CTeenConnection

By Sam Hollander

In times of plenty it is always important to remember times of struggle. Last week marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.  The commemoration took place at the front of the Death Gate of KL Auschwitz II–Birkenau, and for the past ten years, has been considered International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

As Charlotte Delbo, an Auschwitz captive and member of the French resistance said, “They expected the worst, not the unthinkable.” The Jewish people were murdered by the millions, being forced to work and die in the concentration camps, one of the worst being Auschwitz, a concentration camp built in 1940 that grew into a 40 sq km “facility” of horror.  At least 960,000 Jews were killed there, among thousands from other nationalities. People were tortured, experimented on, and forced to face a hell we could never imagine today, including my own grandfather, who survived and has led to me being here today.

In today’s times, where Jews are spreading out and are experiencing anti-Semitism and terrorism in places never imagined, including France, and Britian, among others, it is imperative that we remember who we lost and what had happened during the Holocaust, so that history doesn’t repeat itself.

At the same time, we must also realize how powerful it is, that seventy years later, we’re still here, and thriving. Though we went through unspeakable horrors, our nation is still here. The Jews are still here. Not only that, but we’ve come up on top. While we remember our Jewish brothers and sisters who were murdered by the hands of the Nazis, we must continue on in her legacy. Judaism is stronger now than it has ever been, and we must continue to make it so. Aim Yisrael Chai!