Make No Mistake: The Holocaust Remains Part of Jewish Psyche

Think about it. Most governments are elected based on promised for a better economy, social issues or other more mundane things. Not in Israel. Even when a speech is delivered in modern Hebrew in the united capital of the Jewish people, surrounded by all the incredible developments Israel has given to the world, some things never change.

The Holocaust is certainly one of the two most horrific and tragic events that have befallen the Jewish people. The death and destruction, the loss of so many lives, and so much potential was, and is, profound.

Yes, it is part of our psyche. We will never forget, but we also move on. The other events were the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem, which impacted the foundation of Jewish life religiously and culturally. The First Temple was rebuilt 70 years after it was destroyed, allowing Jews then to move on as well and rebuild their lives that were centered on worship there.

So when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago, we expected that it would be rebuilt. We are still waiting, and this has left a chasm in Jewish life. While there was a healing from the rebuilding of the First Temple, there’s still a void that we feel profoundly and that we mark in our daily prayers, Passover Seder and even wedding ceremonies, in absence of having the Temple restored.

Recently, I realized that, just as Jews needed to heal after the destruction of the First and Second Temples, the Holocaust is a national tragedy of no less significance, requiring healing too. God put on my heart that we are already in that process, 69 years after the end of the most recent chasm in Jewish life. Of course, this does not discount that, for many survivors, there is no healing. And to even suggest that might be offensive.

However, there are two related phenomenon that are providing some degree or recovery today.

First is that we have the state of Israel, the fulfillment of prophesy that the Jewish people have returned to the land that God gave us from our exile among the nations. Of course, there was always a Jewish presence here, but under foreign occupiers since the year 70.

The second is the growing trend of Christians standing with Israel and the Jewish people, sharing the fulfillment of prophecy and representing the idea that the nations that once stood against us are now standing with us. Amen.

It’s exciting and humbling to think that just maybe, generations from now, it will be commonly realized that part of the healing from the Holocaust came from the fellowship of Jews and Christians together today. I pray that in a year and generations from now, when there are no longer any survivors alive to share their experiences, we will all be blessed by the awareness that the healing has begun and that Jews and Christians standing together is not only part of God’s heart, but the best way of ensuring that the phrase never again will not just be hollow words.

Jonathan Feldstein is the director of Heart to Heart, a unique virtual blood donation program to bless Israel and save lives in Israel. Born and educated in the U.S., Feldstein emigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has been blessed by the calling to fellowship with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes a regular column for Charisma’s Standing With Israel. You can contact Jonathan at [email protected].