September, 2024
Dr. Susanna Kokkonen
September is the month we associate with new beginnings mostly related to work. The fall is when school starts, people go off to colleges and summer vacations are behind us. Many people like in January, start the fall with new resolve. They want to make changes in their lives, making promises to themselves and others. So, the month of September represents positive changes. Whether connected to work, studies, or exercise, it is all a blessing, as we need all these things in our lives.
September is a month that has seen its share of huge historic changes.
September 1, 1939
Related to the Holocaust and the history we seek to understand, September is associated with the beginning of World War 2. The war started with Germany’s brutal attack on Poland on September 1st, 1939. The attack was deceptive, Germans blamed Poles for it, and it assumed an efficiency that the Polish army (compared with the German one) could not match. Germany and the Soviet Union had previously divided Europe into their spheres of influence. According to their agreement comma those two nations were going to govern Europe between themselves. So, the attack by Germany on Poland was in keeping with that agreement.
As Nazi Germany swiftly conquered Poland, the largest Jewish community of Europe, over three million souls, fell under Nazi occupation. In the immediate first weeks of the German occupation thousands of Polish Jews were murdered in the streets. Anyone who wanted to harass them knew that no punishment would be coming. An administrative process Germans so efficiently adopted in many places in Eastern Europe, started in Poland. Jews were segregated, then later they were put into completely separate areas called “ghettos”. The process started from the attack in September 1939.
9/11
For Americans, and I would say even to the rest of the world, September is also forever associated with the most tragic events of September 11th, 2001. That day is infamous. It is also a day when the entire world was watching the atrocities, as they were unfolding. No one who was alive that day could forget the planes crashing into the towers, the bravery of the airline passengers and the last words spoken to loved ones. This terrorist attack is known to us not just from fictional movies. No, its significance is in that we all saw it unfolding in front of our very eyes.
As the attack was unfolding there was unmistakable joy among the enemies of America. On various part of the world including in the Palestinian areas, demonstrations and handing out candy occurred. The terrorists had many allies and even some Westerners were unwilling to blame the attackers. Not unlike the Holocaust if only in this regard, this event too has been attacked by deniers. There is distortion of the event. This is an extremely dangerous road to take, which seeks to minimize the role of the perpetrators in the event.
Accords of Hope
The Abrahamic Accords, giving hope to many in the Middle East, were signed on September 15, 2020. The accords were signed between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE (United Arab Emirates). All these countries have since then developed incredibly significant ties with Israel. Israel for its part has repeatedly stated its desire to expand the accords to include other countries in the region. During COVID-19 it was very touching to see that for the first time ever nationals of these countries gathered online to hear Israeli testimonies about the Holocaust and its impact on families and individuals.
September 2024
This September is not lacking in tragic events. The war in Israel has widened in the sense that now outside powers, such as the Iran-backed and Yemen-based Houthis have attacked even Tel Aviv with missiles. There is an escalation is Lebanon and falling rockets have started fires on the Israeli side. Israel’s security forces have prevented various additional terrorist attacks around the country, although some have sadly occurred.
The unmistakable joy that the terrorists as well as their supporters are feeling and expressing at this time is not unlike the joy they exhibited during 9/11. Even though we cannot compare all historic events, we can certainly say that the same spirit of hatred, the spirit of Amalek exists from generation to generation. It is our duty to discern what is going on and to understand the times and seasons we are living in.
I would like to invite you to read more at this website. Learn about the work we do and the Holocaust Garden of Hope we are building in Texas. All these things of history have connecting factors. For us to understand what we need to do now, we need to study what people did in the past.
Finally, I would like to remind you that this is the view expressed in the Bible. It is a Divine Commandment: Remember!
