The Jewish September: a new year and two festivals

Rosh Hashanah! How has the start of the Jewish new year been for you? How has the new academic year been? How has the return to work been, if you took a summer holiday or vacation?

Mine has been relevantly quiet compared to the summer. This week is my first week back in Canterbury for university and I am settling into a new student house. Before I returned on Monday, I was able to relax a little at home after a very hectic summer of work at a Shetland Pony Club! 

In stark contrast, for the Jews, the last three weeks have been a time of quiet and refreshment. For them September has been a time of reflection and awe; awe for the Lord their God and the forgiveness and goodness he has shown them. While it has been a quiet few weeks,  it has also been a strict regulated few weeks for the more devote and orthodox Jews, it has been a time of celebration and rejoicing and relaxation.
 
September for the Jews began with their New Year, the year 5774 in their calendar. To celebrate their new year they send greetings cards and spend time with their family. Traditionally, it was the Feast of Passover that marked the start of the year. Passover remembered the time that God passed through the land of Egypt and every firstborn son in every household, who did not paint the doorposts of their houses with the blood of a lamb as commanded by the Lord to Moses, died. It was the time when Pharaoh finally let the people of Israel leave Egypt and they left guided by the Lord to the Promised Land that flowed with milk and honey. You can read about the Passover and the Exodus in the Bible in Exodus 12. Therefore, originally, the feast of Passover celebrated what God did: it was God who rescued and freed Israel from slavery in Egypt.
However, the rabbis, the Jewish rulers of the synagogues, wanted to be doing something at this time of celebration. Hence, Rosh Hashanah is also the time of the Feast of Trumpets. This feast, through the blasting of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn, calls Jews to wake up. From what? It calls them to wake up from their sins, to repent of their sins.
The new year leads immediately into the Ten Days of Awe, which is a time of reflection and repentance. It is a celebration where Jews can be doing something themselves, rather than just God's actions being remembered. Therefore, for ten days after Rosh Hashanah, Jews take time out from their everyday lives and jobs, to think about their sins and to, practically, restore their relationships which may have been broken or disturbed in same way. This all leads to the climactic and most important day in the Jewish year.
 
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the most important day for Jews for many reasons. All the sins they have committed throughout the bygone year are atoned for on this day. This is the last day where they can appeal before their judgement and names can be  can be sealed in the Book of Life. This is the last day where they can repent of their sins and make amends with God, family, and friends. You can read about the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 23: 26-32.
Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath day. It is a 25 hour fast from eating and drinking, with many other rules and prohibitions, such as wearing white clothes as a symbol of purification and humility (read Isaiah 1:18). Most of the day will be spent at the synagogue praying and coming before God. In the form of services, the day continues until nightfall when the shofar will be blown.
Yom Kippur appears to us to be a hard and difficult day to uphold. However, when there is sincere devotion to the God of Israel (as Jews profess when they say the Shema, from Deuteronomy 6:4), there is the belief that strict adherence and effort to repent and atone for sins will save a person.
For Christians, the Day of Atonement is, and should not, be distanced from their faith. The principle and concept is found in the Hebrew Bible (I have listed the references for you to look up). We are called to repent of our sins continually but we do not have to continually seek atonement for our sins. We have been atoned once-for-all by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through his death on the Cross and shedding of his blood, his innocent blood, we are freed from slavery to sin. We are made right with God and given access to a complete and satisfying relationship with him by his grace he showed in sending his Son to die for our sins. We are called to repent and believe in Jesus, therefore. It means that we can live without fear of sin, death, and judgement. For those who do believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died for our sins, we will be in the Lord's Book of Life.
Knowing that my sins are forgiven and atoned for, certainly makes me want to believe and live wholeheartedly for the one true and living God. To simply say and believe the Shema , knowing that you do not have to live or work or follow any rules to be saved, is one of the most satisfying and fulfilling things ever, and it certainly causes me to want to give thanks for what God has done, through his Son, to save me.
 
This is what the second festival of Jews is about: celebration, joy, and thanksgiving. Succot, or the Feast of Tabernacles is a harvest-time festival. It is a time of celebration of God's goodness towards us, in forgiving and saving us. 'Succot' means 'booths' and during the festival, Jews construct temporary shelters that they spend the day, or days, in. It takes them back to the days after the Exodus when they lived in temporary shelters in the wilderness of the Sinai peninsula. This festival is instituted in Leviticus 23:33-44. It forces them to simplify life and enjoy the goodness and glory of God, who forgives and provides all that we need. Where else do we have to look for our help and aid? The psalmist tells us that it is God who is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1). Jews can remember through Succot that they are temporarily moving about and unsettled, but one day there is a Promised Land that the Lord will give them as their own and which is abundant in goodness, an important factor in the hope that many Holocaust victims had. For now though after all they have reflected upon and been through since Rosh Hashanah, this is the time to give praise and thanks to the Lord their God.
For Christians too the Feast of Tabernacles points to our promised and eternal life with God in heaven, beyond all that this world has to offer. It is only promised to those who repent and believe in Jesus as their Saviour, but if you do that, you are only foreigners and strangers passing though this world. The joy and peace that Jesus gives is better than anything else and makes you want to, in the same way as Jews do during Succot, want to praise and enjoy the glory of God all the more.

To conclude, these are three of the most recent festivals that Jews have and still are celebrating this month of September. Although it seems strange to be celebrating a new year halfway though the year, these Jewish festivals do well to remind us of our physical and spiritual conditions. Oh, how I would love Christian society to still keep and celebrate these feasts, and all the other ones that I haven't had time to write about. They are such brilliant reminders of the gospel of Jesus and grace of God in forgiving us. That is the great thing about the Christian faith though: we do not have to keep the rules and regulations of sacrifices and special days (sacrificing a lamb would be a bit weird now I think!). No, we can now be saved simply by believing in Christ and Christ alone. Faith in Christ crucified is all we are called to do and that causes us to celebrate and praise God not just one day, not just every Sunday, but all the time!
I'm not trying to convert anyone through this. All I want to do is tell you about the Jewish religion and culture that is so rich and part of our Christian faith. This is the life that Jews have lived for centuries, but which the Nazi regime destroyed or attempted to destroy during the Holocaust. And yet it lives on in Israel and across the world, and in Christianity, because these concepts are all agreeable with the Christian faith. The one difference is the fulfilment of these institutions and concepts in Jesus. It is good news that we do not have to abide to such strict rules and feasts as the Day of Atonement, but it is great to be reminded of our need to repent and our salvation and atonement in Jesus, that means that, like and with Jews, we can give praise and thanks to the Lord our God for all his goodness.

Next time... Israel!

Also, please leave a comment with any thoughts or questions you have from what I have written. It is something I would love to talk about!

What a summer! Now to year 2!

Its been over almost two months since I said I would write about my visit to Israel. Now finally I can get round to doing so.  

Israel was part of one of my most memorable summer breaks ever. Summer holidays can seem quite long and a little dull, if you are honest, when you are at school or studying, especially when, instead of going to a hot exotic country, you are stuck at home. If the summer is pro-active however, then its a completely different story. Your summer break can end up as one of the highlights of the calendar year.
 
Summer 2013 for me has been fantastic but quite different to previous years, not least because of Israel. This year, as the days grew longer and temperature increased, my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has grown even more. Outwardly, I cannot clearly see it as I did during the past year at university, my first year studying and living away from home. Inwardly, though, I have grown stronger as a disciple of the Lord Jesus.
God allows us to face trials and temptations for exactly that reason: to test whether we are true disciples or not. I, having been tempted in various ways and having struggled giving time to meditating on His Word, the Bible, have come to understand more fully and more completely the rich righteousness and grace of God, and the once-for-all atoning sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. What it means to be a disciple, a follower adhering to the new life and freedom he brings of the Lord Jesus Christ, has been the result of this past summer.

Throughout August until now, I have been reading the book of the prophet, Jeremiah. He is a wonderful character of devotion and faith to God, despite immense suffering and isolation for it. Jeremiah has taught me a lot about God's faithfulness and wishes, including the desire to have a people for himself, a relationship with you and me. Vince Cable, the business secretary, has just, the other day, been likened to Jeremiah by the prime minister for prophesying that the coalition will fall apart before the next general election, but Cable noted that Jeremiah turned out right in his prophecies! And indeed Jeremiah was right because he listened and obeyed God, who in turn was faithful to the prophet and protected him.
There are some wonderful glimpses in the book too of the Lord Jesus, as in any Old Testament book: God is compassionate and merciful in that he gives us a way to be right with him and live a new and free life without suffering by repenting, believing, and following His only Son, Jesus. It was incredibly difficult to read in Jeremiah of the destruction of Jerusalem and the people of Judah, having seen how beautiful the city really is, but there is a similar result waiting for those who do not repent of their sins and their rebellion from the one holy and mighty God. 

Anyone can repent and believe as it is such an easy thing to do; yes, it may be a hard life in this world to live, but it is definitely worth it for the hope at the end. For those, who have professed faith in Christ, I do not want to boast that I have grown in faith; rather, through self-examination, I have seen God's hand at work in my life this summer and want it to encourage you that anyone can grow in faith if they listen, hear, and spend time thinking and focussing on the Word of the Lord. You do not have to visit the Holy Land or have a unique spiritual or physical experience. My faith was complemented by my visit to Israel, but also simply by the times I was stuck at home this summer.

Now with the weekend behind us, I have returned to Canterbury and university. I have moved into my new 'first' house and am settling in, gradually! I am planning to help out with the Christian Union's fresher fortnight events and activities, beginning with tonight's international food evening. It looks to be a good year, starting with some fantastic housemates, but a year with a bigger workload compared to my fresher year.
On Saturday and Sunday, however, I was not very sure whether I was eager or anxious to return; there were lots of different questions and concerns racing around my head. Looking ahead now though I can see God will be in this year. If I remain focussed on him (I am definitely anticipating returning to the folk at Emmanuel Church Canterbury and participating in their plans for the year), he will be faithful and just to forgive us and sanctify us, making us righteous in his sight (1 John 1 v 9). Therefore, not only am I eager to share my experiences from Israel and lessons from the Holocaust, but I wish to share how I have come to be, and grown as, a follower of the Lord Jesus. That is the hope and foundation I stood on through trials and temptations this summer, and its the hope and foundation I plan to continuing standing on throughout the year ahead.


Pre-war Jewish Life: anyone would think it was us!

How many of you like food? I can say that I am a huge fan of food, from eating to baking it! All the flavours, combinations, satisfactions, joys from food make it one of life’s greatest pleasures. Food is a huge part of our culture and it is a big part of the Jewish culture. Entering a Jewish family circle or witnessing a Jewish festival will incorporate lots and lots of food. On the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Ambassador Visit to Israel, we visited one of the largest food markets in Jerusalem: there was a huge variety of foods, such as sweets, fruit, pastries, spices, fish, cakes, and breads. In the many Jewish festivals, when there is no fasting required, there will be a lot of food as part of the remembrance and thanksgiving behind the special time. Food is just one part of the richness of Jewish culture and society. However, the culture that Jews show off now is very different to the one they encompassed 80 years ago.

 

Before the Holocaust there was a rich, vibrant, unique culture among the Jewish people across Europe and the world. During the Holocaust that way of life was turned upside down. In this blog-post, I wish to highlight a few of the important and amazing aspects of Jewish life before the war. Very often we can be distanced from the past. However, it should not be like this because people in history are like us and, however the Jews have been previously portrayed, they are not excluded. The Holocaust is relevant for today because it shows what an ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude can lead to. The Jews are as like us as we are to the Jews.

In Europe, before the Second World War, the largest Jewish community resided in Poland (see map). Due to the politics of Europe before the First World War, the Jews were pushed into Eastern Europe. However, they were unable to integrate with the rest of society, causing them to maintain their culture and lifestyle. Jews have always wished to keep hold of their identity and religion. However, one of the main features of twenty-first century Judaism was not present in that community. Hebrew was not the most common language among European Jewry. Rather 80% spoke Yiddish, 12% Polish and only 8% Hebrew. It was one of the obvious changes caused by the Holocaust: Yiddish disappeared almost entirely. Now most Jews, having either immigrated to Israel or moved to Britain, speak English or Hebrew.

 

This multilingual community is displayed in the case study of Tzivia Lubetkin. Having grown up in a Jewish family in Eastern Poland, she spoke Yiddish at home, Polish at school, and Hebrew from the girls’ Cheder (a girls’ Hebrew school). Just as your or my main language is usually the one spoken at home, this shows Yiddish’s pre-dominance. However, there are other lessons we can learn from Tzivia about the Jewish culture.

Many Jews were merchants or shopkeepers, meaning they were based in the centre of the towns and villages. Tzivia’s father was a grocery store owner, resulting in their family being more middle-class. For this reason, Tzivia and her brother could go to a public elementary school as well as a religious elementary school. As I wrote about last week, Jewish schoolchildren had many of the same experiences as pupils of today. One example from Tzivia of this was the nickname given to her private Jewish teacher: ‘Berel the Melamed’ (Berel the tutor). It sounds as if she would have been taught, therefore, the main subjects that we might learn today, but with a greater emphasis on the teachings of the Jewish religion.

The synagogue was the main place of worship for Jews since they were and are without the Temple now; it was a centre in the Jewish community where reformed and orthodox Jews would visit each Shabbat. Rabbis held the highest authority, following the Jews’ rule-book called the Talmud. This monotheistic religion found it difficult to live in a Christian Europe: the concept of the Trinity, three parts in one God, is a sticking point for Jews. The Shema, from Deuteronomy 6 verse 4 – “Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Ehad” (Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one) – means they see Christians as believing in three Gods, rather than the one absolute God, they believe in. This and many other Judeo-Christian problems influenced the direction that Hitler and the Nazis took during the Holocaust. However, Judaism was not only recognised as a religion and was fast becoming what Christianity is today: a national unifying identity and ethnicity for people.

Judenpolitik in Nazi Germany developed as Bolshevism and Socialism grew, particularly in the Soviet Union. Tzivia and her family were active members of many youth and social movements, including the left-wing Zionist youth movement. Zionism was a hugely popular venture in Jewish society; the promise of a homeland for them was a rallying point for Jews across the world. However, due to such changing circumstances in Europe at that time, there was also significant support for anti-Zionist and anti-religious movements. Followers of this pursued a cultural autonomy, seeking a national Jewishness while integrating with those around them.

Zionism and Orthodox Judaism remain prominent today, and in Israel, as well as Britain, you can recognise different forms of the religion, particularly the orthodox with their black coats and hats. What may be less recognisable today is Jewish celebrities; many people see individuals in the spotlight without realising they are Jewish, such as the current leader of the Labour party. In the 1940s, there were Jewish celebrities as well. For instance, one of the most famous was the Jewish Beauty Queen and heroine, Sofia Olda. Judaism was not just an historic and old-fashioned religion; it was a glamorous and lively identity.

Thus, pre-war life for Jews was vibrant. Just as today’s post-war society displays so too does that Jewish society declare: riches (and poverty), change, and unity. There is no reason for us not to be interested in life back then, because there were attractions then which we have now. That is what makes the Holocaust so relevant to remember today: the Jews who lost a whole way of life then were very much like us now. ‘Us’ and ‘them’ is just ‘us’ because they have a complex community and culture of food, religion, politics, and popular life. Do not just remember and reflect on a past, old, historic lifestyle but on a vibrant, modern, thriving community.

Watch out in the future, for blog-posts about the many different festivals that Jews celebrated...

Thought for the day (and weekend)

"Against you, you only have I sinned. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51 v 4,10)

The confession we all have to make: all have sinned but God has provided a way to be free of sin and made anew: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Starting school this week?

Across Great Britain, children and young people are beginning or returning to school this week. After six weeks of a hot, sunny summer and holidaying, including activities such as camping, travelling, or relaxing, a new academic year begins.

 

The night before they return this week, children will be preparing their bags, laying out their uniforms, and ensuring they have remembered everything for the first day back. It is probably a nervous final night of the holidays for those who are starting school for the first time. On the other hand, it may be an anticipated evening with the promise of meeting friends again, receiving a new timetable and diary, and getting back into routine the next day. Starting school is a recurring event throughout childhoods but it never ceases to bring surprises. Each year as they return, they return a year older with a greater amount of work each time (which unfortunately means that when you get to my age and university there is a great deal of work indeed!). Starting school is not unique only to our society today though. 75 years ago life was very similar and starting school was very much part of it.

These photographs show classes of Jewish children. It looks as if there was a different way to schooling then: the hats, crossed arms, smart clothing, and regimented lines suggest this. However, they actually show us very similar school days to us. As you observe them, think back to your first day of school, or first days returning to school, or when you sent your children to school for the first time. What was it like? What did you get? Who did you meet? How was the day structured? What were the teachers like? What did you have to wear? Think about these Jewish children: what did they wear, eat, take with them, and feel like? As our young people start or return to school this week, remember the young people of the 1930s and 1940s starting or returning to school as well.

Schools of the 1940s were dramatically changed and altered however. The Second World War and specifically, the Holocaust wiped out a complete lifestyle. The people seen in these photos (courtesy of the Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem) saw a school life utterly destroyed. The ‘cheder’, or religious, classes of the Jews, particularly those in Poland, were completely destroyed. The children of Jewish schools were forced to experience a new lifestyle if they were put on the Kindertransport across Europe or taken to one of the many labour or concentration camps. The teachers were forced to emigrate, hide or face the atrocities of Nazi persecution. Jewish schools were similar to ours until the Nazis came to power.

This photograph tells us a lot about Jewish schoolchildren’s pre-war lives. This little girl, named Liselote Ermann, is holding a cone of sweets. She went to school in Germany, where it was customary that schoolchildren received a cone of sweets on their first day of school. Maybe you can remember something that your school gave you on your first day. I know that I can think of many things, including timetables, which I received and looked forward to receiving.

Below are more photographs for you to look at. Many of the children and what happened to them during the Holocaust are unknown. However, thanks to the work of Yad Vashem and survivors who are in these pictures, some of the children have been named. For example, three of the teachers in the third row in the first photo currently reside in Israel.

As the new academic year begins across this nation, please view and share these photographs. Be inspired to take every opportunity that arises at school or in the workplace, depending on where you are at. Be inspired to make the futures of 2013’s young people bright. Be inspired to fight hatred and injustice so that the lifestyles the Jews and us experience today are not destroyed. This is just one way that the Holocaust remains relevant for our society today.  

To finish, although we are only half way through 2013 and despite beginning a new academic year, in the Jewish calendar, September 5^th is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I wish everyone, therefore, a happy and successful new academic year.

(This is a New Years card sent from the town of Plunge in Lithuania in 1935. The Jewish population in 1940 was about 1,700. Only 221 Jews from Plunge survived the war.)

Dr Martin Luther King Jnr's March on Washington speech still resonates today

I expect most people know something of the preacher from Atlanta, Georgia. If they don't know about Dr King as a person, they will probably know his famous 'I have a dream' speech. What makes it so memorable? The masses he spoke too at the National Mall in Washington D.C.? The gentle rise and fall in his tone? The way he pushed his papers aside and spoke of an ideal future America?

Looking at the pictures from that day in 1963, and there are thousands of pictures, Martin Luther King's speech was an incredible feat because it was centred on hope and faith in his country. Dr King gave his life for his people and country, because he knew there was something better. There was a better way for America to go than the segregated restaurants, buses, cities, and states. A better way where his children and his fellow citizens' children could play side-by-side. A better way where black men and white men could work and live together happily. He knew there was a Promised Land somewhere. A Promised Land where there is no hatred, racism, discrimination, injustice. A Promised Land where peace, love, and compassion towards one another would be viewed.

As he looked out over the promenade in front of Lincoln's Memorial and spoke those famous words, Dr King probably saw a glimpse of that better nation he dreamt of: in the crowd that day, there were white and black people united and unified. Was that what Dr King's dream was: a country that reflected what he saw before him from that platform?

Martin Luther King's dream has not been fulfilled completely. Yet, progress has been made on the journey towards the Promised Land he believed in and died for. As America and the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, looking towards the future, there are clear signs that Dr King's dream is being realised.

First there was the hope that Abraham Lincoln showed as he signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1883, so fervently described by Dr King and remembered by the memorial in Washington. Then there was the hope that Dr King brought in 1963, now remembered with the newest memorial in the United States' capital. Although he did not live to see significant progress, before his assassination in 1968, Dr King continued and continues to look over America, and indeed the world as this anniversary shows, as his dream and the hope for peace, love, and compassion towards one another continues.

The memorial is not just a symbol for America though. It is for the world. The things Dr King died for still resonate today globally. While the Holocaust and First and Second World Wars provide important lessons for today, the history of the American Civil Rights Movement is also relevant for today. It is not just a racial relevance though. Injustice... racism... discrimination... hatred... are seen in the news, media, and society today. Yesterday, the House of Commons voted against British action in Syria. President Assad and his side, the rebels, the jihadist groups are engulfed in a situation that involves all of these. The British Prime Minister has said that war crimes have been committed there. Whoever is doing so worse is irrelevant for now. The point is that the democratic, equal country and peaceful, compassionate Promised Land Dr King dreamt of is not happening. Syria is only one example. There are many more cases where inequalities are apparent. The values of peace, equality, justice and unity must be the driving force of any solution to the Syria conflict and other global situations. Dr King's famous speech to America is not just a pro-America and pro-democracy one, but a pro-world and pro-peace one.

Listen to global figures read Dr King's 'I have a dream speech' (the link is at the bottom) and remember the hope that he had for his people and country. However, you may also feel that due to the concept of the video and recording, his speech is suddenly relevant for the world; it does not sound like it is just a personal matter, relevant for the black people, rather it sounds like he is speaking to you and to me. Democracy is about 'them' as much as it is about 'us'. 'I have a dream today' is about 'us' as much as it is about 'them'.

There are many other links, videos, and articles about Martin Luther King, his speeches, and civil rights movement on the BBC website to explore. History can tell us a lot about today so have a look at them. Look into the reasons and decisions around Syria and the British vote. What about writing to your MP about the issue; after all it is a democracy where they represent the people. But let's remember and celebrate that famous speech, man, and day 50 years ago, and not just for that famous line, 'I have a dream'.

Click to listen to this new recording of the speech:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23853578
[at the bottom of the page there are further links to other material]

Click to find out about the British vote in parliament:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23892783

Click to learn about the US's response:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-administration-prepares-intelligence-case-on-syrian-use-of-chemical-weapons/2013/08/29/3002f180-10b6-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Click to find your local MP and how they voted [plus, information about how to contact them]:
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/index.php

Stimulated, inspired, and prepared to reach generations

One of the highlights of the Holocaust Educational Trust's Ambassador Conference was the testimony that Hannah Lewis gave. A Holocaust survivor who came to Britain in 1949, Hannah is from a small market town in Poland. As a child, she experienced ghetto life, a labour camp, and the murder of most of her family. Only she and her father survived the war, which for many of the conference delegates, was hard-hitting. With a live Twitter feed, ITV News UK editor, Lucy Manning, led the discussion, which for both Hannah and the delegation was an emotional one. It was interesting that Hannah had only recently begun sharing her testimony with young people. For many survivors, it is very difficult to recall their memories of the Holocaust, but we were so thankful for the time and energy Hannah gave to help us as we look to educate generations about the Holocaust and its relevance for today. For me, Hannah's story, as well as other survivor testimonies, are inspirations to ensure that the atrocities of the Holocaust are not forgotten and not repeated. Each story is unique, different, and special. Every ambassador who heard Hannah at the QEII Conference Centre on Monday 8th July has a responsible to pass Hannah's and others' stories on and ensure that it remains a living history.
This testimony was one of the more personal sessions of the day. Not all were so moving though... Before and after lunch, each delegate attended two academic workshops about an aspect of the Holocaust. I obviously cannot give an outline of every seminar. However, from those I attended, they were informative, stimulating, thought-provoking and engaging. The first I sat through was taken by Professor Richard Overy from Exeter University and author of several works on Nazism and the Second World War. The second was by Professor David Cesarani from Royal Holloway, University of London, a leading British historian on the Holocaust. Professor Overy caused us to think how such horrors could have been carried out; were the perpetrators 'monsters' or were they ordinary men, simply doing their jobs? Professor Cesarani helped us analyse the Nazis' policy concerning the 'Jewish Question', unpicking several of the conventional words we use for this period of history, such as the 'Holocaust', and raising questions about the origin of 'Judenpolitik'. Speaking to other ambassadors about some of the other sessions, these workshops certainly developed our understanding and knowledge of the Holocaust, so we can pass on the relevance and lessons of the concept to generations more accurately.
The final part of the day featured a panelled discussion with some of the main speakers about why the Holocaust matters. While there was debate amongst the panellists, all agreed that the Holocaust mattered to a large extent. As Professor Bauer repeatedly argued, the Holocaust was not unique; it was unprecedented. Genocides are universal but cannot be dealt with without an understanding of the past. How do you do that? Shami Chakrabarti argued that positivity is needed, while Trudy Gold, from the London Jewish Cultural Centre, stressed that the little personal stories help understand the past the best. The Holocaust is not only to be remembered once a year, like on memorial days, throughout the year; remembrance days provide a platform for people to learn about what happened to the Jews under the Nazis constantly. It should be something to be seized and not shied away from. These were just some of the points made in what was an interesting and encouraging dialogue to close the Ambassador Conference and prepare us for reaching generations.
Reaching generations... This sounds like a difficult task and certainly suggests an immensely heavy burden to bear. However, having attended the conference, I and many of the other ambassadors feel prepared, thrilled, and eager to pursue this task. The task of reaching peers, communities, friends, and family with the relevance of the Holocaust and past for today so that such atrocities and horrors are not repeated. The Holocaust Educational Trust certainly helped us take one more step as messengers of important lessons and stories that cannot be forgotten; ones that provide the question 'that was then, what about today?'

500 come together to hear from Bauer, Robinson, and Co.

500 young people from universities and sixth forms across the country arrived at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre early on Monday 8th July. On arrival they collected conference packs and signed up to two seminars by renown lecturers and academics of their choice. This was how a phenomenal conference at a fantastic venue and with stimulating speakers organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust began.
It was inspirational to see so many people the same age enthusiastic about spending a day learning about the Holocaust and the lessons we can take from it. How the Trust organised such an event, I do not know. However, they did it and, after hours of tiresome work, it proved a great success. The day was stimulating and thought-provoking and caused us to develop our understanding about the genocide of the Jewish people by the Nazis. Although everyone was exhausted from such a long and packed day, we came away a little more prepared for reaching generations with the lessons of the Holocaust.

The conference theme was 'Reaching Generations'. As it was a launch and gathering of the Trust's Ambassador programme, the conference aimed to equip us with the knowledge to carry out our roles as ambassadors, or messengers, for the HET and the lessons of the Holocaust for today. Nick Robinson, who opened the conference, spoke about the importance of our roles as, not only a representative, but a messenger for the HET to our communities and generations. He stressed the unique responsibility and importance of our roles; we are the final generation who can hear the stories of the survivors of the Holocaust. Nick set a wonderful tone and objective for the delegation, which was immediately taken up by one of the world's leading historians of the Holocaust.
Based at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem and author of 40 related books, Professor Yehuda Bauer was a brilliant choice of speaker for the day. What he lacked in physical charisma, he made up for in his rhetoric. He caused us to completely think afresh what is meant by the Holocaust. For example, where did it start? Was it 1939, 1933, or even the First World War? Furthermore, he unpicked the traditional notion of the uniqueness of the genocide; rather the Holocaust is an unprecedented event as it can happen again. He stressed that rather than say 'never again' to the Holocaust, we should say 'ever again'.
Ambassadors were  attuned from Professor Bauer to the relevant mind-set for the following academic workshops and the rest of the day. Yet, what is the use of having such information if you do not know how to put it into action? This problem was solved by Shami Chakrabarti. As a human rights campaigner, Shami encouraged us to, as ambassadors, live the values of dignity, fairness, and, the most important, equal treatment. She, like Nick Robinson, stressed the importance of our roles as ambassadors for these lessons; we can use what we have at our disposal, whether that is writing, speaking, media, to promote these values against racism, discrimination, and injustice.
These three renown speakers and individuals, who have each played their part in Holocaust education and human rights, were excellent choices for the first Ambassador Conference. As they reached out to the conference delegation, they were helping us be able to reach generations.
However, they were not the only speakers. There was a wide variety of workshops to attend, such as 'German perpetrators' and 'Life beyond Auschwitz', with speakers like David Ceserani, a well known professor and historian on the Holocaust. There was also a chance to hear from Hannah Lewis, a survivor of the Holocaust, who told a very moving but inspiring account of her experiences. Then there were small snippets of the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust as well as general time to get to know each other, as ambassadors, better. But that can wait for the next blog post...

Holocaust Educational Trust Celebrates Birthday With Conference and Visit to Israel

2013 marks the 25th anniversary of the Holocaust Educational Trust. Established in 1988 by Lord Janner of Braunstone and Lord Merlyn-Rees to educate young people across the United Kingdom about the Holocaust and its lessons for today, the Holocaust Educational Trust has celebrated its birthday this July with a massive new exciting programme.

The Trust's four-part programme, Lessons from Auschwitz, ran for the 100th time this year and carried it's 20,000th sixth form student to the former extermination camp in Poland. It is difficult to dispute the statement that the Trust has gone from strength to strength in the last 25 years. However, it has shown potential for even greater things in the future with the launch of their new Ambassadors programme.
Every single young person who takes part in Lessons from Auschwitz becomes an ambassador for the Trust and Holocaust education. While the Trust can only take two students from each sixth form college at a time, it has affected the lives of 20,000 17-18 year-olds from the entire nation. Therefore, the Trust wishes to create a network amongst these ambassadors to help them communicate the lessons that they learnt for today from the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
To do this, the Holocaust Educational Trust appointed a cohort of 25 Regional Ambassadors. Their aim? To represent the Trust and educate about the Holocaust in their region. More specifically, to connect with the ambassadors in their area and thereby strength their links with the Trust. It was exciting news to hear of this venture, but even more thrilling was Monday 8th July.

On Monday 8th, the Trust held their very first Ambassador Conference to launch their new Ambassador programme of student and regional ambassadors. 500 young people attended the day at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre to listen to world-renown speakers. While nerves in the Trust's brilliant team were high, the day was a huge success, not least because they could see enthusiastic, excited, and passionate people wanting to know more about the Holocaust to tell their friends and communities.

Was this the only celebration though?

Absolutely not! The following week, 23 acquaintances of the Trust met at Luton Airport early one morning to take part in the Holocaust Educational Trust's first ambassador study visit to the homeland of the Jews: Israel. Having not met each other before and anticipating strict security, nerves were very high again! Israel. The Trust ran this visit to complement the knowledge gained at the conference and consolidate the aims of the Trust for the regional ambassadors. Israel. Specifically, the visit was to Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, the site of a museum about and memorial to the Holocaust and International School of Holocaust Studies. Israel. There were lectures and workshops by several academics, field workers, and survivors, which would enable the ambassadors to communicate the lessons of the Holocaust to their regions and communities. Israel. It felt dreamlike, but was also an incredible reality. The opportunity to be part of this milestone was a life-changing and lifetime experience for all 23 ambassadors. They returned to the UK understanding that the Holocaust is not just limited to Auschwitz and is relevant for today. They were equipped and inspired all the more to promote and educate their communities and regions about the Holocaust.

And so the Trust's 25th anniversary has been celebrated in magnificent ways, which create hopeful prospects for the future as the ambassadors who attended the conference and participants who visited Israel take what they heard from older and academic generations to their present and future generations. ________________________________________________________________________

Why write this post and blog?
Well I have been fortunate to see and experience the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust. I have undertaken the Lessons from Auschwitz programme, attended their Ambassador Conference, and experienced the joy of being one of those 23 who visited Israel. Having recently become one of this first cohort of regional ambassadors, I have seen the enormity but also relevance of the Trust's task. I wish to reach generations with the lessons I have learnt from Auschwitz and Israel. For this reason, I hope to let you hear about my experiences at the Conference and in Israel, the importance of the Holocaust for today, and the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust in the future.

All in the Lord's strength

Going through my first university exams this week, I have learnt and been reminded that all we do is in the Lord's strength.

God declares against the house of Eli in 1 Samuel 2:30, "Those who honour me I will honour, but those who despise me will be disdained."

And through Isaiah he comforts his people saying,
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
... Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31).

These numerous 'They will' remind that these are sure and trustworthy. He does not let you fall. Exams are not stress over when the Lord is your God and Saviour. Life is not to worry over when you trust, love, and obey God. Trust him.

Many blesses,
Andrew

Enjoy!

Implications of HMD

Here we are then; the end of Holocaust Memorial Week. Another week of remembrance over for another year. Well, in terms of our calendar that is! I believe that the Holocaust and genocides should not only be remembered once a year but the whole year, 24/7. This is only going to get harder: as the survivors of the Second World War atrocities slowly pass away, it is the duty of this generation, your generation to ensure the lessons learnt from past genocides are continued and injustice is frowned upon.

What are you thankful for?

When I try to answer this, all I get is a massive long list which includes friends, family, events, opportunities and much more! But I think one of the major things I am thankful for is my community. Especially the new community of Canterbury City and Canterbury Christ Church University which I am in. I have been brought into this, on purpose by God, and have been so blessed by what I have received so far. I really want to give something back to the community that has received me. I cannot think of major activities that I may be useful in but I can start small in university and church and work out from there.

This is a personal goal but I also have an underlying reason: to ensure everyone can be made welcome and feel included in the workings of the community, to bring the community together.

As an ambassador for the Holocaust Educational Trust, I pray that you will do the same. It doesn't have to be big, just the tiniest thing in your community will be a stand against dehumanisation and injustice.

The theme of this week is Build a Bridge. There is still time to make the pledge on the HMD webpage, but now, as I finish my blog for this week, make a pledge in your own heart to bring your community together.

The past genocides were real, the victimised were real human beings, the people were real communities.

Think about practical things wherever you are, whether in the workplace, school, unversity, that you could to continue remembering the value of humanity.

What will you do this year until the next time for rememberance to bring your community together?

Finally, thank you for reading my blog. I hope it has been enjoyable, to the extent that this topic gives, and I wish you every best as you reflect on these lessons.

Every Holocaust survivor has a different story

Holocaust Testimony: Eve, Rudi and Paul Oppenheimer: The Last Train From Belsen

Every Holocaust survivor has a different story. This is certainly true for the story of the three Oppenheimer children, Eve, Rudi and Paul, who were fortunate to survive for five years under the Nazis in Holland, and in the camps of Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen, and who finished up on ‘The Last Train from Belsen.’
Our parents, Hans and Rita Oppenheimer, lived in Belsen. We were a typical middle-class family of assimilated Jews, who rarely ventured into a synagogue. Paul and Rudi were born in Berlin in 1928 and 1931, respectively.
With the advent of Hitler and the Nazis, life became progressively more difficult for all Jewish people living in Germany. Many Jewish families wanted to leave Germany, but most other countries would not accept these refugees. Our father, Hans, worked at the Mendelssohn Bank in Berlin which had a branch office in Amsterdam in Holland. He had managed to obtain a transfer to the Amsterdam branch in 1936 and the family went to live in Holland, near the seaside in Heemstede. These were happy days for the Oppenheimer children, but they only lasted for four years.
In May 1940, the Germans invaded Holland and within five days, the Dutch army surrendered. The Germans occupied the whole country, took over its government, and soon started to persecute the Jews who lived there. Anti-Jewish Laws were introduced in an insidious step-by-step manner to restrict the life of all Jewish people in Holland. We were not allowed into public places like parks, zoos, restaurants, hotels, museums, libraries and swimming pools. We had to attend Jewish schools. We had to live in Amsterdam. We had to wear the yellow star. We had a curfew. We had to hand in our bicycles. We were not allowed on the bus or tram.

Having now heard this story as well as that of Oskar Schindler, what will you do to ensure such restrictions on a whole race do not happen in your community? Make your pledge at http://buildabridge.hmd.org.uk/ and for more survivor testimonies visit http://hmd.org.uk/resources/survivor-stories.

What HMD Means To Me

Hearing someone else's story about something that happened to them is perhaps the best way to understand the nature and extent of an event, concept or period.

I want to tell you why HMD is so important to me. Ever since I travelled to Auschwitz-Birkenau with the Holocaust Educational Trust in November 2011, I have learnt some very significant and new lessons. Usually when you think of this period of history, you think of the number 6 billion and the Nazis. However, travelling in Poland rehumanised the victims of the Holocaust. This was the main lesson for me: the victims in this genocide as well as all the subsequent atrocities were actual humans just like myself. One of the most memorable images that displays this is the vast amount of photographs around the museum. It reminded that each person who suffered at the hands of the Nazi murderers had gone to school, had a job, had a family, had an identity.

Relating it to this year's theme, each victim and each survivor, belonged to a community, which was torn apart. I do not know, and doubt, those communities have been rebuilt, but from what I saw I know that it is so important to build bridges in our own communities to bring people together, include the diversity of identities around us, and fight together against injustices from bullying to racism to segregation. HMD allows me on the basis of what I saw to remember that everyone around me is a unique human being with their own identity and part of their own community.

Yesterday I posted a Bible verse from Genesis reminding us how humans were made in God's image. Having been a relatively new Christian when I went to Poland, I was struck at the sheer wickedness that men can be, but also at the wonder of God in some very unique stories, which I will talk about more tomorrow.

Everyone is unique, so HMD allows us to rehumanise the victims of the Holocaust. Communities together produce the most effective results because each identity adds a unique and special characteristic to the community.

Please make your pledge at hmd.org.uk. It is never too late to build a bridge.

Communities Together: Build a Bridge

This is the video made for Holocaust Memorial Day 2013. Be stirred to do something different for differences and make your pledge at http://buildabridge.hmd.org.uk/

 

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

"For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given one Spirit to drink." 1 Corinthians 12:13

Oskar Schindler

 

Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) 'rescued' 1200 Jews by employing them in his factory. He built a bridge in the business community he was in to stand against the injustice of the labour camps and Nazi murderers. But he wished to do more and in '...Shindler's List' regrets that he didn't give up his car to save even 10 more lives.
Is there something that you can give up in or provide in the interests of your wider community? It can be small or big, but think what you can do to build a bridge and overcome dehumanising actions this Holocaust Memorial Day.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2013

Build a Bridge and bring Communities Together this year, this Holocaust Memorial Day (Sunday 27th).
It really is easy to simply click the button, fill in a few details, and remember those who were dehumanised and excluded from their commun...ities during the Holocaust and subsequent atrocities. By doing so, you will be one more step to preventing such inhumanity from happening today. Please make your pledge.
http://buildabridge.hmd.org.uk/