We have all lived in a historical illusion, thinking that if today’s media, technology, and social networks had existed during the Holocaust, the reality would have looked different. And then came October 7th.
Holocaust survivors from Europe are often regarded as one of the Jewish people’s most significant “assets.” Their living, chilling testimonies of the horrors they endured, and the famous phrase “Never Again” resonate with every Jew, both within Israel and abroad, in our collective journey to protect ourselves from another Holocaust. It seems clear that as long as there are living witnesses to the Holocaust, it cannot be denied, and the chances of it occurring again are slim. But the world, as it tends to do, is advancing, and the generation of Holocaust survivors is, by its very nature, gradually disappearing. With it, a natural fear arises that the day will come (and in truth, it has already been happening for some years) when the Holocaust will be perceived as a fabrication, a fictional story. The human mind cannot fathom that such atrocities actually occurred.
Moreover, we all lived under a historical illusion that had the media, technology, and social networks of today existed during the Holocaust, reality would have looked different. Many of us probably thought: “There’s no way they would have massacred an entire population, including women, the elderly, and infants, and the world would have known, seen, and remained silent.” “Eva’s Story,” a Holocaust remembrance project launched in 2019, made the story of Eva Heyman, who was murdered in Auschwitz, accessible through Instagram Stories. In these clips, which feel painfully real, she shares her experiences and calls for help from her followers. Any person with a sense of humanity could not have ignored these heart-wrenching videos and imagine that, had they been real, the world would not have remained silent, and the Holocaust would not have reached its catastrophic scale.
And then — came Simchat Torah of 5784, October 7th, which overturned all of our awareness. Murder, massacre, abuse, and other words that are difficult to even write — broadcasted live for the whole world to see. And the world watched, live, and remained silent. As these words are being written, there are 133 hostages, including infants, who are still held captive by a terrorist organization, and the world remains silent. Their pictures are being shared on every possible platform, their kidnapping testimonies flood the networks, and the world remains silent. Holocaust survivors of October 7th, whether they are survivors of Nova or those who experienced the infiltration and siege of communities in the Gaza envelope, are recounting the horrors through various media, and the world remains silent. Those fortunate enough to return from captivity, both adults and children, are sharing their painful kidnapping, abuse, and captivity experiences, and the world remains silent.
The world is not truly silent. The world is staring coldly at the harsh reality and is not as shocked as we thought it would be. It is not flooding the streets in protest as we had hoped, and it is not acting decisively to prevent the spread of violent and evil ideologies. Instead, we are witnessing people, seemingly educated individuals — professors, students at institutions of higher learning, public figures representing wide international audiences — who praise the October 7th Holocaust, and are working to restore the glory of antisemitism. At first, we rub our eyes because it is hard to believe that there are those who support, endorse, and act for the massacre of innocent civilians in their homes. And then the reality hits us again, and the broken heart heals only to be filled with anger, rage, and an unbearable sense of helplessness and frustration.
What good will the testimonies of Holocaust survivors from 1939-1945 do us, when the live broadcast of the Holocaust in 2024 is only increasing in ratings? Is there any value in recounting what happened back then with the mantra “Never Again” when we see that all the horrors we never forgot and hoped the world would forget are being doubled, thanks to global media? Isn’t it time for us to change the narrative? Isn’t it time for us to wake up and disconnect from the global education system, from the double standards that operate in the international arena, which caress on one side and strike on the other? While the State of Israel may be playing in the Champions League, the fouls we receive somehow disappear from the VAR camera.
The damage done needs to be repaired, and yes, Holocaust survivors from World War II, like those from the October 7th Holocaust, have an important role. But not for the sake of remembering and not forgetting. They are here to give us motivation! Motivation to act in order to heal and fix our society, which is currently broken and shattered. The embarrassed smile of Abigail, the 4-year-old who returned from Hamas captivity after they murdered her family and left her and her brother orphans, is a symbol that we must preserve so that the future she will have is one that justifies the horrors she endured. She, and no survivor from the Holocaust in Europe or Israel, needs our pity. What they need is a strong society, one that can promise us a future where crises will come and go, nations will rise and fall, technologies will evolve and progress, and we will remain. Humans.
