Never again
Never again. Never again. Never again.
We’ve heard these two words a lot lately. First from Israelis and Jews around the world and their allies when Hamas terrorists butchered innocent civilians in Israel, and more recently from Palestinians using the phrase to say what is happening in Gaza is equivalent to the “never again” happening now.
These false equivalencies continue to mount as the conflict escalates.
I’m seeing many posts comparing the number of deaths among Palestinians since the counter offensive against Hamas, to the number of deaths of Israelis three weeks ago. These comparisons are inevitable, but where the blame lies is in dispute.
My heart breaks for the innocent victims of the Hamas attack, both the Israelis who were murdered on October 7th, and the Palestinian civilians who more recently have been killed in Gaza. I support more recent calls for humanitarian aide, but to be clear, this must include the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
I always thought of myself as a supporter of Israel, and a supporter of a two state solution. As a democratic country in the middle east, as a voice for reason and prosperity in the region, but my understanding of “never again” changed in 2019 when I visited Israel.
In the final days of my trip, we visited the Yad Vashem, the world Holocaust memorial. I thought I knew about the horrors of the holocaust, 6 million Jews were murdered, it’s estimated in total that 11 million civilians were killed.
In those rooms I saw the unspeakable evil that was perpetrated on the Jewish people, marched from trains, their personal belongings taken, stripped naked, gold teeth extracted, then marched in to the gas chambers. They were stripped of every shred of humanity and dignity, then marched at gunpoint in to the gas chambers to die. Men, women, children, babies, all were innocent non combatents in WWII.
Then I walked in to the Hall of Names.
The Hall of Names is a room with two rings at the end of the Yad Vashem tour. In the inner dome, there are names and photographs of holocaust victims, on the outside wall, archives that have been compiled of the countless other victims, faceless, in some cases nameless. You walk in to the middle of it, and spread across the walls, in all directions, are pictures and names of holocaust victims, those that are known.
I can’t describe in words the feelings that flooded me that day in that room. Profound grief and horror is the best I can say. I left that room changed, and with my current understanding of the meaning of “never again”.
Never again can a threat against the Jewish people be taken lightly, a threat against one Israeli is likely a threat against all Israelis.
Never again can the death of 10 or 100 or 1000 be taken as anything but the potential for the death of all.
Never again can the world be silent, or complicit while a threat against the Jewish people exists.
The threat is real, it is constant, and it is absolute.
Israel has no option but to act swiftly and severely. And it is in that context that all actions must be measured.
As I see the narrative from Canadian media changing. As demonstrations grow around the world in support of Palestine, and anti-Israeli sentiments mount. As “peace” demonstrations turn to calls for the destruction of Israel, there can be no other conclusion. I stand with Israel, I stand with the innocent civilians in Gaza, and firmly against Hamas and it’s allies.