The March of remembrance is a special occasion that is held to honor and remember the six million Jews that lost their lives eighty years ago, in World War two, during the mass extermination of the holocaust. It teaches us not to remain silent regarding anti-Semitism, oppression, hatred of the Jews and hostility toward Israel, especially now, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when anti-Semitism has dramatically increased. While watching the video about the “2021 March of remembrance of Texas”the aspect of the march of remembrance that impacted me the most was when the survivors and survivor descendants lit up the candle to honor and rememberthose who were murdered during the holocaust incident. While watching this scene, I was emotional, I have heard the story about how the Jews were hunted and massacred a lot but seeing these survivors and their descendants lit up the candle in honor and remembrance of those who didn’t survive was beautiful to watch, I felt happy for them for surviving and for being able to fight against anti-Semitism. What happened during the mass extermination of the holocaust was scary and terrible, it’s a situation I can’t imagine experiencing. These survivors devoting their lives to fighting against what nearly took their lives (anti-Semitism) made me view them as superheroes, they are strong and resilient individuals, they inspire me. The March of remembrance teaches us to “remember, reconcile, and take a stand” it’s about giving the survivors of the holocaust a voice encouraging reconciliation between them and remarkable Nazi descendants, and taking a stand against modern day anti-Semitism. This is also what the scripture is all about, the word of God teaches us to forgive and lay aside our personal prejudices and promote justice in the face of injustice, the scripture teaches us to take a stand against evil because God is against injustice or oppression, what happened to the six million Jews was an abomination to the Lord. In Proverbs 17:15, it states that “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of themalike are an abomination to the lord.”
My response to the March of remembrance will affect my actions in the future in a positive manner. The March of remembrance is a significant occasion for the Jews and Christians. However, as a Christian, it has taught me three important things which are: to always remember those who lost their lives because of their belief, to reconcile and put my prejudice aside, and to take a stand against the modern day anti-Semitism, oppression, injustice, and hatred. As a Christian, I have decided to take a stand against any form of oppression or injustice. Witnessing injustice and ignoring it doesn’t make me different from the perpetrator, being a bystander in the face of people being dishonored or oppressed means I’m aligning myself with the perpetrator. I decide not to ignore people who are oppressed, but fight for them, this is what hope in the face of humiliation is all about. While watching the “hope in the face of humiliation” video, there was a scene that really got my attention, it was when Samuel Haas (the Grandson of a Nazi perpetrator) said that what his forefathers did broke his heart, and that he devoted his life to fighting against anti-Semitism, that was a powerful moment. His forefathers committed their lives toward destroying Jewish lives but by the grace of God he decided not to be what his forefathers were, he committed his life toward taking a stand against Oppression of the Jews. What Samuel Haas did has inspired me to have hope in the face of humiliation, it has mandated me to become a better person than I was inthe past, it has inspired me to become an advocate for the oppressed. I have promised myself that from now onward, I will commit myself toward fighting against anti-Semitism. I will not stand by and watch people face injustice, racism, hate, oppression or any form of humiliation. Every month of April 11th, during Houston Holocaust march of remembrance, I have decided that I will be part of those who come together in order to honor and remember those Jews who lost their lives, andI will make sure that people around me, my Neighbours, my family members, friends, church members, and school mates will know about the importance of the March of remembrance. The people who lost their lives during the holocaust will not just be history but will be a reminder that we shouldn’t allow anti-Semitism or hatred toward any group of people in our society.
