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NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINMAGDABROWNThe stench from the chimneys of burning flesh,it will live with me as long as I live.Editor’s Note: This story was written by The Fellowship’s Christina Johns,Creative Director, on her experiences attending a Fellowship-sponsoredHolocaust awareness event. Although this event occurred several yearsago, Christina remains in contact with Magda, who continues to shareher story.9

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINSeveral years ago, I attended aFellowship-sponsored conference on Holocaust awarenessat the Illinois Holocaust Museumand Education Center in Skokie. Mymain task was to interview one ofthe Holocaust survivors who wouldserve as our guide through the exhibit.When we stepped into a replica ofa railcar that had been used to deliver Jews to the concentration camps,a wave of panic washed over me. Imet the eyes of Magda, our guideand an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, and was suddenly overcomewith shame, anger, and sadness.When Magda was 17, not muchyounger than me, she stood in arailcar just like the one we werestanding in. Magda, her mother,and other victims were packed intothe train cars, given little information as to their destination, and leftto endure yet another phase of theNazis’ “final solution.”Magda shared her memories:There wasn’t enough room in the cars to sit down. So in order to allowmy mother to sit, I stood for three days. There were all kinds of peoplethere. Some just prayed, others yelled, and some didn’t know what todo. There was no food, no water, and the only bathroom facility wasa bucket in the corner. The smell was terrible, but the thirst was sointense that it was all I could think about. Everything was secondary tothe torture of being denied water. It was maddening.At one point I was pushed into the corner where there was a smallwindow with barbed wire across it. I looked out the window, and mymemory is so vivid. I saw a boy close to my age herding a flock ofsheep. I thought to myself, Why is he out there and I’m in here? Yousee, I thought the whole world was in train cars. Then, I thought, Whatdid I do to deserve this? I am good girl.Eventually the trained stopped, the box car door was opened, andsome men motioned for the people to get out and leave their belongings behind. I grabbed my mother’s hand as the thousands ofpeople poured out of the train cars. I looked up and saw people thatlooked like skeletons wearing striped uniforms staring back at us withan empty, detached glare behind a barbed wire fence. I thought tomyself, Why did they bring us to an insane asylum? I thought we weregoing to work.10

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINWhen we got up to the front of the line, there was an SS man pointing people where to go. Some went right, others left. People werescreaming and crying as they were pulled from one another. Theysaw me holding my mother’s hand and now I look back and think thatwas a mistake. You see, my mother looked young and they probablywould have let her live if they thought that. Instead, they knew shewas my mother, and they pointed her in the opposite direction fromwhere they pointed me.I kind of waved to her and I said, “Mother, I’ll see you later,” notrealizing that would be the last time I saw my beautiful young mother.And then everything was systematic. You become a zombie. You’re nolonger a person. You just move. You follow directions or else. After theyshaved our heads and gave us our ill-fitting uniforms, people startedtalking to other Jews who had been at Auschwitz longer and asked ifthey knew where their relatives had gone. I listened; I wanted to knowwhen I would see my mother again. They pointed to the five chimneysin the distance and very coolly said, “There is your family. There areyour relatives.” The stench from the chimneys of the burning flesh, it willlive with me as long as I live. It is the most horrible thing imaginable.Magda’s eyes were glassy as sheshared this part of her horrific story. I felt my eyes well withtears as pictures of my motherflashed through my mind. The fearMagda must have experienced andthe strength she must have had inorder to survive I will never be ableto comprehend.Tragically, the war against themonster of hatred and anti-Semitism has not ended.The war on hate is being wagedall over the world. We need to knowthe threat and be a voice of reasonamongst a chorus of ignorance. Itis not just up to those who survivedthe Holocaust to ensure we remember – it is up to all those who wish tolive in a world that is just and moral.11

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINNEVER AGAINQ&ALEARNING ABOUTANTI-SEMITISMAnother important way to combat anti-Semitism is through education. What is anti-Semitism? How pervasive is it today? How does itimpact Jewish-Christian relations? Below are a series of questionsand answers from Rabbi Eckstein’s book, Ask the Rabbi, about thehistory of anti-Semitism from a biblical and theological perspective,and what Christians can do today in response.1. When and How DidAnti-Semitism Begin?Haman, long ago, exhibited theclassic traits of the virulent diseaseof anti-Semitism. He made unfairstereotypes, projected negative characteristics from individual Jews ontoan entire nation, and called for theliquidation of all the Jewish peoplebecause of the perceived misdeedsof one Jew. Let us examine what theBible says about Haman’s hatredfor Jews and about the hatred of allother anti-Semites, as well.In the book of Esther we findHaman saying to King XeresAnti-Semitism is one of the mostancient and tenacious prejudicesever to afflict humankind. Andits beginnings are ancient as well.Already in the 6th century B.C.E., inone of the earliest records of ancientanti-Semitism, the Bible records thatHaman sought to wipe out all theJews of the Persian Empire. Why?Because Mordecai, a Jew, refused tobow down to him.12

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAIN(Ahasuerus in Hebrew) of Persia:“There is a certain people dispersedamong the peoples in all the provincesof your kingdom who keep themselvesseparate. Their customs are differentfrom those of all other people, andthey do not obey the king’s laws; it isnot in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let adecree be issued to destroy them, and Iwill give ten thousand talents of silverto the king’s administrators for theroyal treasury” (Esther 3:8–9).concept of anti-Semitism reflecteda fundamental shift in attitudes.What was once historic anti-Jewishprejudice that flared up in responseto offensive Jewish behavior orbeliefs, changed to a view that wasanti-Jewish on genetic grounds.2. How Did Anti-SemitismChange and Flourish upto World War II?Though anti-Jewish prejudice hasbeen around for thousands of years,it took a significantly new form inthe late 1800s. It shifted from a historic prejudice that was anti-Jewishand flared up as a negative reactionto Jewish behavior or beliefs, to aview that was anti-Jews based onirrational racial hatred.In previous centuries, Jews couldtheoretically change their actionsor beliefs, and thereby avoid beingsubjected to anti-Semitism. But withthe introduction of the new racial(i.e. genetic) dimension, they couldnot escape. Even if they converted toChristianity, for example, they couldnot escape being branded as Jews.The root problem, according to thisnew kind of anti-Semitism, was notin Jewish behavior or beliefs, but inJewish flesh and blood.Seeds of HateHaman despised the Jews becausethey lived and believed differentlyfrom others. He accused them ofbeing clannish, unpatriotic to theirnation, and disloyal to the king. Heplanted doubts in the king’s mindabout the safety and wisdom of having Jews living in the Empire. Hamanfinally succeeded in rallying the kingand the masses to his anti-Semiticcause by cleverly appealing to theirgreed. He assured them that bydestroying the Jews they would notonly rid themselves of their nationalproblem, they would also reap greatfinancial reward in the process. Isn’tthis kind of thinking typical of manyanti-Semites? Are not most consumed by greed and hatred?Anti-Semitism is actually a termof recent vintage. It was coined in1873 by Wilhelm Marr, a German whobelieved that Jews as a group wereunalterably tainted and “racially determined.” Their goal, in his view, wasto overrun society and corrupt thepure Aryan German nation. This newNazi ObsessionAs is well known, this theory of Jewish racial impurity was reintroducedin a most monstrous form a fewdecades later by Adolf Hitler. Thishypothesis constituted the ideological backbone of the Nazi onslaught13

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINhatred of Jews is not prompted byanything the Jews themselves do ordon’t do, but simply by the reality ofwho they are — Jews.against the Jews. Thus, modernanti-Semitism involves pathologicalracial hatred, in contrast with thehistoric prejudice against Jewishactions and beliefs.For example, a Jew living duringthe Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, or even the pogroms of the late1800s, could have been spared frompersecution and death by convertingto Christianity. But in the 20th century Holocaust, with the new racial (i.e.genetic) understanding of anti-Semitism, such a conversion would havebeen an entirely futile gesture.Is anti-Semitism then a rationalphenomenon that we can somehowtry to comprehend? Many peoplebelieve it is not. They declare the veryexistence of Jews somehow, almostsupernaturally, evokes hatred in thehardcore anti-Semite. Such hatredis not based on the Jews’ personality,beliefs, actions, or social mores, butthe simple fact of being Jews. Foranti-Semites, the urge to destroy Jewsis a central, irrational, passionateobsession.History provides many examplesof inconsistent accusations againstthe Jews. In fact, Jews seem to be criticized no matter what alternative theychoose. At various points in history,for example, Jews have been accusedof being too poor or too wealthy,too politically domineering or toopolitically uninvolved. Jews havebeen accused of being too spiritualand too secular; unambitious andoverly aggressive; too separated fromothers and too assimilated; capitalists and communists. The obsessional3. How Do Stereotypes ExtendAnti-Semitism?What are the historical causes andideological roots of anti-Semitism?Is it a chronic disease? Is it curable? Is it rational? Obviously theseare very complex issues that wecannot fully address. We can say,however, that anti-Semitism hasbeen spawned and nurtured byeconomic, social, political, and evenreligious forces.In many respects anti-Semitismentered into the mind and psyche ofWestern civilization through Christianity, as will be addressed later. Attimes, anti-Semitism is so enmeshedin Western culture that we fail toeven recognize it.Ingrained StereotypesAsk yourselves what happens to children when they read in school aboutShylock in Shakespeare’s Merchant ofVenice? What is the result of viewingchurch Passion Plays, or movies portraying Jews as evil, hostile, and evenmurderous toward Jesus?Such experiences, which are notat all uncommon in our society,reinforce some of the most viciousanti-Jewish stereotypes and canardsthat have plagued Jews for centuries.Particularly damaging is the notionthat Jews were somehow responsible for killing Jesus and are divinely14

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINintended to suffer for that sin forgenerations.Sometimes, of course, anti-Semitic stereotypes can take a far moresubtle form. Look at how Jesus is portrayed in the artwork found today inmost museums and many churches.Usually, he (and the apostles, exceptfor Judas) is depicted with straightlight-colored hair, smooth featuresand benign expressions. Meanwhile,the (other) Jews are pictured withblack, unruly, curly hair, large noses,and conniving eyes. These picturessilently deny Jesus was a Jew! Wecannot call this overt anti-Semitism,but it certainly reinforces and givescredence to common derogatoryperceptions of Jews.Thus, anti-Semitism is often manifest blatantly and overtly, but it canalso assume a more subtle, deceptiveguise, as well. We need to be on guardlest it slowly and subtly work uponthe minds of unsuspecting people,especially impressionable children.Covert anti-Semitism can insidiously shape strong negative attitudestoward Jews.the messiah had arrived and that mancould attain salvation through him.Meanwhile, Jews, by their veryexistence, seemed to be a countertestimony. Stubbornly, Jews continued to irritate and embarrassChristians by insisting that the truemessiah had not yet come, that God’scovenants with them remainedoperative, and that the Hebrew Bible(not the New Testament) was stillthe complete and definitive Word ofGod. Jews simply refused to acknowledge the Christian claim that, withJesus, God had made a major changein salvation history.Christians maintained that Jesushad come to bring salvation firstand foremost to his fellow Jews. Butby their overwhelming rejection ofJesus, the Jews severed their covenantal relationship with God andforfeited their rights and position asGod’s chosen people.The New Israel?Christians proclaimed that theyconstituted the “New Israel,” that theGospels were God’s “New Testament,”and that Christianity had become theonly true faith and the only means ofsalvation.In other words, Christiansdeclared Jews and Judaism were displaced in God’s plan by the Churchand Christianity. The continuedexistence of Jews after Jesus’ deathwas, for centuries, a thorn in theChristian side, constantly needingexplanation. Christians even maintained that non-Christian Jewshad ceased to be true Jews, i.e. the4. What Role Has Some SpecificChristian Theology Played inAnti-Semitism?Jewish rejection of Christian beliefsis widely believed to be a major causeof historical Christian negativismtoward Jews and Judaism. Since thetime of Jesus, the Christian gospelhas been inextricably linked withJewish denial of that message and itsmessiah. Christians proclaimed that15

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINtrue descendants of Abraham. Theconcept of “Jew” was spiritualizedand applied to Christians instead ofbiological Jews.Paul’s writings were a majorsource of this “replacement theology.” For example, he wrote in Romans2 and 9, “For he is not a Jew, who isone only outwardly . . . but he is a Jewwho is inwardly one.” Later, the term“the Jews” was transformed into anegative symbol describing all whorejected Jesus, not just the real fleshand blood Jews.It was not a major theological stepfor Jews of succeeding generationsto become collectively viewed as“sons of the devil,” or the incarnationof evil. In Christian eyes, Jews werethe people who crucified Jesus outof sheer malice; those who shouted“Crucify him,” as well as their descendants, were all murderers (see John8:44 and Matthew 27:25).This theological antipathy towardnon-Christian Jews built upon priornegative views of Jews. Paul hadwarned against undue pride, tellingChristians not to take theologicalhostile positions toward the Jews(e.g. Romans 11:17–24). This themewill be explored further in our nextquestion.of the Jews and their refusal to acceptJesus were an ongoing aggravation.Both challenged the Church’s claimthat it was the inheritor of God’scovenant and promises and that itwas the new “True Israel.”In the book of Romans, Pauladmonished the Gentiles regardingsuch attitudes, warning them notto be haughty nor to forget whosupports whom. It is the root thatsupports the branch, not the reverse,said Paul. (See Romans 11:18.)Divine OrdinationPaul goes further and suggests thatthe Jewish rejection of Jesus wassomehow divinely ordained. WhenPaul says that a temporary blindnesshas come over the Jews, he means it isnot their doing but God’s. Moreover,Paul insists, the Jewish rejection ofJesus was for the Gentiles’ benefit, sothat they could be grafted onto therich (Jewish) olive tree and share ina covenantal relationship with God(Romans 11:11).Unfortunately, however, as theChurch became increasingly Gentile,its Jewish roots were increasinglydenied. All that was rememberedfrom Paul’s admonition was that theJews rejected Jesus. The second halfof his statement, that the rejectionwas “divinely ordained and for theGentile’s sake,” was tragicallyforgotten. (See Romans 11:28–29).This replacement theology wasnot, however, an isolated or uniquephenomenon. The early church, inits formative centuries, tended to5. How Does a Christian’s Viewof the Jewish Roots of Christianity Affect Anti-Semitism?We have described briefly the evolution of a hostile attitude toward Jewsin the early Church. We also discussed how the continued existence16

NEVER FORGETNEVER AGAINshape a distinctive Christian identity by denying its Jewish roots andorigin. Consistently, the Churchdefined itself over and against Jewsand Judaism. The Jewishness of Jesus,for example, was virtually forgotten.The Jewish origins of rituals andconcepts such as the Passover meal,baptism, circumcision, and salvationwere either denied, spiritualized, orradically transformed in meaning.Christianity has been much likethe teenager who rebels against hisparents in order to define his ownseparate identity. The Church brokewith its Jewish origins and parentage, and tried to shape a distinctiveidentity by claiming it displacedJudaism and superseded the OldCovenant.Yet, the encouraging news is thatamong some Christians there hasbeen a renewed interest in exploringthe Jewish roots of their faith andin rediscovering the Jewishness ofJesus. Our ministry’s vision at TheFellowship is that Jews and Christians will reverse their 2,000-yearhistory of discord and replace it witha relationship marked by dialogue,respect, and cooperation.Christian view of Jews and Judaismfor centuries to come.By the 4th century, JohnChrysostom, for example, declared,“the martyrs especially hate theJews, for the reason that they loveso deeply the one who, by them, wascrucified.” He explained that Jewishsuffering came as a divine punishment “because you [the Jews] killedChrist. It is because you stretchedout your hand against the Lord. It isbecause you shed the precious bloodthat there is now no restoration, nomercy anymore and no defense thisis why you are being punished worsenow than in the past if this werenot the case, God would not haveturned His back on you so completely thus, you who sinned againstHim are in a state of dishonor anddisgrace.”The Deicide ChargeThe average Christian today is, in alllikelihood, totally unaware of suchstatements by outstanding leadersin the early Church. Unfortunately,such ideas were promulgatedand widely accepted d

The full name of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Hebrew is actually " . Elie Wiesel, Night, (New York: Hill & Wang, 1960), 43-44 NEVER . FORGET I. t has been more than 70 years since the Holocaust — the year 2015 marking . Eckstein wrote in his book, .