Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Yom HaShoah

Yesterday was Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laGvura (יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה – literally Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day), known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day [1]. It commemorates the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and also the heroic Jewish resistance in that period. In 2008 I wrote of it thus [2]. I feel the same now. Only more so.

Yesterday IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi (pictured) said: ‘…in the name of all the millions who never got to witness the realization of their dream, I stand here today as the commander of the Jewish defending force, the Israel Defense Forces, and pledge on behalf of us all: We shall never again stand defenceless and in the mercy of others. Never again will Jewish children stare in fear begging to be spared. Never again will we let our enemies determine the fate of the Jewish people. We will be able to protect our sons’. [3]

Yesterday over in Foxs Lane, darling Kate wrote of gratitude and she invited her readers to write of their top four reasons to be grateful [4]. Me? I’m grateful my birth in 1947 was in Australia and not Europe. I’m grateful Israel exists. I’m grateful the IDF is strong and brave. And I’m grateful Israel and the IDF will face down Iran when literally the entire rest of the world is too immoral and cowardly to do so.

Never again.

Amen.

2 comments:

Chris Burrows said...

A very moving post Farmdoc,I had posted mine before I read yours.
6,000,000 it is just such a huge loss to humanity and such a foul stain on our history.

Meg said...

Don't worry about us Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, us chicks can take care of ourselves.