There are few topics in history that carry as much sobriety as the Holocaust. I find it difficult to write on such topics because of such a burden. Yet, as a student of history and a creature of a fractured time, I find it necessary to write upon. How we handle such events matter, and thus we must continue to have the courage to explore, examine, and teach with unwavering boldness in hopes of never forgetting.
The Liberation of Auschwitz: January 27th, 1945
It is easy to look at historical events at isolated. If we are not careful, we see them as one single blip on a much larger timeline. The moon landing, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and countless wars are seen like this. But with these defining moments, history carries both a build up and a carry over that transcends the event itself. I remember the frustration I felt when teaching history to 10th graders a few years ago. When we got to the holocaust, our textbook only contained a small vignette no longer than a paragraph. For many, the focus is on the final outcome and not the lasting ramifications, or what led to the event.
The horrible truth is that the further we get from such an event, the more it becomes compacted into tiny paragraphs. The relevance to our own lives take a backseat to our more modern timeline. Yet, history is like woven thread. In order for us to see it as it is today, we must first examine the past to know what to think of the fibers.
Seeing the “Other”
We must be careful never to label someone as “other”. Whether we appreciate or are repulsed by this, we are all cut from similar cloth. We share an all too bruised humanity. In times of struggle, we make scapegoats and look to blame. Never is the root of this a people group. When we do this, it dehumanizes which in turn makes a place for hatred. As long as we make conditions ripe for hate, we will never relinquish evil. It must be rooted out, admonished, and shouted out of the dark corners in which it breeds. Such ideology becomes theology too quickly for us to stand on the side. By the time evil comes to the light, it has bastardized our values and purities.
We are all “other”. While 6 million Jews were murdered in the holocaust, many groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christians, gay or suspected to be gay men, and the disabled were senselessly murdered. Evil has no limits and it is only a matter of time before our “otherness” draws the attention of those with an agenda.
Be Not Proud
It would be foolish for us to think these events could never repeat themselves. I often think of how I would respond in such timelines. If I was in Germany, what would I have done? There is enough in my own bloodline to imagine I would have been deemed as the “other”. How would I carry myself? Would I fight for myself and blame others or would I rise to combat? The answers to these questions humble me. We can never be too proud to believe the horrors of history only lay behind us. They pulse through the arteries of history in real-time.
Please, take some time to consider the past. The things that have been done are valuable lessons and reminders of how to carry on into the future. Do not grow weary of looking into the face of evil with unflinching honesty and humility.
Some resources I have appreciated through the years:
- Night and Fog (1956): This is perhaps the most unflinching account of the Holocaust. The footage used is heartbreaking and silent. It shows the brutality of what happened while still holding a severance for the innocent.
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: After 3 years in concentration camps, Frankl was a survivor who went on to be a celebrated and respected neurologist and psychiatrist who in this book outlines his experience as well as his crafting of Logotherapy.
- Night by Elie Wiesel: Many read this during their school years, but this timeless work can be revisited monthly. The short volume outlines his own time in the camps with humanity and respect.
- Anything by or about Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Perhaps the greatest theological mind of the 20th century, Bonhoeffer was a pastor who lead an illegal seminary through the time of Hitler. While beginning as a non-violent objector, he eventually through prayer and contemplation, decided to take part in the plot to kill Hitler. After an offer to stay in the States during the war, he declined to head back to his homeland to be a part of the resistance. His life in prison and ultimate martyrdom gives great weight to his theology and writing. There are many great biographies on him.
Matt simon blog 