"Teardrops in an Ocean of Indifference."
“I thought everyone pretty much agreed that the Holocaust was a stain on our shared humanity and that the Nazis were evil. I never fathomed that this could actually present as an open question."
By Lisa Lang
Growing up and learning about the Holocaust, I couldn't understand how people allowed what happened to happen. I remember feeling a soul connection – that I still feel – to Anne Frank's spirit when I read her diary in high school. I know deep in my heart that my feelings and identification with her had less to do with me being Jewish, than the quality of "aliveness" we share and our unwavering faith in humanity.
Learning about the Holocaust, whether you’re a Jewish girl growing up in Highland Park or a Protestant growing up in Berlin, comes with the commanding words, "Never Again." It's a commitment to never let the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust, the utter loss of humanity and the naive complicity of the ordinary citizens that enabled it, to ever take place again. I thought everyone pretty much agreed that the Holocaust was a stain on our shared humanity and that Nazis were evil. I never fathomed that this could present as an open question.
A friend has been private-messaging me what I believe to be his support since October 7th. I have appreciated his reaching out and seemingly understanding how misinformed narratives are creating a steep rise in antisemitism in the world right now. I am grateful that, for whatever the reason, he has chosen to carry on this type of conversation with me. It is giving me insight into how some people are negotiating these complex world events in their minds outside of the mud throwing that happens in the social media arena. I have been most hurt by the silence from friends. To me, and most Jews around the world, silence hearkens back to the years that led up to the Holocaust.
After six weeks of messaging back and forth, I finally asked him why he wasn't posting anything publicly. He answered that it was "out of safety" for his family. He expressed that he couldn't publicly claim a "side" because of his celebrity status. He further explained that since part of his brand is remaining neutral on hot topic issues in order to maintain the broader appeal that earned him that status in the first place, he didn’t want to cross the streams. I kindly, but firmly, challenged him on that notion and sent him a link that defined “Bystanders” during the Holocaust. His response:
"If things ever got bad again like 1938 for the Jewish people, you're damn straight I would hide you Lisa!"
This didn't sit well with me at all. I believe he believed he was showing friendship in that offering, but it felt misguided. I responded by saying, "It should never get to that point. Which is my point."
Last year I had the privilege of interviewing Rabbi Malka Drucker for Spread Goodness® TV about her book, Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust, that she and Gay Block had written and published in the 90s. The book highlights first-hand accounts of over 100 rescuers who risked their lives to save lives during some of the darkest years in recent human history. Rabbi Malka described these brave souls as a "teardrop in an ocean of indifference," while also expressing the common thread that linked them all: their “allergy” to standing by and not doing anything.
There was one burning question that I didn't know how to articulate while interviewing Rabbi Malka Drucker last year. I will try again here. I wanted to know if any of the rescuers she interviewed reached a turning point in their awareness or conviction to save Jews. In other words, were they silent up until a certain point, knowing in their hearts that something was wrong but didn't decide to say or do something until it was too late? The question feels imperative for me to know, in this moment, whether or not we could turn back a similar tide now if more people choose to stand up.
When I was in high school, my mom gave me a beautiful Star of David pendant on a unique chain link. I wore it all the time. In college when I studied a semester in Montpellier, France, my parents urged me to not wear it in a way people could see it. In other words, tuck it under my shirt. They believed antisemitism was more prevalent in France and they were worried about my safety. I was in college. I believed in the goodness of human beings and wasn’t afraid. So I continued to wear it proudly. I soon found out I was one of two Jewish Americans in my entire program of students coming from multiple universities all across the US. Mostly, I remembered people asking me a lot of questions and were just curious to learn more.
Since October 7th, I now again wear my Jewish Star necklace every day. Early on, I was often asked if I was afraid to wear it. I replied, “maybe a little, but that makes me want to wear it even more.” So far, with one exception, every interaction I have had with people who mention my Jewish Star are either other Jewish people who find a connection with me, as I do with them, or people who choose to compassionately engage me in worthy dialogue concerning the war in Israel or the terrifying rise in antisemitism.
I don’t believe I am alone in feeling that our country is in a very precarious chapter in our adolescent existence. We can imagine our country moving in very different directions based on the decisions we collectively make today. I choose to very proudly assert and wear my identity today, knowing there could be a day when I am persecuted for it, as my grandparents and their families were when they made the brave decision to emigrate to the States from Lithuania in 1931. This is one of the many meaningful ways I choose to stand up every day. It declares a core of my identity that I cherish. And it makes me feel proud.
Lisa Lang is the founder of Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop and Spread Goodness®, a multi-channel brand that highlights the good in our world.
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