Sh'lach Lecha: Does the Trademark Really Matter?

Why is it so utterly impossible to learn from history? The more you understand about phenomena that have come before, the more you see them repeated - why?

Well, I think I can offer ONE reason at least, even though I'm sure there are many, many factors that keep us on this infinity-loop-of-a-merry-go-round for all eternity. You see, even when we imagine we are perfectly willing to learn from historical precedent, to observe others' mistakes and thereby sidestep them, we quickly become absolute literalists! The scarier the fate we are trying to avoid, the more we INSIST that if every factor doesn't line up perfectly, this isn't a good example of history repeating. And the worst example of this, which occurs all the time, and is indeed happening right now, is of course, the Holocaust.

We are petrified of making any modern comparisons. Or, at the other extreme end of the spectrum, we call everything "Nazi-this" and "Nazi-that" - whether related to fashion, pop culture, soup, or anything else - and dilute its meaning altogether.

Neither extreme is acceptable! Some experiences and emotions DEMAND that we remember what befell us in previous generations. We constantly remind each other (and the world) about the Holocaust and Nazi oppression, because we cannot allow atrocious and abhorrent behavior - or government policy - to happen in front of our faces. Yet instead, too often individuals and institutions jump down the throats of anyone who dares invoke the Holocaust, because the details aren't identical enough. When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez referred to the detention centers on the border with Mexico as "concentration camps," she was widely denounced, even by the US Holocaust Museum and Yad Vashem. While I understand the visceral reaction of outrage to hear these terms invoked, I beg us all not to lash out too quickly. We may disagree about using these specific terms, but how are we learning from history if we don't know how to look for warning signs? Isn't the memory of genocide and terror supposed to make us vigilant? If we become such historical literalists, what exactly do we mean by "Never again"????

I was surprised to read: "The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum unequivocally rejects efforts to create analogies between the Holocaust and other events, whether historical or contemporary." On the one hand, I understand. When

too many things are compared to the Shoah, the message is lost. But on the other hand, how are we supposed to learn from the Holocaust if we reject ALL analogies??? And Yad Vashem added, "Concentration camps assured a slave labor supply to help in the Nazi war effort, even as the brutality of life inside the camps helped assure the ultimate goal of extermination through labor." Again, I know where they are coming from, and I would like to think I know Holocaust history. But why do these museums exist, and why are we learning about these atrocities, if not to keep ourselves vigilant against this kind of hatred, xenophobia, and oppression in our day and into the future?!?! We say it is to never forget... but the precise REASON not to forget is because of how the vitriol slowly grew and grew and grew, turning seemingly civilized individuals into monsters. It was condoned and ignored by good people for so long that eventually, yes, it looked as Yad Vashem described it. But how did it begin?

This week, the Torah puts us at an ominous crossroads. Even though we're in the fourth book of the Torah, the Israelites are still in Year One of the Exodus, but it is precisely in this parashah that they demonstrate utter lack of faith in God, and are

doomed to 40 years of wandering. For the umpteenth time, they groan about conditions in the desert and demand to return to Egypt. When God finally issues the decree to remain in the wilderness until the entire generation has died out, the people all of a sudden regret their disobedience and decide to march to the border. Moses is dumbfounded: "Why do you transgress Adonai's command? This will not succeed." (Nu. 14:41) No one wants to learn from history, especially when the lesson being taught is unpleasant or critical. But our response cannot be digging our heads in the sand, or insisting on perfect analogies or NO equivalency! We may wait too long, and doom ourselves to endless wilderness and chaos. This is a crossroads for us as well. If someone uses Holocaust imagery here, it isn't to cheapen the meaning of the Shoah. It is to cry out to us all: "WAKE UP!!" We have to stop groaning and grumbling. If our mission was ever truly "Never Again," we are woefully failing our ancestors.


CC images in this blog post, courtesy of:
1. Russ Seidel on Flickr
2. edwin.11 on Flickr
3. VIRIN on Ramstein Air Base
4. Sander van der Wel on Flickr