The Warsaw Revolt inextricably links the Pharaoh of Egypt with the Pharaoh of the 20th century. It is one story that spans ages and brings to life fables and stories of old. One of the monumental glories of the Revolt is that it shows how our age-old tradition renews itself in our actions today. There would not have been a Revolt without Pesach, which spurred the desperate remnant to heroic action.
Justice demands that our Yom Hashoah remain where it is, as close to Pesach as possible, to remind future generations of the living, dynamic impact of our past on our national future. The day of Kaddish is also in its right position, allowing individuals to intimately unite with the memory of their particular beloved.
It is to be hoped that the UN’s International Holocaust Memorial Day will be utilized by the nations to learn the lessons that will prevent future occurrences of the evil that led to the murder of six million human beings only because they were Jews, with the world standing idly by.
We can only hope it will not be twisted into exhibiting a bravado performance of Allied soldiers liberating Jews from the extermination and concentration camps. For should that be the outcome, the day will actually turn into a mark of Cain on the foreheads of civilized nations.