Looking back on a nightmare

Remembering a traumatic part of a culture’s heritage is a tough ordeal, to say the least, but that is exactly what the Beth Zion Synagogue did with its Holocaust memorial service over the weekend.

Why is it so important to look back at the worst of mankind? Let’s see.

It was seven decades ago that the worst conflict this world has ever known – and hopefully the worst it will ever know – was coming to a halt. The Nazi forces were on the verge of surrender with Allied forces pushing through Germany.

The six-year conflict in Europe, along with those in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world, had taken their toll. When all was said and done, more than 80 million people had been killed, including 45,000 Canadian soldiers.

Also included in that total are the millions killed because they were seen as inferior people. While many know of the six million Jews who were killed as a result of the Holocaust, let us also remember the millions of Romani, Slavs, disabled, homosexuals and other minorities that were killed in the same plot. There were also millions killed by Japanese forces in Asia – in China especially – for much the same reason. Although the exact number is still not known, there were also thousands killed as a result of oppression in the Soviet Union.

We in North America weren’t saints either. In both the United States and Canada, hundreds of thousands of people of Japanese heritage – many of whom had been born and raised in North America – were sent to internment camps. Why? Simply because they happened to share the same background of a country we were at war with. And the internment lasted for several years after the war itself was over.

And while not as often discussed, German-Americans were interred in the United States as well. Again, some were being held for several years after the war had ended.

So, why should we strive to remember the worst things our world has ever done? After all, these acts took place decades ago. Most of the people that committed these crimes aren’t alive anymore.

Well, for one simple reason: we remember so that it doesn’t happen again. This was a persistent message in the Oshawa service to remember those who died during the Holocaust because, after all, sometimes it’s easier to open up old wounds than to have to suffer through new ones.