piece of history. It raises up so much anger and sadness in me. But I can’t turn away from it.
One of the most notable Holocaust survivors is Elie Wiesel. His book Night has touched millions of people, myself included, in a way that few books have ever done. He has made it part of his life’s work to make sure that people learn from the events of the past so that it never happens again. He is constantly involved in humanitarian efforts through his Foundation for Humanity and is being honored on May 16,2011 with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Award ” in recognition of the singular role he has played in establishing and advancing the cause of Holocaust remembrance.” What some may not know is that he is pictured in a famous photo taken after the liberation of the Buchenwald camp. He is the face circled in red, right next to the vertical beam.
The Days of Remembrance continue from May 1 – May 8. This year’s theme is Justice and Accountability in the Face of Genocide: What Have We Learned? This article discusses the Nuremberg and Eichmann trials, and the precedents set by them. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. will be holding events during the Days of Remembrance. You can participate online.
Yad Vashem is the World Holocaust Center in Jerusalem. There is so much on this website I just didn’t know what to link to. Go check it out.
Also check out the Holocaust Wing of the Jewish Virtual Library. And this article by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, President of The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
And check out this original trailer of Schindler’s List… a movie by Steven Spielberg about a man who helped save more than 1100 Jews from the death camps.
Jess Boudreaux 