We remember: A Struggle Between Good and Evil

I am currently on the plane leaving Poland to head home. Being on this long flight has given me time to reflect. My experience this week has been nothing short of incredible. It is difficult to put into words the amount of knowledge and experience I have received. My knowledge of the Shoah and Jewish-Christian relations has increased further than I ever thought possible. I have noticed a reoccurring theme of good vs evil throughout this trip. The Shoah was an experience of absolute evil, but what I have learned is that the Shoah also contained some of the purest forms of good. It is vital for our future to learn from this evil and to try to develop a world of good.

The suffering of Jews preceded the Holocaust. This hate went as far back as the 1500’s when Martin Luther announced his dissertation demonetizing and denouncing the Jewish religion. Since then it has only gotten worse. The Shoah was a break in history, the worst case of inhumaneness the world had ever seen. A quote by Father Emil Shofani states:

“It is not about good vs evil, but where is the person, the respect for a person? Where is the human being? That is the question.”

The concept of good vs evil can be seen as a choice. The topic of whether it was a choice is controversial. I personally believe that it was both. I think it was a choice to join Hitler’s regime. I think it was a choice to pull the trigger on an innocent child. I think it was a choice to lead a family into the gas chambers. However there was fear. Fear led to peer pressure of doing what the other SS men had to do. Fear of not following orders and what those consequences may be for you and your family. Many believed they did not have a choice; therefore they were not good nor evil they were just human. Humans following orders and doing a job to survive.

The struggle between good and evil is an ongoing battle even today. Over this past week I have seen many memorials that commemorate the 6 million lives lost. Memorials to honor those who have suffered. When I was visiting the grounds of what was the Plaszow concentration camp, I came across this large monument. It depicted five people with sullen faces. There was a large crack across the five figures. To me this crack represents the break in history that is the Shoah. The monument is there to remind us to learn from the past. It reminds us to remember the evil and build a future of good. They are unfortunately far too many instances of evil surrounding the holocaust even today. There are still holocaust deniers that are attempting to educate the youth of false facts and hate speech. There are still anti-Semites who praise the work Hitler had done. In the words of Stanley Ronell we must “deny the deniers.” We can no longer be bystanders. We must act against the hate and continue the legacy of the 6 million people who were murdered. It is our job as witnesses to educate others about the tragic past of the holocaust. As the saying goes "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

This image depicts the monument on the ground of what was the Plaszow concentration camp. This monument was created to commemorate the Poles and Jews who lost their lives there.