Yom Hashoah Holocaust updates 2008
Shalom, Holocaust 2008. Every year there are new findings about the holocaust, which is interesting considering it happens 60 years ago and yet new things occur which has to be reported and discussed and at the same time the idea was some age old issues. I want to talk about what has happened, the few things about the holocaust in 2008 as the Jewish people and the world morn over this most awful event in human history.
First of all, there is an interesting story about a torah that was buried in the cemetery in Auschwitz shortly before the Nazis invaded and now the story was known, it was told two people, but know one ever found the Torah. And finally, some of the pieces went to catholic priest, who lived in the area, who was actually born Jewish and survived the holocaust and as a child was converted into a Christian family. Realigned (ph) the most of it and part of it was buried in a metal case in the cemetery. People knew but no one knew how to find it.
Finally, some Rabbi one with a metal detector and he still who could not find it. Now you think because of all the coffins in the cemetery would bing, bing bing…. but those were Jewish and in those days certainly and still many Jews today use only wood in their coffins. But then, a son suggested maybe the cemetery was a different size in those days and sure enough they want online and found cemetery was much bigger, so he went back and bing! Then he found the torah in a metal case.
Then he put an add on the paper, saying they would not have any Jewish hand written documents and the priest knew what it was being looked for and came for with the other four panels and they put the torah together and all they found this torah that have been buried in the Auschwitz cemetery, where with three million Jewish were murdered. And, it said at the end of the article, this is really an opportunity to look up to the heavens and say who, who laughs last, last best.
Rabbi Yula said, “The Nazis really for up to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth in Judaism.” Here we take this ultimate symbol of hope and of Judaism and we dedicating it and using in a synagogue. We take it to Auschwitz; you can not beat that, really remarkable story. Torah, this ultimate symbol of the Jewish people revive from the little ashes of Auschwitz.
A second story has to do with a documentary that was recently found. Evidently, there were some photographs of SS officer. They were taken by and were found by American soldiers during the war and was recently release. It was made into a documentary called the Auschwitz Albums. And, what is amazing about it, it describes really the banality of evil. Here are these SS officers who would go during the day and murder thousand of Jewish and go home and have barbecues and picnics and laugh with there friends and the films by Eric Nelson tells us a scrap book, containing a 116 photographs taken in the spring of ’44. It was the personal album of an SS officer found by the American army officer after the war, where images of the death camp staff at play. They look like really nice guys, except during the day they mass murdered thousand of thousand of Jews the banality of evil just recently discovered. That is an issue that is not knew except the anniversary comes every year and that is anniversary of the war so I got in this year, we commemorate the 65th anniversary of the seminal event.
As they forward, editorials said it was the tiny band of polish Jews, teenager and young adults are most of the pistol and gasoline bombs wants the hopeless counter attack against the mass forces of the German army. The Nazi SS had chosen that data under the ghetto. Resistant fighters, members of the city zinus, social youth groups decided that if they must die they would go on fighting in force, the worlds remember them. So, it checks the posses the fact that this was Passover saying, a Passover reminded each year of the ancient commandment past on to every generation to view ourselves as we personally have been freed from Egyptian bandage.
Today one full lifetime after 1943, the past over commandment gains a new layer of meaning. We are obliged to view ourselves as if we personally stood on the ruble of the ghetto, but with a single choice remaining, whether or not you seize our destiny and leave a legacy of honor from the generation yet to come. War side ghetto, commemorated each year, but this is the 65th anniversary.
And one final peace, Israel every year they commemorate the holocaust and there is a serene, everybody stops and just stops for moment and does nothing. And this year, Israel’s President made the logical leap to Iran. He charged that the war woke up too late to eliminate the thread of Adolph Hitler, before it started a war that killed 60 million people. What is the world doing today? Well, Iran immense its bombs, Israel had to destroy a serene nuclear reactor. What were they are going to do with the bombs?
And Iran clearly making bombs, working towards making bombs what the world doing? Nothing, but even go ahead. Well they clearly want to destroy Israel. And so, we think about all of these events, question is what to do about it, continue to fight evil, resist evil that exist in the world. But, I want to tell you one human interest story that occur also this week that I think helps us understand what we can do, because I am recording this, in which the Jewish people read the Parsha of Kidolshim (ph). The middle of the Leviticus and it has, probably the most important script have ever written in human history Leviticus 19 with three of the most important words there “parsha Ahavta raacha camocha”- love thy neighbor as thy self.
As many other great research, including “lo tamod al dam rach”-do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor spill and if there is anything in human history that stand and sharp contrast to these two meets vote, love thy neighbor as thy self and do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor spill it is the Nazi’s hoar (ph). There is one little story that of course, is spells a significance to the holocaust, but it does teach us about a little lighting candle in the darkness.
There is a story of softball game, a college woman, it would appear to be a 3 run homer and as she ran at the base, she looked back and twisted her foot and crumpled in the ground and could not get up. Now the rules are that if your own team touches you can advance. She would not be credited with its home run and she did not know what to do, because nobody knew what to do, because she cannot move. And then, the coach of the opposing team said, “Does anybody mind if we help her?” And so, two members of the opposing team lifted her up and carried her around the bags and lower her down, each bases, he could touch the bag as the rules requires, as you can get credit for her home run.
The coach said, “She hit over the fence, she deserved it. Anybody would have done it. I just beat them to it.” Love thy neighbor as thy self. And so, we think about the holocaust the mass murder of over 6 million Jews, a cumulative murder of many million more by other people by the Nazis in 2008. We think about the banality of evil, these SS albums. We think about the worst of ghetto up rising. We think about this Torah found and being repaired that was buried deep in the holocaust Auschwitz cemetery, Shalom.
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