No one forgotten, no one left behind
“Never again” has become synonymous with the pledge to remember the horrors inflicted upon Jews during the Holocaust and to prevent its recurrence.
I REMEMBER the days I enjoyed counting. Perhaps it was the counting of days until school holidays or a birthday. These days, however, counting brings me no joy.
For the last 495 days, I – like most of you – have been counting the days since October 7, counting those who have survived, those who have been injured, the soldiers who have fallen, the hostages who have been released and the hostages that still remain in captivity.
For all of us, we were counting on humanity to learn from history’s mistakes, hoping that the horrors of the Shoah would never become a reality again.
On January 27, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Today, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of another camp, Gross-Rosen.
But perhaps, until recently, we were naive to think that 80 years had gone by and that the antisemitism of the 1920s-40s had genuinely been left in the past. Has there always been a subtle undercurrent beneath the surface?
“Never again” has become synonymous with the pledge to remember the horrors inflicted upon Jews during the Holocaust and to prevent its recurrence.
For the past 497 days we have told the world “never again is now”, that history is yet again repeating itself. This time the horrors are in tunnels, in civilians’ homes and in UNRWA facilities.
Tragically, the skeletal image of liberated survivors are not confined to historic photos of inmates of Auschwitz, Gross-Rosen and other Nazi death factories.
Last weekend, one could not help but call to mind those haunting, tortured faces as we witnessed the release of Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levi. Never again is now. It is now. It has happened.
We often ask how humanity could have sunk to such depths during the Shoah. Eighty years on, we are forced to ask that same question again.
Shock at their frail, emaciated appearance was somewhat abated as we saw joyful reunions with families. But for Eli Sharabi, there would be no respite from the horror. Only on the day of his release did he learn that his wife, two teenage daughters and brother had been murdered on October 7.
Or Levy’s reunion with his three-year-old son Almog was met with relief and joy. But a father and son now have to navigate their lives together without their mother and wife, as Einav was also murdered during Hamas’s savage onslaught.
In three days’ time, we will mark another painful number – 500 days since that onslaught. 500 days since 1200 Israelis were brutally massacred. 500 days since 251 people were kidnapped and taken to the terror tunnels of Gaza. 500 days that 76 of them have been held hostage. And 500 days since we first witnessed the jubilation of many of our fellow Australians, celebrating and justifying the senseless slaughter and suffering of Jews.
It is hard to comprehend precisely what has happened on these shores. How a country that prides itself on multiculturalism and social cohesion now makes headlines internationally with report after report on antisemitic incidents.
It’s even harder to comprehend the devastation wrought on kibbutzim throughout Israel’s south, where entire communities were massacred, where survivors lost every member of their family, where parents still pray for the release of their children, and where bullet-strewn, burnt-out buildings are all that remain of societies founded on friendship and love.
Even standing there, as I did last month, in the rubble-strewn homes of Be’eri or in the killing fields of Nova, it’s hard to believe that any of this is real. How could this happen? How could people act with such barbarity?
In Be’eri, the faces of Lianne, Noya and Yahel Sharabi gaze down from the home they shared with Eli. He returned. They never will.
We were taken through the remains of Be’eri by Australian expat and Be’eri member Danny Majzner, whose sister, Galit Carbone was murdered on October 7. The blackened and bullet-filled homes that remain, many of which still contain the belongings of those who were kidnapped and murdered will haunt me forever.
At Re’im, the site of the Nova massacre, photos of the 364 young music lovers show them smiling – just as they would have smiled as they danced, unaware that moments later they would be shot to death. My heart weeps. I was taken through the Nova site by Shalev Biton, who was saved by the selfless act of a Muslim Bedouin farmer. Shalev’s story is one of hope.
In the aftermath of October 7, the slogan plastered across Israel was “Together we will succeed”, the sentiment we have all carried as a Jewish people, Am Echad, across the globe. And just as we’ve come together regularly as one to express our solidarity, so we will unite again on Monday evening.
Marking 500 days since October 7, Zionism Victoria, together with our friends from United With Israel, invite the community to come together once more.
Under the banner of “No One Forgotten”, we will remember each individual who was killed that day and since, ensuring they are not just a number, but that their names live on. Under the banner of “No One Left Behind”, we will demand the release of each and every one of the 76 remaining hostages.
The Zionist Council of NSW together with Habayit and Mizrachi will hold an early morning event in Sydney.
So for now we call on the community to come together and send a message to the world – we will not rest until they are all home, because while we’re counting the days, they are counting on us.
Elyse Schachna is president of Zionism Victoria
To register for 500 Days in Melbourne, visit events.humanitix.com/500-days
comments