Holocaust memorial ‘an ongoing campaign against hatred’

The Holocaust stands alone in the scale and systematisation of its cruelty, Gary Nowosenetz, the chairperson of the Pretoria Council, told a crowd of diplomats, dignitaries, Christian friends, and community members at the annual Holocaust memorial ceremony at Pretoria Shul on Thursday, 24 April.

The day reminds us of the enduring threat of hate, and how old patterns of antisemitic violence can resurface suddenly, brutally, and unforgivably. “We must never forget,” Nowosenetz said. “And we must never allow others to forget, deny, or distort the truth of the Holocaust. Today, we are challenged once more. When we are attacked, plundered, beaten, and murdered, are we not entitled to defend ourselves? Are we not entitled to issue warnings, and to respond with strength when faced with a campaign of modern-day ethnic cleansing?

“Hamas and groups like it have been indoctrinated with the belief that Jews and Israelis are subhuman, a chilling echo of Nazi ideology,” Nowosenetz said.

He reminded those gathered that for 2 000 years, we have lived among nations, contributing to science, ethics, culture, and progress, and asked how many more geniuses, scholars, doctors, and inventors were lost in the ashes of the Holocaust.

South African Union of Jewish Students Vice-Chairperson David Teeger said remembering the Holocaust reminded us that the values of tolerance, freedom, and acceptance must never be compromised.

“While we have the benefit of living in a time where freedom and democracy prevail in South Africa, we must remain vigilant,” Teeger said. “The events of 7 October are a reminder that modern society is confronted once more with the real dangers of extremist violence and hatred. The lessons of the Holocaust teach us that indifference can lead to complicity, and silence in the face of hatred can pave the way for tyranny. We are encouraged to speak out, to educate ourselves and others, and to build a future where empathy and human rights are at the core of our values.”

Enrico Brandt, deputy chief of mission at the German embassy, said he was remembering the victims of the Nazis “in challenging times, in times of geopolitical shifts, unrest, and wars, unfortunately also in the Middle East”.

“One sometimes wonders: what have people learned from the horrors of the 20th century?” he asked.

Germany today has consensus that commemorating the Holocaust remains an ongoing task for politicians and society as a whole, Brandt said. His government supports sites of remembrance and invests heavily in programmes for young people to educate them about the consequences of exclusion, contempt for humanity, and antisemitism. He regards the fact that many Jews still don’t feel safe on the streets of Germany as shameful, and said the Bundestag drafted a resolution last year to protect, preserve, and strengthen Jewish life in Germany.

The most heartfelt message of the evening was brought by the consul at the Israeli embassy, Na’ama Scop, who shared the story of her grandparents, Esther and Pinchas, who were young adults in then Czechoslovakia when the war began. Their story of survival, of being arrested and thrown into prison, interrogated, and beaten before being transferred to a forced labour camp, was felt by all. They finally found the opportunity and courage six months later, to escape, fleeing to Budapest.

Their difficult journey, living in a foreign country, not knowing the language, and with false identities hit home. Their joy of survival was mixed with deep, unending sorrow, Scop said. Their entire families had been murdered. “And yet, even with all the loss, the silence, and the grief, my grandparents chose life. In 1949, they immigrated to Israel. They built a home. They raised a family. They rebuilt a future,” Scop said.

David Saks, former associate director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, discussed the use of Holocaust references and symbolism to taunt and intimidate Jews. One method was “Holocaust inversion, which is much more insidious, dangerous, and in many ways, even more hurtful and demeaning to Jewish people. It declares that the same horrors that were inflicted against the Jews of Europe are being carried out before our eyes by the Jewish state of Israel against the people of Palestine. It states that the victims have now become the perpetrators.”

Saks said falsely accusing any nation of carrying out a genocide, the ultimate crime against humanity, was repellent enough, but there was something especially ugly about levelling such defamatory charges against those who are known to have experienced a real genocide.

“This isn’t to minimise the multiple tragedies that have befallen the ordinary people of Gaza,” Saks said. “But let it never be forgotten that this is a war that Hamas started and that Hamas, as a matter of deliberate strategy, has chosen to fight from the heart of its own civilian population.”