2008 Woodie Awards
Lessons of the Past: Commemorating 60 Years since Auschwitz, Wallenberg, 2 Years since Ramon
Dovid Wildman
Issue date: 2/15/05 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Our calendars recently marked three significant anniversaries. Two were in relation to the Holocaust: the sixtieth anniversaries of the liberation of Auschwitz and the disappearance of Raoul Wallenberg. The third marks two years since astronaut Ilan Ramon died together with the rest of the crew of space shuttle Columbia upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Though the three events may lead to conflicting emotions - horror over Auschwitz, anger at the still unresolved case of Wallenberg, and pride mixed with sadness for Ramon - they do come together to form a singular message. While attempting to understand the absolute meaning of the above events would prove to be quite futile, it is nevertheless possible to derive from them an implication for our own lives: a sublime message to erase mediocrity, ban shortsightedness, and pursue excellence in our own lives.
It is easy to see the systematic murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust as an enormous national calamity. Indeed, this broad view is important in order to gain perspective on cyclical Jewish history and an understanding of the state of Jewry today. However, this global outlook sometimes overshadows the countless personal tragedies that occurred throughout the ghettos and camps of Europe. To be sure, numerous books, movies, and museum exhibits emphasize individual stories to reveal the human side of the devastation. But it is admittedly difficult to truly grasp the horror encountered by the victims and survivors. Who can honestly claim to comprehend what it's like to lose an entire family, while fearing you might be next, with nowhere to turn for refuge or comfort? Who can imagine what it feels like to be stuffed into a jam-packed chamber gasping for breath as Zyklon-B gas is released overhead?
But these questions conceal a deeper tragedy: Holocaust victims did not only suffer and die, they were deprived the privilege of living. While death is the pre-destined fate of every individual, each person's legacy must be actualized in his lifetime. How many potential Rav Soloveitchiks or Albert Einsteins were killed? How many scientists, mathematicians, businessmen, writers, poets, musicians, and rabbinical leaders were murdered? Even worse, how many young men and women were denied the chance to dance at their own weddings, or experience the miracle of childbirth, or walk their own children down the aisle?
It is easy to see the systematic murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust as an enormous national calamity. Indeed, this broad view is important in order to gain perspective on cyclical Jewish history and an understanding of the state of Jewry today. However, this global outlook sometimes overshadows the countless personal tragedies that occurred throughout the ghettos and camps of Europe. To be sure, numerous books, movies, and museum exhibits emphasize individual stories to reveal the human side of the devastation. But it is admittedly difficult to truly grasp the horror encountered by the victims and survivors. Who can honestly claim to comprehend what it's like to lose an entire family, while fearing you might be next, with nowhere to turn for refuge or comfort? Who can imagine what it feels like to be stuffed into a jam-packed chamber gasping for breath as Zyklon-B gas is released overhead?
But these questions conceal a deeper tragedy: Holocaust victims did not only suffer and die, they were deprived the privilege of living. While death is the pre-destined fate of every individual, each person's legacy must be actualized in his lifetime. How many potential Rav Soloveitchiks or Albert Einsteins were killed? How many scientists, mathematicians, businessmen, writers, poets, musicians, and rabbinical leaders were murdered? Even worse, how many young men and women were denied the chance to dance at their own weddings, or experience the miracle of childbirth, or walk their own children down the aisle?