In late 2013, I found myself working for a Holocaust theatre company that brought to my attention with a magnifying glass, the Holocaust in ways that I could not ever comprehend due to my naivety toward the subject beforehand.
I spent a year and a half learning about the horrific events and as a Jewish person myself, it was harrowing to delve further into the atrocities for research purposes for the character I was portraying in a play.
The last two years I have participated in the commemorative day on the 27th January that is Holocaust Memorial Day.
My first experience was in 2014 with the theme of "Journeys" which was fitting as a selection of us from the company traveled to the European Parliament in Brussels for a very special and eye opening ceremony where I oversaw as Stage manager, the younger cast members perform stories and a beautiful piece on the children of the Holocaust.
I observed how important and honorable it was to be in attendance as not only were high ranking politicians present but also some of the most reflective, battle hardened, humbled and fascinating survivors who gave you chills knowing just what they experienced and overcame or even still are trying to overcome.
It was an honour to represent and to fly the flag of remembrance and to further learn on the events that unfolded that change many people's lives.
Meeting a survivor is quite surreal and extraordinary. They are human beings like just about anyone. Skin, bones, eyes, smiles, hands and feet, but within all that exterior is probably a shell of a person still trying to come to terms with what happened and why. Its looking into the eyes of someone who was once proud and strong and then see the pain in their expressions when they remind themselves how and why it all got taken away. Its important to hear their story, however told, whether it is a thorough explanation or a limited one due to trauma and anguish. Their stories are what brings to our attention the personal magnitude of the effects of the Holocaust and also, psychologically, how we, as fragile human beings, deal with hate, prejudice, overcoming the odds, pain, suffering, hope and survival. It isn't just about the Holocaust in itself but an insight into how humans behave in general and how we can end up treating one another.
Recording their testimonies was what made me vow to constantly remember and learn more about the event as well as other atrocities throughout the world, even long after I left the company. Their stories are real and raw and these sufferings will forever be etched in history but these survivors can tell us that beyond the black cloud is hope, there is strength and there is life, no matter what amount.
And we must listen to these stories and educate ourselves on not only how to never repeat these crimes again but also to see how powerful and resilient we as humans can be and withstand the most traumatic effects and circumstances. But it does come with a cost and we mustn't forget all those who lost their lives.
2015's theme was "Keeping the memory alive" and I proceeded to do just that by working with a local film making company called Reelscape Community and help devise a set of workshops in a school and conduct sessions scrutinising a screenplay for a new Holocaust based short feature film. The film was called "Timetable" about a German Jew attempting to flee Nazi occupied Germany before getting caught and trying to escape by a freight train. We worked with the secondary school students on the themes of the persecutor and persecuted and why we judge people just because of social standing, what society says and because we are mislead. This was pertinent in a school because it is the perfect age range to encourage young students to not bully, discriminate and exclude others who are different and identify the differences between each other in a positive light.
While themes each year change, they all represent and allude to the same matter and that is to remember, focus on, enlarge upon and pay respects and tribute to the events that occurred during the Holocaust and while the date of the 27th January is synonymous with Holocaust, it's also apt to think about other similar atrocities and spend whatever time you can to reflect and think about how we can contribute as a society to educate people about these horrific turn of events and also from preventing it from happening again in the future. The Holocaust was on a large scale but even isolated attacks such as the two in Paris last year and ongoing conflict in the Middle East can't be used as a bandwagon hopping crusade and then fizzle out when our minds are distracted by something else. I'm not saying we should campaign every day and protest until we're blue in the face but at least start with how we tolerate our friends, family, neighbours and community. Be kind to each other, be useful to each other and don't judge until you understand completely the full story.
But contribution doesn't have to always be in the form of charity or donations or dedicating weeks of your time to causes. Just share stories, understand humanity just a little bit better each day and try and help in any way, however you can, whether its to listen, to acknowledge someone, to intervene, to volunteer, to support or to defend someone who is in need. It always starts in its infancy and blows up to huge proportions when left ignored.
This year's theme is "Don't stand by" - The bystander effect is prevalent wherever you look, schools, Universities, work, the streets. Sometimes it is too dangerous to interject and get involved, other times, it can literally get thrown back at your face, but we must think about the "what-if" scenarios. What-if this were to happen to me, or to my family or best friend or colleague? How distraught would I be if something were to happen to them? Having worked as a youth worker, I would realise how one dismissal can lead to a chain reaction of events. You ignore one problem, it manifests and grows bigger. Not everyone is a hero or wants to make a splash, but we need to be able to make our society seem more protective and safer and not just turn a blind eye. By turning a blind eye, we deem the incident we are overlooking, unworthy of our time, unimportant, innocuous and redundant. As if it didn't happen. These all lead to people thinking they can get away with anything and make them think that they can intimidate us. Note, there are more bystanders than perpetrators.
"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."
- Ellie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor.
Lets not repeat the flaws that we humans achieve time and time again, there must be some part of our characteristics and evolution that changes for the better. And ignorance, racism and discrimination should start fading in favour of ideologies and solutions far better useful of our time.
Don't stand by...