13 INTO THE NIGHT / January, 2015
I interviewed members of my family and a student at Ligon Middle School to find out their feelings surrounding the Holocaust and violence today. This all lead to their concluding answer on the pivotal question “could the Holocaust happen again?”
Adam S: When you hear the word "Holocaust," what words, feelings, pictures come to my mind?
Larry S: I feel sadness over the tremendous loss of life and destruction of Jews. Also disbelief that something like that could happen by a supposed civil country. I question God and the idea of a supernatural protector.
Ethan S: I think of sadness and of the people being very distraught and of it being very emotional. One image that pops out is truckloads of people being dumped into fire. Like how is that even humanely possible?
AS: Its unreal.
Mim S: I usually feel anger when I hear the word Holocaust. And also a lot of sadness and loss. I always picture black and white and barbedwire from the photos and movies i have seen. If I think too much about it, I feel lots of hate toward Hitler and the Nazis. Especially because we had family who died and we are Jewish.
AS: How has the Holocaust impacted your life?
LS: Well, it is responsible for how I came to this country, as my parents escaped the Nazi regime. Also it connects my history with other Jews.
ES: I appreciate and am lucky being here. If it wasn’t for [the Holocaust] I’d be like “of course im here.” I appreciate being alive.
AS: Why do people say to “Never Forget” the Holocaust?
LS: If people are mindful of all the lives that were lost, it can try to prevent something like the Holocaust from happening again.
ES: People say ["Never Forget"] so we don’t have something horrible happen again. It was a really dark time in history and if a group of people hated another group of people it would started this cycle all over again. We would never learn from their mistakes.
MS: It is a reminder that this could possibly happen again to an ethnic culture. Also a reminder we should never stand idly by as we watch our neighbors suffer. Especially living in a democracy. If we were to forget, it would be as if those 6 million never lived. Its a way to keep their memory alive. It also reminds me to stand up for what is right.
AS: My final question, do you think that the Holocaust could happen again? Why or why not?
LS: I don’t think it could... because of Israel. Israel is the Jewish people’s insurance. After the Holocaust many were killed because they had no home and now that Jews have a home they are relatively safe. Israel is the reason why the Holocaust wouldn’t happen.
Have We Learned?
An Editorial: