19505_HMD_Cover:Layout 1 - Holocaust Education Trust Ireland

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Europe and the legacy of the Holocaust Ireland is a proud member of the European family – mindful of the shadow of the Holocaust that permeates European existence and proud to stand firm against future tyranny. Lucinda Creighton, TD, Minister of State for European Affairs Holocaust Memorial Day 2013 coincides with Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is appropriate for the occasion to reflect on why and how memorialisation and study of the Holocaust has become such an integral part of the European consciousness. The Holocaust created a void in the heart of Europe – two thirds of Europe’s Jewish people had been destroyed. Approximately eleven million people were murdered in purpose-built death and concentration camps, of whom six million were Jews who were deliberately targeted for total annihilation. The genocide was carried out by a nation renowned for its culture and civilisation. Thus, the fundamentals of law, philosophy and religion were shattered. Political, civic and academic discourse struggled to cope with the experience. Immediately after the Second World War, the direct confrontation of the public in the West with the crimes of the Nazis was short-lived, and was followed by silence. But this silence has gradually dissipated, especially in the past twenty years, as the Holocaust has been recognised as part of Europe’s historical narrative. It is a history shared in all its complexities with the people of Europe. Since the breakdown of communism there has been more focus on coming to terms with the Holocaust and developing a common European identity. The need for some shared values within the EU became more prevalent after the integration of new member countries from Eastern Europe. There is growing acknowledgment among all member states that active acceptance of the principles of tolerance, diversity and respect for human dignity provide the EU with a common identity based on human rights and the rule of law. Since the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the Holocaust has come to play an increasingly important role in Europe. The resolutions adopted by the European Parliament to keep alive the memory of the Holocaust, and the Stockholm Declaration signed by more than 40 governments in January 2000, are evidence of a general acknowledgement in Europe that the Holocaust holds a crucial place in Europe’s public memory. Most European countries have adopted 27 January as their annual day of remembrance honouring Holocaust victims and their families. Post-war history in Europe had two discernible trends. Visionaries such as Konrad Adenauer, Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman foresaw the need to create a common European community that would no longer go to war with itself. The project began with the creation in the 1950s of the European Coal and Steel Community, thereby ensuring the neutralisation of the historic means of developing war machines. It continued with its objective of developing one economic union which would further solidify the cooperative links between nations. The six original member states which came together as the European Economic Community were joined by Ireland, Denmark and Britain in 1973, bringing the number of members to nine. Expansion brought about by the Single European Act in 1987 increased membership to fifteen. After 1989, the inclusion of a further twelve countries from Central and Eastern Europe brought together the 27 member states of the European Union we know today. The original vision has blossomed, fostering peaceful coexistence and security between the member states. Communism under Soviet dominance was the second trend in Europe, covering the eastern nations of the continent. Under communist regimes there was widespread ignorance of the pre-war existence of flourishing Jewish communities that had been wiped out by the Nazis. The circumstances of the Holocaust were unspoken. However, since the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the Holocaust has come to play an increasingly important role in Europe. To be accepted as a member of the European Union, states must adhere to a standard developed in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Holocaust. The Holocaust is being integrated into Europe’s collective memory. This is causing European nation-states to confront their own human rights abuses, their own crimes of the past, their own dark sides. Such confrontation cannot avoid recognition of each stateís role during the Nazi era and has led to a thirst among post-war generations for knowledge and education about the events of the time. The lessons of the Holocaust are being taught and remembered. It is recognised that studying the Holocaust is important both as history and as a moral guidepost. The Holocaust is present in the psyche of Europeans and it is part of our heritage. Its omnipresence has mostly enabled us to adhere to peaceful coexistence for more than 60 years, heeding the universal lessons the experience of the Holocaust has taught us. Francis Jacobs, Head of Office, European Parliament Office, Dublin 2
The Jews of Europe before World War II Holocaust Memorial Day 2013 Jews in Eastern Europe, c.1930 Jews in Western Europe, c.1930 Sephardi Jewish family, Greece, c.1920 The majority of the Jews living in Eastern Europe, were members of orthodox Jewish communities. Many lived in small towns or villages called shtetls. They adhered strictly to religious practices and their lives revolved around the Jewish calendar. Their first language was Yiddish and many wore distinctive clothing, the men being particularly noticeable in their black coats, long beards, side curls and black hats. There were great centres of Jewish learning and Yiddish culture in Eastern Europe. Many Jews in these areas made their living in commercial activities. By contrast, a large number of the Jewish people living in the great cities of western Europe, such as Berlin, Paris, Prague, Budapest and Warsaw, lived a more assimilated existence. Although many observed Jewish festivals, the Sabbath and kashrut (dietary requirements), the majority were quite secular in their lifestyle. They spoke the language of the country in which they lived, they dressed like everyone else, and participated in all areas of life: academia, the arts, the professions, commerce and politics. There were also Sephardi Jewish communities, most of whom resided in the countries around the Mediterranean and in the Balkans. Sephardi Jews originated from the Iberian Peninsula and mainly spoke Ladino, a language with Spanish roots. The communities were scattered after the expulsions from Spain and Portugal in the fifteenth century. Some Sephardi Jews occupied important positions in the economy and government administration, others rose to become diplomats at the court of the Sultanate of Constantinople. There were also Sephardic communities in Amsterdam and London. Jewish communities flourished throughout Europe, and Jews participated in all spheres of life and society. In all the countries that were to fall victim to the Nazis, there were well established and often integrated Jewish communities that dated back over hundreds of years – and in the case of Greece, more than two millennia. By the end of World War II, most of the European Jewish communities had been decimated and those of Eastern Europe had been utterly destroyed. 3
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