大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rabbi Julia Neuberger

Holocaust Memorial Day

Good Morning.

Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, when we remember the Jews, Communists, Roma, homosexuals and others brutally murdered by the Nazis. It reminds us what can happen when hatred is encouraged, unchecked and murderous. But we CAN stand up for humanity. People did. Take the American prisoner of war Sgt. Roddie Edmonds. When his platoon was captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge, he was held in Stalag IX-A. The command came that the Jewish POWs were to fall out after morning roll call. Were the Nazis going to murder the Jews amongst the prisoners, as well as all the Jews in the countries they occupied?

鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to do that,鈥� said Edmonds. 鈥淭he Geneva Convention affords only name, rank and serial number, and so that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to do. All of us are falling out.鈥� Edmonds, a Christian, was true to his word. The next morning, all 1,275 soldiers stood at attention in front of their barracks. The commander of the camp was furious: 鈥淎ll of you can鈥檛 be Jewish?!鈥� 鈥淲e are all Jews here,鈥� replied Edmonds.

鈥淚鈥檓 commanding you to have your Jewish men step forward.鈥� Edmonds reminded him of the Geneva Conventions. The commander pressed his gun into Edmonds鈥� forehead. 鈥淵ou will have your Jewish men step forward or I will shoot you on the spot.鈥�

Edmonds replied: 鈥淚f you shoot, you鈥檒l have to kill all of us, and you will have to stand for war crimes after we win this war.鈥� The major was furious, but he walked away. The men went back to their barracks and cheered Edmonds.

God, teach us to learn from Sgt Edmonds鈥� example. We are all human, whoever we are, and whatever our origins. But sometimes it takes courage to lead others in showing that humanity.