Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) Why?

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Why?  

Last week, From April 26 to 27, The world celebrated "Yom HaShoah" (Holocaust Remembrance Day) People celebrated the remembrance of the Holocaust, commonly known as "Shoah".  It was (and still is) a time to remember with sadness the time that more than 6,000,000 Jewish men, women, and children were slaughtered without mercy by the Nazi regime under Adolf Hitler between the years 1933 and 1945.

We might ask what is 6,000,000 like?  Imagine the state of Massachusetts or the country of El Salvador void of people?  You walk from North to South, from East to West without finding one living soul.  That is what a loss of 6,000,000 people would be like.  Both places have a population of a bit over that, but not more than 7,000,000.  

January 30, 1933, was when Adolf Hitler came to power and already had in his mind to wipe out a certain unwanted and inferior "race" called the "Jews"  Interesting to note that there is only "one race" in this world which God created, and that race is the "human race".  Within the "human race" there are many, many "people groups" with different physical characteristics like skin color, eye, and nose shapes, language, and social-religious customs, yet still only "one race".   May 8th, 1945 we can say was when the Holocaust ended when the allied forces won the war against Nazi Germany and liberated the death camps, and rescued the remaining occupants of those camps.  

Yet we need to also remember that the Holocaust was not the first time violence had played a cruel role against the "Chosen People."  The Inquisition of Europe also took millions of innocent lives, not only Jewish but anyone opposed to the Catholic Church between the years 1184 and 1834.  So, how many millions of innocent lives were lost during these times? only God knows for sure the exact number.  He maintains an accurate record and will have "payback" during the Great White Throne Judgment of the future.  

Some may ask;  "But why the Jewish people?"  Why did God allow this to happen to His chosen people?  There is not a simple answer.  We might have several answers, but how accurate would those answers be?  Whatever the answers, they might stir up hornet nests and high winds with rough seas.  

One very wrong answer is;  "The Jews were punished for crucifying Jesus on the cross!"  The reason that this is very wrong is that it was the plan of the Father since the beginning of the world.  When Adam sinned, the Creator would have to send a "Second Adam" to pay the price of sin.  The only way would be to send a  "Second Adam" who would be sinless and perfect.  This could only be "God in the flesh" or the "Son of God".  He would be the "Lamb of God" who would take away the sin of the world. He would bring "Yeshuah" (Salvation) to the whole world who would trust in His one-time-only sacrifice.  

Yeshua/Jesus said that "No man takes my life, I give it up freely"  (John 10:18) So, no one "Killed Jesus" really.  However, we can look at this in the following way;  A group of religious Jewish leaders brought false accusations against Yeshua, they brought him to the Roman leaders.  The Roman soldiers drove the nails into his hands and feet, yet our SINS held him fast to the cross.  So, why have the Jews suffered so much since then? if this was part of the plan of God? 

The people cried out when Pilate wished to set Yeshua free,  "Let his blood be upon us and on our children" (Matt 27:25).  We can take this in two ways.  Some believe that this statement brought not so much punishment and vengeance, as it brought reconciliation.  The blood of Yeshua brought reconciliation, yes, to all who would believe.  Yet the shed blood of innocent Abel asked for vengeance.  

The other belief is that because of rejection and unbelief of Yeshua as chosen Messiah, the departing of the Way of the Torah, of the Truth, and following of ways of the world and sin, this would bring perilous times and "times of trouble" upon the chosen people.  A blessed people can not be cursed unless those same people bring a curse upon themselves.  Could that be a meaning of Matt 27:25? 

Satan wanted so much for the Jewish people to be extinguished so that Messiah Yeshua could not be born.  Yet he failed, because Yeshua came into the world to pay the price of sin, yet he still instigates the lost world to attack the people of God in many ways.  There will come a day when ALL followers of our One True God will suffer persecution.  Will we be ready? to endure? 

We must also understand that there is always a remnant of believers even among the Jewish People, those who accept and embrace Yeshua as Messiah and LORD.  Elijah was not alone, God told him that there were still 7000 people who were still faithful to Him, and had not bowed the knee to Ba'al. 

So, at this time, we should lift up our voices to the KING of kings and LORD of Lords and say:  "Never Again should this happen" That there should never again be such a Holocaust against God's chosen people, nor against "any" people group. 

Shalom

Ben Avraham