Everybody talks about the moment of silence and the siren that rings throughout Israel on Holocaust Remembrance Day. They talk about how people got out of cars to stand, about the ceremonies, the moment where everyone stops what they're doing in order to remember, to not forget. But what about the moments leading up to the siren? What about the people who are on their way to work, stop for a minute, but then continue. Or, in my case on the train, the people who stood up and hung up on their boyfriends in the middle of a fight in order to respect and remember, only to pick up the phone again after the moment of silence. The difference is, however, instead of continuing the fight, the woman apologizes and says she loves him. Did this woman spend her minute of silence thinkin about how annoying her boyfriend is and just decided to give up or did she truly remember the victims and realize that this tiny fight isn't worth it in the long term.
I remember last year asking Heddy (shout out!) where she was during the siren. She explained that she wasn't doing anything special. She was on her way to work, walking in the streets of Tel Aviv. Nothing too Zionist. But isn't the ordinary walk in Tel Aviv Zionist in itself? Isn't it true that we don't need to do anything extraordinary in this country if we already live here? This year, instead of thinking about the past, I thought about the present. I had the privilege of visiting the house of a survivor. As part of a project conducted by the education unit in the IDF, I went an sat with a survivor to hear his story. He then showed me a list of at least 15 pages of the names of all of his father's decadents. "If only I could show the Nazis how they failed to wipe us out" he told me. This statement consumed my mind this year on Holocaust Remembrance Day. I will Never forget the Holocaust, and i will never take for granted this land. The Nazis failed. Everyday when people get up and go to work, speak in Hebrew, get married, raise kids, and have a cup of coffee in a Cafe, they are showing the world to what extent we won.
It's important to remember. It's important to take that minute and think. But it's important afterwards, as well, to look around:at the normal conversation, the newspaper reading, the texting, and realize that we are a living Holocaust Memorial. The land and people of this country remember the past, live the present, and plan the future. It is in our hands to Never Forget. For me, that does not mean to stand once a year in silence. And it doesn't mean to just attend a ceremony and post a Facebook status. I am remembering and honoring the victims of my life as living as a Jew in the Jewish homeland. I am remembering them by moving to this incredible country and joining the International Jewish army. I am remembering them by living my life as a free citizen in a free country.
I will never forget, but it is our job to make sure the world does not forget us.
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