Why I Still Stand With Israel–And Why We Must Never Forget

Today is Yom HaShoah, Israel’s official Holocaust Remembrance Day. Sirens sounded across the nation as citizens stood in silent tribute to the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis. But this year, remembrance took on a raw and urgent dimension.

At the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland, survivors, world leaders, and families of hostages gathered for the annual March of the Living—a solemn 1.8-mile walk in memory of the murdered. Among them were Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and—this year for the first time—relatives of victims and hostages from the October 7 Hamas massacre.

As reported by The Times of Israel, several participants drew chilling parallels between the Holocaust and the horrors of October 7, where more than 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered and over 250 taken hostage in the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Some survivors of Nazi terror stood side-by-side with relatives of those kidnapped just months ago.

“The past isn’t past,” said one participant. “The warning signs are here again—dehumanization, appeasement, silence.” It’s not just Hamas. Across Europe and America, antisemitism has spiked to levels not seen in decades. In too many elite circles, “Never Again” has become “Never Mind.”

I first learned of the true events of the Holocaust in 1971. I was 8 years old, visiting my mom’s childhood friend, Tana Basa, when I noticed a strange tattoo on her arm—faded, jagged, and more like a wound than art. I had to ask. After my mom gave a quiet nod, Tana explained that she was a survivor of Hitler’s horrifying genocide. She shared what little detail her heart could bear, including the massacre of her family and the erasure of nearly everyone she knew as a child. I cried hard that day. My heart broke for the Jewish people, and I made a vow I still carry: I will never forget, and I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people. I pray the same is true for you.

“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse…” (Genesis 12:3, ESV)From the ashes of Auschwitz to the bloodshed of southern Israel, the cry endures: Am Yisrael Chai. The people of Israel live. So today, we remember. And we stand watch.