The Holocaust, is it time to forgive and forget?

Question

After a recent visit to the death camps in Poland, the pain of the Shoah has weighed heavily upon me. But is it time for Judaism to move beyond this horrofic history?

Answer 1

I don't think any Jews made out by playing the victim. And many people lost all of their families and relived this nightmare everytime they go to sleep at night.

BTW it was not only Jews that were killed in the Holocaust.

We should never forget. And everytime we see a sadistic b*stard like Saddam and his son, we should go after them. Some one has to do it.

Answer 2

It may be time to forgive, most of those involved in the Holocaust are dead. Forget, I think not. The Jews have been persecuted for several thousands of years for no reason at all. The were persecuted throughout the middle ages for their beliefs, made to live under unspeakable conditions in European ghettos, murdered, whenever anyone needed a scape goat. This, was done mostly by God fearing, loving Christians. The Holocaust is just one of the latest examples of this insanity. Why would any rational person want to harm anyone else because of their beliefs?

You say, that visiting the death camps in Poland weighs heavily upon you, as well it should. As members of the human race, it should weigh heavily on all of us. How could we, as members of the same species stand by and let this happen? Yes, most of the world knew what was happening in Nazi Germany. A small fraction of the world population did anything to help. The Catholic Church did nothing, the governments did nothing, the people did nothing. By nothing, I mean they did not even have the courage to speak up. A great many of these people were living in countries safe from the war, and still they did nothing. To suggest forgetting, is to invite such evil back into the world. In my humble opinion, your best release from the feeling you have, is to make sure that none ever forget. By the way, I am not a Jew. One of the reasons I am also not a Christian, is that Christianity is instrumental in fostering this kind of hatred in the world. Any religion that promotes hatred, or has promoted hatred is not worth the myth it is build on.

Answer 3

I feel if you have something that is so horrible that it would be a little hard to forget as forgive i have been told stories of people from the holocaust going up to people and telling them they forgive to me that was something special, i believe we remember because it is such a horrible story just like we remember the history in the books we are taught but this is different and especially if it is a story passed down from our people yes we can forgive but the memory is still there and we cannot just put it behind us it is in our memory every time i hear a story i feel the pain, if i go to a museum i feel the pain, if i hear someone talk i feel the pain..you cannot relate and understand your people until you understand the full history of them if we stop telling the stories of what strong people we are..then how will we know what we have survived?

Answer 4

No, Never forget. The people that need forgiving are dead, so far as I know, maybe pray for them?
As a Roman Catholic, I feel there are too many people that think the death camps did not happen. People must remember these dark times forever.
That being said - the people that caused the death camp and profited by them are gone - so remember and honor -but never hurt the people living today with accusations of continuing these programs.

Answer 5

It's always best to forgive, or to keep working on forgiveness. There are still examples of mass murder around the world, so people should be aware of what is going on around them so they can stand up and help elect people who will work to promote human rights everywhere. As a Christian I think the Holocaust is a terrifying example of what the motives of those who follow Satan are like - and it doesn't matter what religion you are - we all need to resist evil and pride and remember that everyone has divine worth.

Answer 6

Considering there are very few left who actually experienced the Holocaust, people are moving on. Forget? Why would we ever forget? No one ever forgets the atrocities that have been done to them. They do not deserve to be forgotten. It should be remembered forever so we can prevent something like that from ever happening again. I hold no one responsible but Hitler and he does not deserve forgiveness.

Answer 7

forgive, yes, forget, Never! Because of Hilter, my mom barely remembers her dad, I never met my grandfather, my grandmother stood in front of a firing squad (but Praise be to God, she was pulled out by a guard), she stayed in schambles, even during the mid-1980's before she died. She believed 'his evilness' was still alive. This effected my family's lives horrifically and forever.

So, what do you think is coming next? History is about to repeat itself, don't you all see it coming? The Jews humbly, but unknowingly, accepted what was to come and eventually did happen. The Holocost was no myth! We are heading under the same evil influence, his name is just different!. Please people, wake up, you are going to be given a choice.....convert to muslim or die, that will be the option we inevitably will face.

Answer 8

Thats easy for us to say but we dont have a number branded on our arm. There are some today that still have the tattoos of history past, we must forgive but don't dare forget! History will repeat itself but at a higher expense. billy

Answer 9

Forget? No, because it has happened again in Cambodia and Rwanda and Sudan and Yugoslavia and Kurdistan.
It would happen again, this time in Israel if the Arabs had their way and G-d was not protecting Israel.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, brother.

Answer 10

you can forgive but you can never forget.... each time humanity forgets what evil is, it opens itself up to more of the same. Rather , we should make an effort to always remember, so that we never forget what evil is...and we are alert to new threats. Evil is always there, waiting for us to ignore it...vigilence and remembrance is a virtue.