Never again. Not in our names.

Dear friends,

It's been quite a week or so for me, on a personal level. I've just spent ten days back in Scotland, attending the funeral of my dear mother-in-law, spending precious time with my dear brothers and sisters in law, and catching up with old friends. My last day in bonnie Scotland coincided with my dear father's 10 year yahrzeit, a decade since he died. Eight decades since he narrowly evaded death at the hands of the Nazis.

This whirlwind visit to Scotland definitely limited, but did not completely stop my social media scrolling. Always trying to keep my finger on the thrashing pulse of news, I made sure to take some time in between social engagements to see if the US has capitulated to Putin yet, and what horrors continue in Gaza - because we simply cannot afford to look away. We cannot afford to stay silent.

We cannot look away. We cannot stay silent.

I'm not going to try to analyze or detail the increasingly horrific events happening in Palestine. We all have access to that information, and even though it is vomit-inducing and feels like a kick in the gut, we cannot afford to look away. We cannot afford to stay silent. We can and should continue to live our daily lives. We can and should continue to find joy, enjoy meals and fresh water and good friends and relative safety and whatever semblance of normality still exists in our own personal here and how, but we cannot afford to look away. We cannot afford to stay silent. Even though it is unspeakably brutal and breaks our hearts, we cannot afford to look away. We cannot afford to stay silent. When an entire population is being persecuted, we are obligated to bear witness and let the horror motivate us to do whatever we can to protect them.

My father as a young boy before his parents were murdered by Nazis. Before he went into hiding. Before the Holocaust.

As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor...

Someday I hope to be able to retire this overworked phrase, but now, more than ever, I am feeling my heritage and the responsibilities that come with it. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, the saying, "Never again" may as well be tattooed on my soul. But "Never again" has always meant Never again for everyone. The fact that other descendants of Holocaust survivors are willingly participating in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians is completely incomprehensible to me. I say not in my name. I will never understand how Jews can commit these horrific crimes after everything we've been through throughout history, and especially during the Holocaust.

As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I have spent my life wondering how it was ever allowed to happen. Why didn't more people fight it from the very beginning? How could our non-Jewish neighbours have allowed us Jews to be so badly mistreated and murdered? Was the majority of Europeans really that horrible to silently allow this genocide to happen, and even participate in it as so many did? Where was the humanity?

Over the past twenty months, we've started to get an idea of how the Holocaust was able to unfold as it did. We are starting to see how a reign of terror (under the leadership of a hateful little psychopath) that murdered and tortured so many millions of innocent people was considered acceptable and became the new norm. We are seeing now just how easy it is for evil forces to claim power and hold onto it. Even though we said "Never again", genocide is happening again before our eyes, but this time we understand that we cannot afford to look away. We cannot afford to stay silent.

Being who we would have wanted to be in the Holocaust.

I imagine there were plenty of good folk in Europe who quietly wept in the privacy of their homes as they watched their Jewish neighbours being rounded up and disappeared, but they did not feel they could speak out. We know that there were also plenty of good folk who risked their own lives to fight for their Jewish neighbours, and it is these courageous people that we admire most when we study this piece of history. These were ordinary folk who knew that they could not look away and they could not stay silent while their neighbours were being persecuted. It is these folk who we aspire to be when musing what we would have done had we lived in 1930s Germany.

Charlie Angus is clear about the importance of standing up and speaking out against the genocide of Palestinians:

Over the past months, I've met so many ordinary people who have stepped up to stand against genocide and starvation.

Some might question if standing in silent vigil on the sidewalk of a small town, or even a busy city, can make a difference.

But when our leaders look the other way, when the media ignores the situation, and when doctors and aid workers are targeted and killed for trying to help, it becomes the responsibility of ordinary people to take action. It falls to us.

And when this genocide is remembered, none of us will be able to say we didn't know. I choose to stand with those who are speaking up.

All of us together making a difference.

It's never enough, and certainly not even remotely soon enough, but we are starting to see a global shift away from, not only the global governments' acceptance of, but their complicity in Israel's horrific war on Gaza. More and more governments are starting to say they will recognize the State of Palestine (ffs! What took them soooo long???). More and more governments are starting to become increasingly critical of Israel's brutal destruction, and ruthless attacks on innocent Palestinians. More and more, we are hearing governments condemn Israel's blatant plan to bomb and starve Palestinians out of existence. Obviously, these governments aren't finally seeing the light because they are made up of mensches who believe in peace and justice. They are finally speaking up, and (hopefully) taking action against Israel because of us. All of us together, making a noise and making a difference. From the groups and individuals who have been protesting since Israel dropped the first bomb, to the individuals and groups who are just joining the protests now, we are all important voices in the demand for peace in Gaza. From my small group of friends banging Pots for Peace in Palestine every Saturday, to the hundreds of thousands of Australians who turned out for the massive March for Humanity on August 3rd, and everyone in between who has been marching, making noise, writing letters, creating art, donating, and demanding one way or another that Israel let Gaza live, together we are being the people we would have wanted to be in 1930s Germany.

There is always a reason to be hopeful.

I've been following a group called Standing Together, and they fill my heart with hope. Comprised of Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians, Standing Together is building a growing movement that is working against the occupation while standing for peace, equality, and social justice. While fighting Netanyahu's murderous policies, they are offering an alternative to the current socio-political situation in Israel, and it is beautiful.

From their website:

Still, we find cause for hope. Most people want to live in a just and equal society.

We envision a society that serves all of us and treats every person with dignity. A society that chooses peace, justice, and independence for Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs. A society in which we all enjoy real security, adequate housing, quality education, good healthcare, a liveable climate, a decent salary, and the ability to age with dignity. 

Such a society is possible – we’re already building it.

I, too, believe that most people, whether in Israel, the US, Canada, or anywhere in the world, want to live in a just and equal society. We have all been sold a steady diet of fear and hatred from those in power, but, more and more of us are not looking away and we are not staying silent. We are bearing witness to the atrocities and we are allowing the horrors to motivate us into action. We are making our voices heard, demanding peace and justice for all.

Never again. Not in our names. Whether you are Jewish or not, we must all remember the Holocaust and be the people we would have wanted to be if we had lived in 1930s Germany. In honour of my murdered grandparents, my orphaned father, and the millions of other Jews who suffered and died, I will not look away. I will not stay silent.

Shalom,

Jessica