Remembering, not repeating

by LaDaisha Greenfield
Contributor

This Thursday, April 12, is Holocaust Remembrance Day in the United States—a day to think about the horrors millions of Jewish, and other kinds of people experienced from 1933-1945 at the hands of Nazi Germany. Known as Yom HaShoah (meaning “catastrophe” in Hebrew) by Israelis and Jews all over the world, this is a day to remember those who passed on, and lived to tell their stories. And though many Americans remember studying the Holocaust in school, some know little about the remembrance.

WCC history instructor David Fitzpatrick’s coursework includes teaching the many horrors of the past. “Whether it’s teaching the subject of slavery, or the Holocaust, or any of the wide range of horrible subjects, it’s important to remember them,” he said. “… if we don’t remember them, we’re in danger of history repeating itself.”

The Background

The Holocaust was the result of a policy created by then-German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party to get rid of any people in their country who weren’t considered a “pure” German. That included Jews, Roma Gypsies, people with mental and physical disabilities, blacks and others. But, the main targets of the Holocaust were the Jewish people, up to 6 million, living in European nations.

Millions of the Jewish people inhabiting Europe at the time were subjugated under the Nazi Party, facing social and political discrimination, forced to live in ghettos segregated from others, and systematically removed from their homes to concentration camps in Hitler’s “Final Solution” policy in 1941. It’s estimated that over 10 million people lost their lives in the years of the Holocaust.

The Importance

While it can be difficult to discuss the ugly things that happened throughout periods of history, like genocide and the brutalities of war, as Fitzpatrick noted, it’s necessary to have a conversation.

Acknowledging the names and legacies of people that experienced these ordeals and bringing justice to the wrongs done upon them, empowers others to stand up and fight for what is right.

Historians confirm that the crimes that took place under the Nazi party happened partly because bystanders refused to speak up. Hearing their stories matters.

Revising History Dangers

Despite the horrors reported by witnesses, people have long questioned whether the Holocaust ever happened. Some political extremists here and abroad, deny or downplay the devastation. In March, Poland passed an “anti-defamation bill,” that, according to politifact.com, “makes it illegal to attribute responsibility for or complicity during the Holocaust to the Polish nation or state.”

Revisionism is always a part of history, said Fitzpatrick, “…historians by definition revise history. (But) Poland is doing that to whitewash history.”

Poland was, in fact, home to many Nazi-German occupied death and concentration camps like Auschwitz — where over 1 million people were killed.

Fiztpatrick pointed to the removal of Confederate statues in the U.S., a hot-button issue that’s caused a lot of controversy. “Some are comparing what Poland is doing to (the removal of) Confederate statues. But it’s totally different,” he said. “These figures committed treason, supported a system of human bondage, and we’re saying that we’re no longer glorifying these figures.”

The Jewish Community

Many Jewish people that practice Judaism hold the Remembrance in synagogues, having prayer and moments dedicated to victims. There are charity funds and organizations like, the Hardship Fund, put in place to aid remaining survivors of the Holocaust, along with members of their family, who still face anti semitism worldwide.

There are institutions in place to remember victims of the Holocaust such as: The Hidden Children and Child Survivors Association of Michigan, and the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.

Annually, the two organizations team up to hold a Yom HaShoah commemoration to honor those who lost their lives in the days of the Holocaust. The Memorial Center also has a website dedicated to the specific Michigan victims of the Holocaust at: portraitsofhonor.org

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