This is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an opportunity to reflect on the systematic and demonic extermination of 6 million Jews during the Nazi regime in the 1940s. The state of Israel has its own occasion called Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Memorial Day which takes place in April or May depending on the Jewish calendar. For many Jews the use of the word Shoah is considered more appropriate because it means the calamity rather than using Holocaust which means burnt offering.
It's estimated that there were 17 million Jews around the world before WW2 and fewer than 11 million by the time it ended. The population has grown to 16 million during the past nearly 80 years. Israel and the United States have roughly three quarters of that number and Canada has the fourth largest Jewish population at 350,000. The countries of Europe, other than France, have small remnant populations because millions were murdered.
We were in Israel last April on Yom HaShoah and everything and everyone stops for a moment of remembrance as sirens sound.
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem
As some of you will recall from a blog we also made a point of visiting Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre. This was my fourth visit but first to the reimagined complex designed by Moshe Safdie, the Canadian/Israeli architect who may be best known here for his work at the Montreal World Expo in 1967, specifically the Habitat housing development.
I have offered a reflection on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Yom HaShoah many times yet I feel that it's as important as ever to consider this solemn day. We were horrified when innocent Israelis were murdered by the Hamas terrorist organization, and many of us have been deeply disturbed by the level of vengeance wreaked by the IDF in Gaza, killing thousands of children.
Despite our confusion, it is so important to speak strongly against anti-Semiticism which has been on the rise around the world, including Canada. Many Canadian Jews admit that they are experiencing fear about their safety for the first time in their lives.
Taking a stand is particularly important for Christians who follow Jesus, the Risen Christ, who was born and died a Jew. While we are aware of the courageous protection of Jews by some Christians during WW2, the "righteous gentiles", we also know that far too many Christians were either complicit in the horror of their persecution or turned a blind eye.
While I fully endorse the efforts of the United Church to express solidarity with the people of Gaza and the West Bank I do wish our denomination had recognized this solemn day as well. There is a thoughtful call to consider the Christian complicity in anti-Semiticism during the season of Lent by Michelle Vos from 2023.
https://united-church.ca/blogs/round-table/antisemitism-and-lent
Here is my blog reflection on visiting Yad Vashem from May of 2023:
https://lionlamb-bowmanville.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-witness-of-yad-vashem.html
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