January 27th was Holocaust Remembrance Day.
It's still difficult to comprehend the deliberate and organised horror of the Holocaust, unless one is a student of history. In 1290 - just as an example - King Edward I ordered the expulsion of the entire Jewish population of England. Their homes, synagogues, and cemeteries were forfeited to the king. They were allowed to leave with their possessions, but this was really just a calculated decision to 'share the wealth', as the many were robbed and killed for those same possessions. If they were fortunate enough to avoid this, they faced the prospect of drowning in their attempts to cross the Channel, and a hostile reception wherever they landed.
There are literally hundreds of such incidents throughout history.
The horror of the holocaust lays with its scale, the ruthless efficiency of it, and the fact it happened at a time when humanity - particularly Europeans - believed they had 'civilised' themselves.
Clearly, they had not.
One of the most important acts to which we can collectively commit is to remember and honour those who were murdered, who were exterminated like diseased cattle.
But what is the point of remembering? Yes, it is an enduring act of respect of standing in quiet solidarity with those who survived. But it is more than this; it is a commitment to ensuring it never happens again.
Ensuring it never happens again is not limited to the treatment of Jewish peoples, for that would surely deny the shared humanity of peoples Jewish and non-Jewish alike.
And it must surely not relate only to any form of genocide that comparable in method or purpose. Genocides are slippery things; they take many forms. Some are more obvious than others. Being a victim of one at some point in history does not preclude the chance of perpetrating one in another. Some of the very worst acts of mass murder committed in human history were sanctioned by Popes and Kings of England. None of us are as far removed from the most inhuman of instincts or acts as we would like to believe.
The scars of genocide do not quickly fade away. They are the cataclysms that set intergenerational traumas in motion. We must be mindful of this when considering the actions and circumstances of people worldwide and at home. Indigenous Australians were deliberately targeted; they were victims of genocidal crimes. Unlike the Holocaust, we do not have a day to remember this. Should we ever want to inaugurate one, the day in which it commenced would be a suitable choice, but it's currently otherwise occupied.
Most crucially, we need to acknowledge that genocides and acts of genocide (an extraordinary distinction in International Law if ever there was one) do not simply spring up overnight like mushrooms. They are slow growing seeds, watered with resentment that encourages the growth of hatred; fed with lies and a slow but steady curtailing of Rights. And they require many people to ignore the signs and symptoms. So often, to be silent is to be complicit.
I pray for our collective humanity. I pray for the lives of children; those lost and those in jeopardy. I do lot limit my prayers to those of any particular creed or colour. In remembering the victims of the Holocaust, I pray for the strength to call it out when I see it, which is what I can see in Palestine right now.
Humanity is collective and connective. Our commonality is our greatest strength. We ARE one another, so we must not 'other' those around us, as this only leads to ignorance, entitlement and victimisation. We do not need to make enemies of difference. There are more than enough other problems in this world.
An act of remembrance is a commitment to striving for a better world. One and all, I pray that we embrace it.
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