“In every generation, man must see himself as if he himself has come out of Egypt." Recently, masses of Jews, fathers and sons, families and children, sat around the Seder table, in order to see and feel for themselves as if they had left Egypt. Today, 77 years since the Holocaust that wiped out no less than a third of our people, this statement is gaining traction. Each and every one of us is committed to seeing himself as if he survived, as if he were there, and as if he was fighting for the continuation of our existence. In our generation, we remember, and swear to also keep the eternal promise of 'never again.’
On the eve of the war, Jewish leaders around the world warned of the coming eruption. But the repeated calls for responsibility and help with the fate of the Jews fell on deaf ears. With the weakening of local leaderships in the Holocaust, the arms of Anti-Semitism penetrated into the Jewish communities. They crumbled the face of humanity and distinguished all hope.
The dimensions of the disaster and the atrocities made people think. The Jews, looked up pleadingly, in search of those who would lead, protect, give hope and lead. But their pleas fell on deaf ears and help was not forthcoming. The dependence on the mobilization of the nations of the world to save the situation, became a fictitious dream and the helplessness and lack of assistance from the other countries left the Jewish people abandoned to their fate.
Today, for a period of more than two months, millions of people - including many of our people, have become refugees on European soil. And the world is silent.
But we learnt through our suffering. We are a nation that in spite of all the difficulty we faced, we succeeded in rising up and out of it. Out of the depth and intensity of the darkness, huge changes took place during the Holocaust, ones that affected the fate of every Jew. Local leadership groups stood up, armed and struggled, just to maintain the dignity of our trampled people. Others, bestowed spiritual hope while trying to preserve a visage of humanity, through mutual guarantee and partnership of a shared destiny.
Throughout its years, as well as in the dark days of the Holocaust, the Zionist movement inspired many leaders and also played an important role in leadership.
Our existential dependence on the “favors” of the nations of the world, withdrew with the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. Local organizations, lacking weapons and defense, were converted into a strong and moral army. Our eternal heritage has been strengthened by the sense of partnership of destiny and the sense of responsibility and guarantee, standing before our eyes. Organizations from all over the world are being recruited today more than ever to help our brothers in the Diaspora. They rescue Jews from European soil, accompany, assist and bring them to Israel. This is done for any Jew who so desires! This, in my eyes is responsible leadership.
Our heritage as a people, our hope to return to the land of our ancestors, the belief in our right to exist anywhere in the world and to live an independent life in our country, have accompanied us for generations.
Today we swear on behalf of all those who were and are no longer.
We are here to talk about what happened and to continue to protect every Jew, everywhere in the world.
“Once again, men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with a cane in hand because of their age. The city’s streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there” (Zechariah, 8:4).
Am Yisroel Chai!
Written by Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, acting Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel.