by Paolo Giordani
January 27th is now consolidated in our dear Italy as the "Holocaust Memorial Day” and invites us to a moment of strong collective reflection, connecting us directly with the events of a dramatic not too distant past. It forces us to go back to that 27 January 1945, when, thanks to the advance of the Red Army in its march towards Berlin, the last veil fell on the horrors of Auschwitz and the others."Extermination camps” scattered both across Eastern Europe and in the heart of Germany itself.
Yet that enormous and unjustifiable massacre, in which an attempt was made to erase every semblance of humanity, was not the end but meant a new beginning for the Jewish people: the path to the construction of the State of Israel, proclaimed in May of 1948, was an extraordinary example of historical reversal, of moving from the affliction of an unprecedented trial to the hope of finally building a house with secure foundations.
It would not have been possible without the sensitivity, which we already find inOld Testament, for History as a guided path, as a trajectory which, through adversity, leads to an end: even the deepest pain has a meaning, even from the ashes one can rise again, as Isaiah's beautiful prophecy on the "sprout of Jesse".
In Memorial Day, we pay homage to those who lost their lives and celebrate the indomitable spirit of those who managed to recover and found the strength to look forward. Let us assume the collective commitment to remember, that is, to re-give to our hearts what happened in order to pursue justice and promote responsible education, so that future generations can understand and prevent tragedies like theHolocaust.
Let us therefore educate our young people to respect life: life that is being born, life that flourishes and life that is extinguished, they have equal dignity in every human being, in every people, as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which we recently celebrated its 2023th anniversary in December 75.
In this spirit we seriously reflect on the living words of those who saw the gates of Auschwitz to open up, of those who have experienced the unspeakable and have tried, even after decades of understandable silence, to tell it. Their experience, filled with the desire for a new life, is a bridge towards a future founded on mutual understanding, justice and respect for human dignity.
We must then have the courage to cross that bridge, otherwise the hatred and resentment, which have also generated new crimes against the Jews and for which we felt no nostalgia after 79 years, will prevail.
It causes pain to see how human life is not yet an object of profound and sacred respect but often becomes an object of contention in the style of screaming fans, thus making us forget the experience of those who share the same pain, the same tragedy. I am referring in particular to the numerous boys and girls who, in many parts of the world, including the dear Holy Land, are violated, killed, held in slavery, exploited, ignored, used as human shields or a pretext for other massacres.
This reminds everyone that peace is a universal longing but, at the same time, that it can only be achieved with the active participation of all, leaving aside sterile conflicts that require firstly recognizing only the rights of one party as the basis for an effective negotiation . Remembering the tragic past of the Shoah can give everyone, but especially those who are truly committed to resolving conflicts, the determination and discernment necessary to not make similar mistakes or prevent others from making them.
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