Journal Entries, Spring 2021
Antisemitism and the Holocaust
You may hear some people say: “You didn’t experience the Holocaust or Anti-Semitism. How can you understand it? How can you possibly know how it feels?” How might you feel hearing that question? How might you respond?
First, I would not assume this person is trustworthy and asking in good faith. It just doesn’t seem likely. If they are sincere, I think I could understand the question. How can I claim this pain without first knowing this pain?
My answer would be something like this:
I don’t know how to explain the profundity of the effect of a well-told story on my soul and psyche. There are many good books, well-written and descriptive about the Holocaust. They’re written for all ages, from many, many perspectives. I haven’t read all of them, but I’ve read a fair few.
Well-told stories root in me and become part of me. I’ve cried over the Holocaust so many times. I’ve tried to internalize the numbers, the scale, the loss. But I can’t. So I read stories about the individuals, try to understand the experience from the inside. It’s all I can do. And what I know from those things is that it Can Not Happen Again. We have to fight it, whenever and wherever we can.