Yesterday was Holocaust Rememberance Day. I’m writing this in its last hours. I can’t remember the last time it hit me so hard, to hear about this, one of the most horrible things ever done by people to other people. An attempt at systematic extermination of all the people defined as ‘inferior’, and of entire ethnicities and religions. An attempt to wipe out the Jewish people.
I’ve been more aware of my Jewishness recently, but rarely as strongly as now.
There are few Holocaust survivors left. Too few of them who can still tell their stories and keep the memory of what happened to them alive. Of how the world abandoned them, and nearly no one tried to stop what was coming. And unfortunately, too many of them are live in poverty and hardship, and in the present circumstances their situation becomes even more dire.
As Holocaust survivors age, they require more care due to earlier tribulations in life such as malnutrition in their younger years.
To date, 200,000 Holocaust survivors are living in Israel, 25% of whom are poor. In the New York-area alone, 40% of 36,000 survivors are living at or below the poverty line, according to the UJA-Federation of New York.
The UJA-Federation of New York runs a community initiative to raise funds for Holocaust survivors. Their funding provides survivors with home-based care, counseling with social workers and social programs that bring joy into their lives. On average, their clients range in age from mid-70s to as old as 101 years old.
For Holocaust survivors, coronavirus pandemic reopens old wounds and charities step up to help.
If you can, pleas consider donating to UJA-Federation of New York, or to another organization which offers support to Holocaust survivors, or sharing this with others.
I’m scared. We haven’t learned enough from this event, and similar events. Today, in too many nations, nationalist movements are gaining support, authoritarian leaders are taking power, and hatred and violence against minority groups are spreading. Fascism is rising.
We all have to work together to stop this, to prevent those who want only death and destruction from having the power to bring it, to keep the worst from happening again.
Welcome to Wednesday. Let’s make this day a good one. Please be respectful and considerate, let’s try to assume good faith and good intentions even in people we disagree with, and don’t forget to take a break once in a while. Don’t threaten or wish violence towards anyone. If you have a problem, you can flag the comment, or feel free to contact the mods at avocadomods@gmail.com.
