Reader's letter

On January 27, 2025, I had the honor of attending the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The event brought together some 50 international delegations and world and Jewish leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron of France, King Charles III of England, King Felipe VI of Spain, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, President Ronald S. Lauder of the World Jewish Congress and President Dani Dayan of Yad Vashem, among others. Also in attendance were 56 Holocaust survivors – a number that is decreasing every year.

This time the politicians did not give speeches – the voices of the survivors, living witnesses to the horror, were heard.

Ronald S. Lauder gave one of the most powerful speeches of the ceremony. He drew a parallel between the Holocaust and the current rise in anti-Semitism, emphasizing that what happened in Israel on October 7, 2023, and in Auschwitz have the same root: “an ancestral hatred against Jews.” He also warned us that: “anti-Semitism had accomplices then and still has them today.”

Although nothing compares to the scale of the Holocaust, the massacre perpetrated by Hamas has similarities. The terrorists murdered indiscriminately – men, women, the elderly, children – and committed atrocities that are reminiscent of those of the Nazis, with equal cruelty.

The same seeds that gave rise to the Holocaust are still present today: the incitement of hatred, the legitimization of violence, and the systematic dissemination of anti-Semitism, fueled by lies and disinformation. As Lauder points out, Kristallnacht was a test for the Nazis. When Hitler realized that the world was not responding to the attack on the Jews, he felt free to move forward with his plans for the “final solution of the Jewish problem.”

The same thing happened with the terrorists who attacked Israel: on the one hand, they were financed and politically supported by governments, and on the other, they received support from academics and sectors of the media. This support helped to legitimize their violence under the pretext of “resistance” and “the fight for freedom.”

The global reaction to the October 7 massacre has been alarming. Instead of condemning the terrorists, many have sought to justify them and criticize Israel, even before the country has begun its military response.

It was believed that the horrors of the Holocaust had taught the world a definitive lesson, but the murder of six million Jews was not enough to eradicate hatred against us.

During the ceremony, 99-year-old Auschwitz survivor Leon Weintraub said: “In this place where the technique of mass and industrial murder was introduced, I feel immense pain when I see that in many European countries people wearing Nazi uniforms can march with impunity.” Another survivor, Tova Friedman, said: “Our revenge was to build a strong Jewish country and raise our families in peace.”

Indeed, the most powerful response to the Holocaust was the creation of the State of Israel – a sovereign Jewish country capable of protecting its people and ensuring that Jews would never again be left defenseless. However, as we were starkly reminded on October 7, 2023, having a Jewish country is not enough. It must be defended at all costs – whether against those who seek to destroy it militarily or against those who seek to weaken it politically and in public opinion. History teaches us an indisputable lesson: the survival of the Jewish people requires vigilance, determination and strength.

Soon we will celebrate Passover. During the seder let's reread the words of Haggadah: “For not one enemy has risen up against us to destroy us; but in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us. But the Holy One, blessed is He, rescues us from their hands.” Our ancestors suffered persecution and massacre – but they were redeemed by G‑d, who freed them and chose them as His people.

Passover teaches us that evil is defeated and good prevails. Even in the darkest moments, light always rises again. So, as the People of Israel face the pain and challenges of this period, we hold firm to our faith that soon we will have an even brighter and brighter dawn.