Memory in Judaism is not passive; it is an active pursuit essential to our survival. Through our traditions, we pass on the strength of distant memories to our children, ensuring that the trials and tribulations we have endured as a people are never forgotten.
This year, memory takes on new weight. In January, we commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day alongside the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation – a solemn yet cautious moment of joy. It was a turning point, a testament that we must never again allow hatred to go unchecked. For decades, the strength of that memory kept widespread antisemitism at bay. Even as the last Holocaust survivors leave us, their testimonies remain, and our duty is to carry them forward.
Then, on October 7, Hamas attacked Israel, and the world changed.
Now, our memories bear the faces of kidnapped, brutalized, and murdered men, women, and children. The images of the Bibas family – two redheaded, cherub-cheeked babies and their mother – will forever be burned in our minds along with all of the others we refuse to forget.
Though we are enduring a collective horror, we must remember: when someone passes, we wish their memory to be a blessing. This phrase calls us to action and challenges us to find meaning even in tragedy. Our responsibility is to uphold the memory of both hostages and Holocaust victims, drawing strength from them to carry on. Even the greatest evils cannot steal our ability to remember.
In our uphill battle against antisemitism, it is memory that sustains us. So long as it guides us, we will never lose faith or hope.
