As we came together today to mark 80 years since the liberation of that notorious concentration and extermination camp, however, this history felt more challenging than ever. Although the darkness of the past was palpable, especially when listening to the brave survivors, it was also the backdrop of the present that weighed heavily on my mind.
I thought of the vast increase in antisemitism over the last 15 months, and how friends and colleagues now hide their Star of David necklaces or kippahs in public for fear of being verbally or physically attacked. I thought of the riots that took place in the UK in August 2024, in which mosques were targeted and Muslims were dragged out of cars, screamed at and spat on. I thought of the Uyghur in China, forcibly sterilised, ‘re-educated’ and consigned to slave labour; the Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar; settler attacks in the West Bank against Palestinians, with one hardline Israeli settler speaking of the need for mass deportations and “cleansing” of the area;1 the mass graves of Ukrainian civilians that bear witness to the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers, having been told that Ukraine is under a ”neo-Nazi regime”.2 I thought of the prevailing discrimination against the Roma and Sinti and LGBTQ+ communities, not to mention the racism, xenophobia and other crimes of hatred inflicted upon minority groups across the world.
I thought of the upcoming elections in Germany, the country where the Holocaust was meticulously planned and set in motion, and the fact that the far-right Alternativ für Deutschland are currently second in the polls. This is not an exception, as such political parties are garnering increasing support in countries across the world. I thought of America, and Trump’s promised “Golden Age” already being defined by the ‘othering’ of migrants and the transgender community, threats against political opponents, and a certain billionaire oligarch clearly and deliberately performing a fascist salute - twice - in front of millions of people.
I thought about the futility of the phrase ‘Never again’. What does that actually mean, in practice? When multiple genocides have occurred since 1945 - albeit not in purpose-built gas chambers, though many victims of the Holocaust were murdered in other ways - and there is so much conflict, division and persecution still happening, why do we keep repeating such empty words?
With the heaviness and bleakness of the world in its present state, it also would have been very easy to think: Is there a point to this now? Does anyone care? But I stopped short of such despondent questions, because yes, there is a point and yes, there are many people who do care. Unfortunately, it is not their voices that always seem the loudest on social media or on the world stage. Our news feeds and doom-scrolling are filled with negative, often clickbait headlines that demand our attention. It is rare that we hear much about the good news stories, no matter how small or local they are. The interfaith community groups that promote dialogue and understanding between different religions and cultures. The ongoing help and support that is provided to refugees by people who willingly give their time, knowledge and money. Historic milestones achieved by those from minority groups, which are a cause for celebration.
In terms of the Holocaust, the enduring phrase in which I do believe is ‘Never forget’. We have a duty to the astonishing survivors, who rebuilt their lives, started families and contributed their gifts to our science, culture, arts, philanthropy and many other sectors, to remember their stories and bear witness to their lived experiences. Equally, we have a duty to the six million Jewish people, and the tens of thousands of Roma and Sinti, Soviet POWs, political prisoners, gay men, Jehovah’s Witnesses, mentally and physically disabled, so-called ‘asocials’ and black people who were persecuted, humiliated, segregated, tortured and ultimately murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. Their stories and experiences were silenced forever, often with no one left to even testify to their existence.
Those of us working in Holocaust research, education and memorialisation will continue. We will continue to teach. We will continue to delve into the archives and reveal more details about the lives of the lost. We will continue to commemorate all victims of Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides, and we will call out the warning signs when we see them. It is my deepest hope that, in the future, there will be no more events that result in a researcher being brought to tears by discovering a photograph of a child that had no idea of the genocidal fate that awaited them.
1 Channel 4 News, 22 October 2024. ↩
2 ‘Ukraine War: President Putin Speech Fact-Checked,’ BBC News, 21 February 2023, available online at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/64718139. ↩
