25 Jan 2024: International Holocaust Remembrance Day
25 January 2024
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
As I joined friends in the candle-lighting ceremony for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I reflected on the prose of 𝘞𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴, particularly its third paragraph:
"𝙒𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝘼𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨."
One such figure was Dr. Mohammed Helmy, an Egyptian physician who saved numerous Jews from Nazi persecution, a story detailed in Ronen Steinke's book "Anna and Dr. Helmy: How an Arab Doctor Saved a Jewish Girl in Hitler’s Berlin."
Contemplating such acts of bravery, I wonder: how are there individuals who risk everything to save others?
A common enemy could unify us, right? But is there a greater foe than death and destruction? I think not.
Would not uniting against the horrors of death and destruction embody righteousness and save lives regardless of identities?
In the film Shttl, which we watched at today's event, the Rebbe urges his people to be united in faith, while the protagonist calls for unity with guns—a dilemma emblematic of our world's struggles.
Perhaps, as the Rebbe says, being united in faith will help us realise the true meaning of verses in Quran 5:32 and Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5.
“𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙”.
If we unite in faith, we can save lives. We must. Please G-d. Insha Allah.
These candles signify memories of the fallen and the light of hope for those who could be saved and must be saved, regardless of who.
Thank you to my Jewish friends for including me in this remembrance ceremony and allowing me to engage and reflect.
Holding the Ropes: Interfaith Dialogue & Reflections Surrounding the Israel-Gaza War is a blog series that follows the events, dialogues and reflections experienced by Nazhath Faheema in the aftermath of the 2023 Israel-Gaza war. Triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military response, there continues to be widespread destruction and civilian displacement in Gaza. Additionally, Israeli hostages remain in captivity.
Against this backdrop, Nazhath Faheema, through her reflections, provides insights into the dynamics of the war, its impact on interfaith relations, and the inherent challenges and opportunities in fostering understanding and empathy between Jewish and Muslim communities.
