Learning Some Lessons From The Holocaust

The United Nations has set aside January 27 each year to remember the Holocaust that consumed an estimated six million Jews during the Second World War. The Day is officially called the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. 
Holocaust is a term used to describe the wilful massacre of millions of people before and during the Second World War in Germany and German-occupied territories. Many of the victims of the interne cion were Jews but also included Soviets, Poles (Polish people), homosexuals, the disabled, political and religious persons. 
The Day is not only meant to mark events of the mass killings of the victims, it is also a day to remember when the Soviet Red Army liberated the biggest Nazi concentration and death camp in Poland on January 27, 1945. 
On this day, prayer meetings are customarily organised and held globally for the Holocaust victims and attempts to annihilate the Jews are denounced. Visits and tributes to victims of inhumane conduct are also paid. 
World Holocaust Day goes beyond the remembrance of the unfortunate incidents that occurred during the Second World War. It is a time to acknowledge the evil of hate speeches and racial segregation which Adolf Hitler effectively utilised to plunge the world into a catastrophe. 
Those who bear the burden of personal experiences of human cruelty ought to attract the same sympathy as the Holocaust victims wherever they are found. Everything should be done to eradicate hatred from human society. 
The world will not forget what happened in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. Therefore, for the voices of the Holocaust victims to be truly heard, there is a need for future generations to learn about the catastrophe and for everyone to work towards preventing a similar happenstance in the world. 
As the victims are remembered, there are always novel things to learn from the devastating events and that is, the world must understand that the Holocaust is not mere statistics. It is real. Every life that was taken had an identity and a name and each person represents a universe. 
As our sages tell us: “whoever saves a single life, it is as if he or she has saved an entire universe. Just as whoever has killed a single person, it is as if they have killed an entire universe.” The lasting imperative here is we are the guarantors of each other’s destiny.
Another lesson to be learnt is that Hitler’s genocide succeeded not only because of the terror but because of the state-sanctioned ideology of hate. It all began with the demonising of others. The truth is that the  Holocaust didn’t begin in the gas chamber, it actually began with words.
Again, the annihilation exercise was a huge success because of the conspiracy of silence or indifference among the elites at the time. Is much the same development not witnessed in our day and time? Don’t we see this happen in Nigeria again and again? 
For example, the inaction by the Nigerian government against mass killings in the country only sends a message that the authorities are on the side of the victimiser, not the victim. This is a dangerous signal as indifference in the face of evil is acquiescence with evil itself.
Are we not experiencing an appalling conspiracy in Africa which led to the Rwandan genocide that has all the trappings of being repeated in many countries in our continent and other parts of the world? 
If the 20th century was the age of heinous acts, it was also the period of impunity. Impunity was at the heart of the systematic extermination and only few perpetrators of evil at that time were brought to justice. There should be no sacred cows nor sanctuary for hate and enemies of mankind. 
It is expedient to understand that to combat fiendishness, impunity has to be tackled because it is the symbol of lawlessness. We are in an era of global impunity where perpetrators of atrocious acts are left unpunished and not brought to justice.
Also, it is the responsibility of the state to protect the vulnerable. Hitler’s genocide triumphed because of the vulnerability of the powerless and the powerlessness of the vulnerable. He targeted those whose lives were not worth living. Therefore, every government must seek to empower the powerless and give voice to the voiceless. 
Since the occurrence of the Holocaust, most of the affected countries have seen lower economic growth and wages ever since. Consequently, these same areas have always resisted political reforms even long after the collapse of communism in the defunct Soviet Union. 
More than 70 years after the Holocaust, the horrors of Rwanda and Darfur in Africa are frightening reminders that preventing future genocides and mass atrocities remains an enormous challenge. As we learn more about the risk factors, warning signs, and triggering events that have led to it in the past, may we also learn ways to prevent it in the future.
The ongoing genocidal atrocities in the Middle East, Burundi, and currently South Sudan are ominous signs heavy with foreboding. Genocide doesn’t just happen overnight, it can develop from mass atrocities, for example, war crimes and crimes against humanity. 
Given this growing tendency in many countries, there is a need for the establishment of a Genocide Prevention Task Force to provide practical policy recommendations to enhance the capacity of governments to respond to emerging threats of genocide and mass atrocities.
Any failure by the international community to act in the face of crises, and act promptly, will often lead to the atrocities escalating until they get to the threshold of genocide.  The global community must, therefore, accept its failure each time it is unable to prevent the escalation of mass monstrosities in different parts of the world.
By remembering the victims and honouring the courage of the survivors, and those who assisted and liberated them, we annually renew our resolve to prevent such barbarity and reject the hateful mentality that allows that. The memory of the Holocaust is a strong reminder of what can happen when we cease from seeing our common humanity.
As it is, everyone has to denounce political and religious ideologies that set people against themselves. Let us speak out against religious, ethnic and political sentiments and create a world where dignity is revered, diversity is celebrated and peace is permanent.
While the normal thing is to think that it won’t happen in our time, we must never believe that the worst is still far away. So, the lessons of the Holocaust must be learnt all the time, not only on the set date.