Last Tuesday, the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust was observed.

In his message for the world commemoration of Holocaust victims of last year, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that 27 January celebrates both the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp as well as the victims of the Holocaust. While painfully recalling the suffering of millions of innocent people who perished under the brutal hands of anti-Semitism and hatred of all kinds, the UN Secretary-General said that "the United Nations was [purposely] founded to prevent any such horror from happening again". In view of these horrendous and appalling events which took place in civilized Western Europe almost eight decades ago, Ban Ki-moon, warned "against bigotry, extremist ideologies, communal tensions and discrimination against minorities". He also highlighted the importance of teaching our children to shun any kind of involvement in these destructive societal tendencies that crop up from time to time. He said that "the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme has developed effective educational materials and strong partnerships that help convey these lessons to students around the world".

The Holocaust, or Shoah, is the standard term employed to depict the intended killing and desecration of millions of people before and along World War II in Germany and its occupied territories in Europe. Although the majority of victims were Jewish, Roma people, Soviet civilians and war prisoners, ethnic Poles, people with disabilities, homosexuals and Nazi political and religious adversaries were also murdered.

The shocking experiences of some of the Holocaust survivors really made me wonder how far human brutality can go. Take for instance the case of Abraham Bomba. Abraham was raised in Czestochowa, Poland, where he became a barber. In 1942, he and his family where deported to the Treblinka killing facility. While in the Treblinka killing facility Abraham was chosen for forced labour. In fact, he was forced to cut women's hair just before they were ruthlessly gassed. He also sorted clothing out from arriving transport. In 1943 Abraham managed to escape from the Treblinka camp and returned to Czestochowa, where he worked in a labour camp from June 1943 until liberation by Soviet troops in 1945. His moving experience speaks of the horror of the Holocaust.

 "We had scissors. From them we took bunches of hair. Cut off. Threw on the floor to the side, and about two minute has to be finished. Not even two minutes be... because there was a line waiting to come up next to it. And that's how we worked. Inside it was very painful. Most painful was because some of the barbers, they recognized their dear ones, like wives, mothers, even grandmothers. Can you imagine that you have to cut their hair and not to tell them a word because you were not allowed? If you say a word that they going to...uh...be gassed in five or seven minutes later, there would be a panic over there and they would be killed too."

What can we say when confronted with such evil, shameful and distressful systematic genocide that was atrociously perpetrated by a band of criminals and self-made gods? Only a loving God can deliver us from this terrible darkness and shame! That is why Pope Francis appealed to the Lord of mercy to bestow upon us, humans, the grace to be ashamed of the "massive idolatry" that led to the Holocaust, when he visited the Jerusalem Yad Vashem Memorial on 26 May last year.

 "Almighty Lord, a soul in anguish cries out to you. Hear, Lord, and have mercy! We have sinned against you. You reign forever. Remember us in your mercy. Grant us the grace to be ashamed of what we men have done, to be ashamed of this massive idolatry, of having despised and destroyed our own flesh which you formed from the earth, to which you gave life with your own breath of life. Never again, Lord, never again!"

Am I sowing the seed of forgiveness and reconciliation so that the abhorrent culture of revenge is finally eradicated from our culture?

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap

Paola