Today we visited Yad
Vashem, which is Israel’s official memorial to the Jewish victims of the
Holocaust. It is dedicated to documenting the story of the six million Jewish victims
and imparting their legacy to future generations.
Yad Vashem’s name comes
from the biblical verse: “I will give, in my house and within my walls, a
monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an
everlasting name [Yad Vashem] that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 56:5)
From the moment we
walked in the door, we were immersed in the history of the Holocaust, by
historical artifacts, photographs and videos which recall various events and
the testimony of survivors.
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| The Hall of Names: a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust |
The many faces, names,
and situations we encountered expressed the feelings of vulnerability,
oppression and abuse of the powerless, and the voiceless of that time. This
tragedy was the result of a humanity who had decided to take God out of its
heart. When humanity forgets about God, then men and women become predators
preying on the weak and powerless among them.
Like the Holocaust
event of the past, there are many forms of oppression and violence in today’s
world. It's not enough to go to the museum and feel troubled for a while. It's
not enough to be furious only about oppression in the past because we are called
to be leaders of our time. Rather, the
Holocaust commits us to be aware of violence in all its forms and to help open
the eyes of others to see the atrocities and crimes against humanity that are
happening before our eyes.
Even though we speak
different languages and come from different cultures and races, we know that
our humanity is the common denominator that moves us to enter into real
solidarity with those under oppression.
We realize, even more strongly, that our humanity, with the example of
our Lord Jesus Christ who entered in solidarity with us, leads us to be in
solidarity with others. Jesus alone reveals humanity’s real identity, mission
and fulfillment.
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