Today, Jan. 27, 2021, has been designated International Holocaust Rememberance Day. Today is the 81st anniversary of the date in 1945 when Soviet troops burst into the Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp. I’ve been pondering the significance of Holocaust Day and remembering what I saw on TV on Jan. 6.
It begins — “It was when Pharaoh sent out the nation” — with the most momentous event — namely the Jewish peoples’ miraculous crossing the Sea of Reeds — and forever having their noxious slave masters gone, resulting in perhaps the most beautiful of Jewish prayers, the Az Yashir.
Toward the beginning of my favorite documentary, “Baseball” by Ken Burns, the narrator intones the following: “Baseball follows the seasons; it begins each year with the fond expectancy of springtime; and it ends with the hard facts of autumn.”
In this week’s Torah portion of “Bo,” G-d commands Moses “Come To Pharaoh...”
Eliana, my 4-year-old daughter, just returned to in-person preschool. On Monday, she was excited to be dropped off outside with her mask and backpack on, walking into school with no parents. On Tuesday, she talked about finishing a project she started on Monday. But on Wednesday, while still snuggling in bed, she asked, “do I have to go to school?” Shocked at the question because Eliana loves school, I answered, “yes.” Then she continued, “do I have to wear a mask?”
“Camp Auschwitz” was among the slogans thugs displayed upon attacking the Capitol January 6. Concentration camps are the logical result of a fascistic insurrection. The slogan reminds me: my father, Reuben Berman, was a physician and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, which ordered him to investigate Dachau in May 1945. The report was classified; he kept a copy and gave it to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1995. I remember that he told me, “The bodies were stacked up like cordwood. Don’t tell me the Holocaust did not happen. I was there; I saw it.”
As The Chronicle was about to arrive in mailboxes last week, supporters of President Trump were storming the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s win in last year’s presidential election. As the aftereffects of the deadly Jan. 6 riot continued into this week, The Chronicle revisited some of the immediate responses from the local Jewish Community. The statements have been edited for length.
If you are like millions of other people across the globe, you might’ve made traditional New Year’s resolutions. But most people only stick to their resolutions for a couple of weeks.
Back when I began my rabbinate, I used a paper calendar. There was something special about opening it up at the beginning of the year. It was blank. Nothing was written. Anything was possible.
Always around this time of year, and on Rosh Hashanah, I contemplate on the past year and think about what I want to achieve in the upcoming one. Last year was different for me. I appreciated and gave thanks for what I have and started my day with Modeh Ani.
