Frank: Never again is a solemn vow, most notably associated with the Holocaust, promising that genocide and mass atrocities against Jews will never again be permitted. The Holocaust, which killed six million Jews during the second world war, was one of the greatest atrocities ever committed against human beings and was an attempt by the Nazis to rid the world of the Jew through a process termed genocide which is a planned and purposeful elimination of a people. When Hitler took power in 1933, the world contained 15.3 million Jews with 60% living in Europe. During the 12 years in power, Hitler and his minions, using gas chambers, ovens, mass shootings, torture, and starvation slaughtered two thirds of Europe’s population of Jews. It has taken 81 years to finally reach a population of Jews that existed in 1933. The world Jewish population now stands at 15.7 million.
Since the end of this incredible and unbelievable attempt to rid the world of Jews, two words surfaced on the lips of most every living Jew, “Never Again.” Never again would Jews allow for the world to attempt to destroy its people. Never again would such a tragedy be allowed to happen. These two words are now being heard more loudly than ever as we listen to the words of Iranian leaders who have dedicated their mission to “wipe Israel off the face of the map.”
Mark, it seems that with Iran’s threat to produce atomic weapons the world needs to understand it must stop Iran from manufacturing atomic bombs which they have said they would use to destroy the State of Israel. If ever there was a time to fulfill the meaning and actions of the words “Never Again,” it is now. What are your thoughts on all this?
Mark: Frank, the truth is that, for most Americans and other citizens of the world, the threat of the annihilation of Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran occupies absolutely no place on the radar screens of their minds. It is an abstract, academic question, one totally detached from their daily lives.
For Israel, in contrast, it presents a noticeably clear and present danger. It is a very real, very close and very much of an existential threat. As Jews, we have read this script many times before, including in our recent past, in the horrors that befell our people in the past century in the Holocaust. In that sense, we are largely alone in understanding and comprehending the full extent of what this threat means, not only to the Jewish state, but to every Jew who supports the right of that state of Israel to exist.
And therein lies the heart of the matter: When we say, “Never Again” we are not saying that attacks on Jews will end. Rather, it is our declaration, as the Jewish people, that we will never again respond to those attacks by silence, indecision, indifference, or inaction. Every people, including the Jewish people, has the right to defend itself, its institutions, its ideals, its hopes, and dreams…and its biblical and ancestry homeland.
Therefore, it is incumbent on every Jew to support Israel’s right to defend itself from threats to its existence; it is our duty to support the lives of the millions of our brothers and sisters who call the Jewish state their home. In many ways, their safety is also ours. They send their sons and daughters into harm’s way, to protect and preserve a sanctuary and a refuge for all of us, a place of safe and secure ingathering for every Jew, in every place, in any moment of need.
Frank, there is yet another way to define the term “Never Again.” It means that we need to remind ourselves and others of why we say those words. That is the way in which Jews worldwide can defend the Jewish state and the Jewish people. It is in how we respond to the threats we face in our communities. It is in how we educate ourselves about the realities of our history, so that we might be better able to educate others with whom we come into contact in our lives. What is your response to this?
Frank: Mark, I totally agree with you that “Never Again” means we as a Jewish people need to remind the world of why we say these words and that we have a God given right to defend ourselves to avoid yet another Holocaust. There is a historical event that best exemplifies this concept of “Never Again.”
In the first few days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, an unprepared Israel was at a serious risk of being overrun by the Egyptian and Syrian armies invading Israel from the North and South. Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir placed a late-night call to the American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and told him that she needed the United States to immediately send Israel replacement tanks, airplanes, guns and ammunition or Israel and its people ran a significant risk of being destroyed. Golda is said to have told Kissinger that if he did not send immediate help, Damascus and Cairo would no longer exist, meaning Israel would use its atomic weapons to avoid destruction of the State of Israel. In other words, “Never Again” was the underpinning of what was meant by this threat. The very next day, America did send Israel what was needed and Israel was able to defend itself and win this threatening war to destroy the Jewish state.
Since there is no absolute documented evidence that these words by Prime Minister Meir were spoken, there remains some debate among historical scholars that Golda Meir did make this threat to Kissinger. Nevertheless, this event does highlight the nuance of the words, “Never Again.” Israel and its people will not yield to its destruction. Because Iran has threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the map and would need atomic weapons to achieve this goal, Israel and America are doing all they can to avoid Iran from obtaining atomic weapons. This is “Never Again” in action.
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The Jewish people throughout the world and in the State of Israel want nothing more than to be able to live in peace with its neighbors. Repeatedly, Israel has offered land and peace to Arabs and repeatedly, its numerous neighbors have declined the offer. Their response was put forth after the six-day war in 1967 and has been labeled as the “three no’s”. No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiations with Israel.
“Never Again” may not be well understood by non-Jews, but it is well understood by the fifteen million Jews throughout the world. I pray for the words “Never Again” to someday never be needed again.
Rabbi Mark Schiftan can be reached at mschiftan@aol.com
Dr. Frank Boehm can be reached at frank.boehm@vumc.org