Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

On the eve of The Day of Atonement, “Erev Yom Kippur”, it is traditional for Jewish families to recite the Kapporeth prayer in the morning before Yom Kippur as part of our atonement, asking G-d to forgive our sins of the past year; and to give charity in support of our request for forgiveness and to be written into the Book of Life.

This year I recited the Kapporeth prayer on behalf of 19 relatives. Among these 19 relatives are one Holocaust survivor, two second-generation Holocaust survivors, five third-generation Holocaust survivors and six fourth-generation Holocaust survivors.

In other Jewish families we can already see fifth- and sixth-generation Holocaust survivors attesting to the ever-increasing miracle of Jewish survival, and the ultimate defeat of all who seek the destruction and disappearance of the Jewish people.

In each historical instance where antisemitism and its evil twin anti-zionism sought to wipe out the Jewish people along with their memory, “the Jewish people ended up standing at the graveside of their oppressors.”

Every society without exception went into a period of decline or collapse with the persecution, oppression, expulsion and state sponsored genocide of the Jewish people.

Those societies and nations that ultimately saw the folly, futility and danger of hating the Jews and embraced their presence, greatly benefitted by the Jewish contribution and productivity in every phase of that nation’s life.

But the Jewish people cannot stand idly by and forget their past. If they do, a new generation of antisemites and anti-zionists will arise who do not remember their repeated defeats and failures to eradicate the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

We already see the forces of Jew-hatred growing throughout the world, even in our own country where Jews have embraced America and made outstanding contributions which have benefitted all Americans.

Despite our excellent record of outstanding citizenship and contributions to every aspect of American society, Jews are no longer secure on the very streets of their home towns. Our synagogues and schools need police protection, and wearing a skull cap and other Jewish identifiable garments invite physical attack. Even in the very sub-cultures, which Jews have historically supported and continue to do so, they are increasingly not welcome.

The first line of defense is to remember and understand our own culture and heritage; and that the culture of Jew-hatred is a social disease for which there is no known cure; and that we are not immune from its re-occurrence.

“Never Again” requires “Never Forget” which requires “Constant Reminding” How do we constantly remind ourselves to be vigilant and prepared to combat this disease?

As a people, we have done a pretty good job of ‘never forgetting’ by the accumulation of the recorded video and oral testimony of first generation Holocaust survivors and eye witnesses, as well as the assembly and organization of documentary evidence of the Holocaust. We have educated thousands of Jews and non-Jews of the horrific events and hopefully, have blunted Jew-hatred and other forms of bigotry to some extent.

We as a people must also recognize, document, embrace and educate all subsequent generations of Holocaust survivors for all time. This future generational link to the Holocaust must not be lost to history.

All future generations of Holocaust survivors must be taught to embrace their Judaism and celebrate the ever increasing miracle of their birth and their genetic link to the original survivors and those that perished in the Holocaust.

If you wish to comment or respond you can reach me at melpearlman322@gmail.com. Please do so in a rational, thoughtful, respectful and civil manner.

Mel Pearlman holds B.S. & M.S. degrees in physics as well as a J.D. degree and initially came to Florida in 1966 to work on the Gemini and Apollo space programs. He has practiced law in Central Florida since 1972. He has served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando; was a charter board member, first vice president and pro-bono legal counsel of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida, as well as holding many other community leadership positions.