Every year, on Jan 27, we come together to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. During the Second World War, the Nazi regime annihilated, systemically and brutally, in cold blood, no fewer than six million Jews, including more than one million children. This genocide brought us face to face with the extent of man's capacity for inhumanity to his fellow man.
Jan 27 was declared by the United Nations as the International Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust, so that we can take a pause from our busy lives and daily routines to remember and reflect on the Holocaust and the lessons that should have been learned.
The question of how the world could fail to stop such atrocities, which took place in the heart of Europe, the birthplace of human enlightenment, is still resonant today. Part of the answer is indifference to anti-Semitic sentiment, which had been gradually implanted into German society and paved the way for the narrative of the dehumanisation of the Jewish people. Part of it was the hate that people have against others who are different to them, and part of it involved envy of the success of the Jewish minority in Germany. Eventually it led to the Nazis' systematic implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question", which was a euphemism and a code for the systematic murder of six million innocent people.
While the Holocaust was a unique tragedy for the Jewish people, nevertheless its lessons are universal. The primary and chilling lesson that all of us need to remember is that we should not let the primal instinct of hating those who are different to us control our behavior. But has mankind really learnt this lesson?
Sadly, 76 years later we are still experiencing the evils of bigotry and blind hate. Anti-Semitism is on the rise, especially in Europe and North America. Apparently, according to a recent study by Tel Aviv University, the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified anti-Semitic discourse across the globe. We have witnessed increasing numbers of vicious and lethal attacks against Jewish people, as well as enormous growth in online anti–Semitism.
However, not just Jews are being targeted. Other minorities are also being persecuted and discriminated against, be it on a religious, racial or gender basis, for no other reason than a primitive hatred of others who are different.
The real issue that I believe should worry us all is the lack of knowledge, and dare I say even ignorance, that exists around the world, regarding history in general, and the Nazi era and the Holocaust in particular. A deficient knowledge of the history of the human race provides a perfect breeding ground for racism, discrimination and hate, which may lead to further genocides. Despite a relatively low level of anti–Semitic sentiment in Asia, we have seen, year after year, numerous sad reoccurrence of incidents in which Nazi symbols have been displayed on random occasions, including in Thailand. In most cases, these incidents are motivated simply by a disturbing and profound ignorance.
As hard and as challenging as it is, the only effective antidote to racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination is education. Formal education and active informal self-learning are extremely powerful tools. Families, schools and universities can still rise to the challenge of teaching history and values. Online platforms and the social media giants should also be mindful and responsible so as to avoid encouraging extremism, blood libel and conspiracy theories.
As Jews, we are obviously committed to remembering the Holocaust, not only in memory of our families who were brutally murdered in Europe, but also in order to keep the sacred promise that another Holocaust should never happen again.
But what about the rest of the world? The global pandemic of the past year provided another example of why the world must stand together as one in the face of threats that might shake the foundations of our common faiths. We therefore need to stand united to defend the values of human dignity and solidarity. We must invest enough time and resources to learn more about the Holocaust and its lessons for the sake of the future of the generations to come. Education is the best vaccination against the diseases of hatred, intolerance and xenophobia.
Meir Shlomo, PhD, is the Ambassador of Israel to Thailand.