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Tish B’Av and the Holocaust |
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Written by Rabbi Benjamin Hecht
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Tuesday, 28 July 2009 |
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Unbeknownst to many members of the Jewish community, when Holocaust Memorial Day was established to be held every year around Pesach, there were segments of the community who felt that the creation of such a day was inappropriate. They contended that the Jewish calendar already had a day of national mourning – Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew calendar month Av – and it is on this day that we should also remember the Holocaust and the many holy souls that perished during this tragic time. Personally, I have always seen merit in both sides of this argument.
It is clear why this generation would want to establish a specific memorial for the Holocaust. It was a disturbing event that personally touched almost all of us. Almost all of us can state that we lost members of our family at the hands of the Nazis yemach shemam, may their names be erased. We also all know survivors who can relate stories of the brutality of these murderous persecutors of our people. The wound is still open. We need to remember. We need to take moments to heal our wounds, the psychological trauma that still, sadly yet necessarily, permeates our nation. For this reason alone, there is reason to single out the tragedy of the Holocaust and declare a special day to remember it.
Many argue, though, that there is another reason why this day must be remembered uniquely. It was not just another demonstration of antisemitism but represented a qualitatively distinct form of persecution. The evil of the Nazis was unlike any other hatred. The systematic nature of their endeavours, their willingness to meet their objectives in, sadly, killing and terrifying Jews even at their own detriment, the magnitude of their operations – this sets them apart.
Hanna Arendt’s famous portrayal of Adolph Eichmann at his trial in Jerusalem is so on point in showing the unique and fiendish nature of this evil. An accountant. A pencil-pusher. Not even the emotions of hatred. Just the results. This evil, the Holocaust, must be remembered uniquely so that it can never emerge again.
Yet those who contend that Tisha B’Av should also be the day that we mark the Holocaust contend that we may be mistaken to believe that this hatred was really so distinct. While not denying that the Holocaust was quantitatively unique, they maintain that the hatred that fostered it was similar to the motivations that drove the legions of Rome to act with the intention of the utmost cruelty and the hordes of Chmielnicki’s Cossacks to indiscriminately kill Jews – man, woman and child. To define the Holocaust as unique, they argue, is to lose sight of the nature of Jewish history and a fuller understanding of our being.
Indeed Tisha B’Av, over the centuries, has integrated into its nature the persecutions of our people over the centuries. Many of the kinot, lamentations, that we recite on this day commemorate tragic events over the centuries in England, Germany, and all of Europe. While the day commemorates the destruction of both Temples, every child knows that it was also the day that Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. Its significance spans the centuries. In marking the Holocaust on this day, the Holocaust becomes one with Jewish history, remembered and intertwined with our full national being. This, these individuals contend, is why it is most appropriate to mark the Holocaust on this day of national mourning.
Again, I am torn. I see both sides of the argument. There is no doubt to me that the Holocaust has a special significance for this generation and its personal connection to so many of us does give it a qualitative uniqueness. The evil that the Nazis represented was also of a unique nature and demands to be singled out.
Yet, I also understand the importance of still recognizing the historical context. The Holocaust was only possible because we were still in the Diaspora, continuing to suffer through our exile. This exile began with the destruction of our Second Temple. It is not simply that Tisha B’Av is our national day of mourning and thus all the nation’s tragedies should be marked on this day. Tisha B’Av is our national day of mourning because the tragedies that have befallen our people over the last 2,000 years are all a result of the catastrophic event that happened on this day in 70 C.E.
Perhaps there should be a special day of remembrance for the Holocaust, but such a day should still not diminish the continued significance of marking Tisha B’Av. We mourn on this day the many tragedies that have befallen our people over the last 2,000 years because on this day we were exiled and placed, mournfully and regretfully, into the hands of our enemies. May we all merit speedily God’s fulfillment of His promise to fully return us to our sovereign land where we can reach the goal God has defined for us.
Rabbi Benjamin Hecht is the founding director of Nishma, which fosters the critical investigation of contemporary issues. For further info, see www.nishma.org and nishmablog.blogspot.com |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 August 2009 )
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