“Never again!” is a phrase associated with the Holocaust. International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023 is January 27. It is a day the world remembers the horrific killing of more than six million Jews. On January 27, 1945, the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated from the Soviet Army.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023|Never Again and Never Forget
History is meant to teach us. However, if we ignore or forget history, even the most horrific events of it, we step into dangerous territory.
While it is not uncommon for people to try to “forget about the past,” there is a reason we don’t. As destructive as it might have been, it is an opportunity to remember and reflect, saying, “Never again!” For if we don’t remember, we are doomed to repeat it.
As Believers and those who stand with Israel, we are called to be a voice of…
- Freedom
- Independence
- Deliverance
- Liberty
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”—Galatians 5:13
It Matters How We Remember the Holocaust
There have been comments about the Holocaust, comments that reflect opinions on how to remember. But we must be aware that words, when put into action, can change how history is remembered.
Some time ago, a person stated that if they were to visit Auschwitz—the Nazi camp where approximately 1.1 million Jews were murdered—they would be overcome with emotion. This seems appropriate and reasonable. However, their response to the “overcome with emotion” was to…
- Burn Auschwitz to the ground
- Remove and replace it with a lush memorial garden
This burning down and replacement would allow people to travel there, sit, and “remember” the horrors. However, false memories take their place when the evidence of atrocities is destroyed. It becomes nearly impossible to remember the event as it truly was—appreciating the magnitude—especially over time.
The person who made the statement did not understand that…
- The Nazis burned other concentration camps to the ground to cover their tracks.
- Burning Auschwitz to the ground today would be helping Nazi and anti-Semitic causes to forget and ignore the Jewish people.
- Many Holocaust survivors actually travel with their families to the site, as it holds great meaning for them.
- If the evidence of Auschwitz “dies,” many more people could one day die in the same way.
Did You Know…?
- A study of over 10,000 Americans aged 18-39 revealed that more than 10% believed that the Jewish people caused the Holocaust, while 23% thought that the Holocaust was a myth or exaggerated.
- In a study of more than 10,000 Americans aged 18-39, 48% could not name a single concentration camp or ghetto.
- 66% of millennials in the United States do not know what Auschwitz is.
- Anti-Semitism is pushing the rapid growth of anti-Semitic acts: a 12% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States between 2018 & 2019 with a 56% increase in physical assaults—causing at least five deaths; a 56% increase in anti-Semitic acts in Australia between 2018 & 2019; a 74% increase in France between 2017 & 2018, and a general rise worldwide.
- The education of children regarding the Holocaust is not something that happens in every country, and often, where it is provided, the education is not always complete or accurate.
They simply did not understand. Yes, the comment may have been written from a place of believed compassion. However, as you can see, if the words were put into action, the results would be dangerous.
Erasing History Removes Its Importance
The statement, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it,” holds a deeper meaning when you see how it applies to horrific events such as the Holocaust.
The erasing of any history or evidence to lessen the emotional impact on those who would otherwise see it sadly takes away an important, if not the most important, part of history. Removing history removes the demonstration of the truth that evil unchecked destroys, and silence and inaction against such evil allow it to flourish.
The concentration camp known as Auschwitz is one of the few remaining places—the primary visual statement—that Holocaust deniers would have difficulty disputing. Because if they can somehow deny the truth of the…
- Film reels
- Documentation,
- Witness statements
- Dead bodies
- Families destroyed
… then, having to walk the place where many of the six million murdered Jews died might make an impression.
The Attempt to Erase Jewish History
There are a number of biblical accounts of kings, kingdoms, and nations that tried to wipe out the Jewish nation. There are other accounts that aren’t as well known.
Have you ever heard the theory that Christopher Columbus was Jewish?
This theory was explained in a Huffington Post article published on May 22, 2012:
- “Some scholars, after analyzing Columbus' will and other documents, have devised a new theory about the explorer. They believe he was a Marrano, or a Jew who pretended to be a Catholic to avoid religious persecution. These historians also theorize that Columbus' main goal in life was to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim control, and that he decided to take his historic quest to North America in order to find a new homeland for Jews who had been forced out of Spain…
“Scholars also point to the real financiers of the voyage as evidence of the trip's purpose. While most schoolchildren grow up learning that the expedition was financed by Queen Isabella, historians say it was mostly paid for by two prominent Jews who had been forced to convert to Catholicism, Louis de Santangel and Gabriel Sanchez.”
It is also recorded that Don Isaac Abrabanel, a rabbi and Jewish statesman, helped fund the voyage.
Another indication Christopher Columbus was Jewish…
In addition, Columbus was originally scheduled to set sail on August 2, 1492, the Jewish Holy Day of Tisha B’Av, which marks the destruction of the First and Second Temple.
The departure was postponed one day, perhaps to avoid setting sail on this unlucky and somber day of remembrance.
Instead, Columbus set sail on the day that the Spanish government gave Jews three choices:
- Convert
- Leave
- Die
It is amazing to think that North America may have been discovered with the heart intention of finding a safe place for the Jewish people to call home and, thereby, a place of religious freedom and independence.
Why We Say, “Never Again!” Why We Remember.
- So We Have Hope
As counterintuitive as it might sound, Auschwitz lends hope to the remaining survivors. It gives hope that their suffering was not in vain. It gives hope that not only their descendants will learn from it but the world! Because, as long as Auschwitz still stands, at least someone will remember what happened.
- So Blessings Aren’t Removed
The strongest weapon that the Nazis used was not bombs and bullets—it was propaganda. They used propaganda to manipulate and control the souls of millions of people—to convince them that the only solution was the elimination of the Jewish people. Today, many Americans feel that the only solution to our nation’s woes is the removal of our nation's history, traditional values, and Christian roots—the elimination of the Christian faith.
Our nation has a rich history of faith that is strongly connected with Israel. This is why the enemy is trying to remove that connection of blessing from America. He is attempting to remove the blessing of Genesis 12:3. He is trying to get us to trade the blessing for a curse—the truth for a lie.
On International Holocaust Memorial Day, this is why we say, “Never again!”
What Does the Saying “Never Again” Mean?
The saying, “Never Again!” serves as a key goal for the Jewish people and all who oppose the Holocaust and stand with Israel. It is a promise that the Holocaust will never again occur and that each of those who say, “Never Again!” will make it part of their mission to see that there is no repeat of the Holocaust. It will not be on our watch!
- We stand with the IDF.
This “Never Again!” view stands firmly in the minds of many who serve Israel. Particularly those who, like the IDF—the Israeli Defense Forces—defend the nation of Israel. It is one of the reasons why all who serve are so highly trained, determined, and selfless.
Israel is situated in the middle of a sea. Not wholly physical, but real. They have a sea of enemies trying to destroy them on all sides, with few allies to help. Every Israeli knows that if they do not fight to keep their land and their lives, both will be taken by force.
So they say, “Never Again!”
The reclaiming of Israel was not easy. Yet, it is more than a place of biblical prophecy fulfillment. Israel is a place of safety in an increasingly anti-Semitic world.
We stand to educate others about the Holocaust. The statistics above show that recent generations do not know much about the Holocaust. Many don’t have the most basic information about how many people died, the actions of the Nazis, major concentration camps, etc.
This lack of understanding about the Holocaust not only puts many at risk of violence but increases opportunities for oppression.
A lack of understanding of the Holocaust threatens all who hate evil. It threatens all Believers, all Jews, and even the Promised Land, Israel!
On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023, let us not forget…
- The stories of Holocaust survivors and victims
- The stories of soldiers, spies, and those in the resistance
And what will help others remember?
- Confessions of those who served in places such as Auschwitz
- Artifacts that survive—mountains of hair, suitcases, shoes, clothes, glasses, crutches, canes, star of David patches, signs, etc., taken as Jews entered places such as Auschwitz
- Photographic and video evidence of the Holocaust
- The remaining places where Jews hid from persecution
- The surviving sections of ghettos
- The gas chambers Nazis did not manage to destroy
- Auschwitz, the crying, and the emotional pain the site brings
Just as God asked Cain where his brother Abel was after Cain had killed him—Abel’s blood crying out from the ground—the Lord remembers. He has not forgotten…
The pain of the Holocaust may be something many want to erase. The blood that cries out from the ground can be felt when one sees Auschwitz. And it is what helps silence any who might wish to repeat it.
It is no wonder that someone might want to burn the place down to quiet the noise… but just as Cain could not deceive God, neither can we. All those moments of pain are buried in the walls of places like Auschwitz. They cry out, causing those who pass through their gates to cry out as well. And God uses this.
It is like when someone touches a lit stovetop. They should—if wholly healthy and with feeling—experience pain. That pain is what tells them to pull their hand back instead of leaving it on the burner to be consumed.
If we do not know the pain of the Holocaust, of places like Auschwitz, then when people are slowly dehumanized, degraded, and eventually slaughtered, how will we know the signs?
The lesson of the pain teaches us not to place our hands on the burner again; the same is true for the Holocaust.
BLOG BANNER: Holocaust Survivor
Belief in the Holocaust does not automatically mean belief in the sovereignty of Israel. Yet, even if it did, it is more than a shield of protection for Israel alone. It is a shield of protection for Jews worldwide, for minorities, religions, and other groups who could easily find themselves selected for mass genocide.Jews were not the only victims of the genocide in WWII. Yet, of the 11 million who died, six million were Jews—six million Jews systematically dehumanized, degraded, and slaughtered. And for every one of them, hearts were shattered.
Let us support Holocaust survivors while they are still with us.
Let us support IDF members who defend the Promised Land.
And let us all say, “Never Again!” Because no one deserves to be on the receiving end of a Holocaust, and no one should stand idly by when they, or others, are forced into one—on either side.
The statistics provided within this blog have been primarily sourced through Holocaust museums, Holocaust educational sources, and some news articles. These statistics were not found in any study we have personally done or been involved with. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the methods used in each study have resulted in unbiased or replicable statistics.
