Yom Hasho'ah has all but past, and the feelings associated with the day are waning slowly. Each year we allow the horrors of the past to expose the raw sores present in each of our hearts. We undergo a necessary process of self flagellation to keep keen in our minds that we will do all in our power to prevent the atrocities that befell our great nation over 60 years ago from ever occuring again. But in our quest for eternal remembrance I grapple with a simple question; can there or should there ever be any healing?
We have all encountered this question in one way or another, weather it be conscious or unconscious. For instance, I refuse to purchase a German car, and a "Made In Germany" sticker on a gift could just as easily read "Regift me ASAP". All Things German become like Chametz on Pesach,
but at least chametz gets a chance to come back into our lives. I understand that which many of you are thinking right now. You are ready to close this window and begin leaving hate comments on this post, but I assure you I mean not to draw forth your anger or ill will, I simply need to bring forth an issue that struck me recently. My families were decimated along with yours and for that I ask for your patience and understanding.
I work in a research environment and was recently charged with overseeing the installation of a brand new, 1 Million dollar, Carl Zeiss , confocal microscope. Sure they could have purchased a Nikon or Olympus but this is not where my issue stems from. Throughout the preparations for the installation I dealt with people like John, Carol, George and Mike. But for that actual installation Zeiss shipped over a technician who I'll refer to simply as Heinrich.
The day I met Heinrich we were the first two people to arrive in the lab. My Yarmulke branded me "Jew" as clearly as his name labeled him. He towered over me by almost a foot and a half. He was Goliath but I was no David or even Joe Louis. Our initial conversation was quaint and beleaguered. His thick German accent brought to mind old black and white videos of the rise of National Socialism (and of course Dr. Ruth and that fish from
American Dad). I would force myself to make eye contact only to see his eyes dart quickly away from mine. He was nearly as uncomfortable as I.
But why? Why should two professional men working in the intellective environment of academia feel so uncomfortable in each others presence. I have no knowledge of his personal background, and he, none of mine. For all I know he is a wonderful person, a philanthropist, an organ donor, an exemplary gentleman amongst men, but for some reason upon our initial meet and greet he has become to me like UV light to an albino, or more accurately Michael Jackson to a Cacophobic. My xenophobia sickens me and I can't even be sure why. Has my familial history formed within me a ball of hatred that can never be undone? and if so is this hatred an educational fault or a Jewish religionational necessity?
These questions race in my head and I am reminded of something I read a short while back in the introduction to Michael Wex's
Born To Kvetch. He states that the Jewish propensity towards complaint is of utmost importance to the Jewish people as a nation. As long as we Kvetch we are in essence continually reminding ourselves that our ultimate dreams of a Jewish Utopia in Eretz Yisra'el has yet to be realized. We are reminded that we remain in
galus and only our continued performance of Hashem's will, will lead us towards the zman hage'ulah. Maybe a similar system is at play here as well. Maybe I have been trained to see Heinrich in some negative light simply in order to create a psychological distance from him. Maybe I have been trained not to hate but simply to be wary of those who may wish cause me harm.
And so for a little better understanding I contemplate the issues at hand from a Judaic standpoint. Where do we see examples of horrific acts in the Torah (sadly there is no shortage). We find evil at the hands of the Egyptians, and so the passuk tells us (Devarim 17:16) "you should not return on this way again" to Egypt. Why? Well the chinuch tells us it's because of their evil nature. The Torah being the eternal document doesn't seem to delineate any good Egyptians from bad ones. In fact the Rambam states clearly that Egptians are one of the four nations from which the Jewish people may never accept any converts.
While on the topic of the Rambam, Amalek comes to mind. There is a famous inference in the Rambam regarding the modern day understanding of amalek. While mentioning the seven nations the Rambam states that they are no longer in existance today, but yet he discusses the obligation of the obliteration of amalek as if somehow they do remain, How? The famous answer given in the name of the Rav was that any nation that binds together of single mind to destroy the Jews is a member of Amalek. So where does that leave Heinrich?
If you are looking for a snazzy wrap-up I haven't one. I leave this post now as the issues presented are left in my mind, disoriented, disjunct and agitated.
