The killings by Hamas bring back to Israelis the trauma of the Holocaust

2023-10-16 08:02:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The killings by Hamas bring back to Israelis the trauma of the Holocaust

Illustrative photo

Women, children and men hiding in the safe rooms, behind the barrage of bullets.

Burnt houses with terrified residents inside. Children gathered in a room and then killed. Jews, hopeless.

For many Israelis and Jews around the world, the murders committed by Hamas militants in the Israeli community on October 7 evoke bitter memories of what for them is the great evil: the Holocaust. Long considered a catastrophe so terrible that nothing can compare to it, Israelis are now drawing parallels between the murder of six million Jews in Europe eight decades ago with the latest tragedy, showed how traumatic the recent developments have been for the state that was created out of the ashes of World War II as a safe haven for Jews.

"I was very strict not to use the word 'Shoah' in any context other than the Holocaust," political commentator Ben Caspit told the daily Maariv, referring to the Holocaust in Hebrew.

"When Jewish children are hidden in safe rooms by their traumatized parents, who beg them not to cry, so that the murderers don't come in and burn the house down, it's the Shoah."

Israel's revenge against Hamas in Gaza has drawn parallels with the Palestinians' greatest tragedy, the Nakban, when hundreds of thousands of them fled their homes after the 1948 war that resulted in the creation of the state of Israel.

Many Palestinians fear a repeat of such an exodus, as Israel has ordered the evacuation of Palestinians from north to south Gaza. Just a few years ago, comparing the Holocaust to anything was condemned as demeaning the memory of the horrific Nazi crimes.

But something like that has started to change in recent years - since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has alluded to the Nazis when talking about Iran and its nuclear program, and protesters on the rival side. However, such incidents are rare and are accompanied by critics.

But the horror of October 7 with the attacks by Hamas, from which 1,300 Israelis were killed, has increased the fear in Israel and awakened the greatest trauma of the Jews.

Hundreds of militants have crossed the border, taking the country by surprise on a major Jewish holiday. They attacked the inhabitants of the villages near the border, and left them dead. Militants have also killed 260 young people at a music festival, and survivors have spoken of massacre-style killings.

Dozens of other people have been taken hostage. There were some of the dead who survived the Holocaust.

"This is a massacre. This is a pogrom," said General Itai Veruv, leader of the Israeli forces that cleared one of the attacked villages, as he referred to the massacres of European Jews.

Throughout the Holocaust, the Nazis committed genocide, rounding up and killing European Jews, while thousands more were transported by train to death camps.

Israel has turned the defense of Jews from similar atrocities into its own mission.

Many Israelis see their state, with a strong military, as one that can protect them despite regional threats.

Many Jews in the Diaspora feel the same way - they see Israel as a safe haven in case they are persecuted again.

Although the Hamas attack did not even come close to the scale of the Holocaust, October 7 marked the deadliest day for Jews since World War II, and the planned killings opened wounds that for many Israelis are still fresh.

Netanyahu has compared the killings at the festival to the Babi Yar massacre, one of the most notorious massacres during World War II, when more than 33,000 Jews were killed.

He has declared that Israel "will never forget", reflecting on the pledge that the Holocaust will never disappear from the collective memory.

Dany Cushmaro, an Israeli moderator, started an edition by referring to Hamas militants as "these Nazis". Israel's allies have made the same connection.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to his late father-in-law - a Holocaust survivor - during a visit to Israel, saying the attacks "brought back memories" of the Nazi massacres. The mass killings of Jews are commemorated in many ways in Israel.

They have memorial day, when Israelis observe a minute of silence to remember the dead. The Holocaust is taught in detail in schools. Young men and soldiers visit death camps in Europe. Influential officials are also often sent to the Holocaust memorial site.

Israeli historian Tom Sagev has said that it is natural for Israelis to make connections between Hamas attacks and their deep trauma.

"This is the devilry that people in Israel are familiar with," he said. However, he mentioned that political leaders have tried for decades to damage the collective memory of the Holocaust, for their own gains. In some cases, Israelis have become angry. bad, when such comparisons are made.

In a speech held in 2016, on Holocaust Memorial Day, Yair Golan, then deputy chief of the Israeli army, said that he witnessed "processes of mixing" in Israeli society, which reminded him of fascism in Germany during the Nazi period.

The speech has provoked strong reactions from Israeli leaders and this is believed to have been the reason why he gave up the position he held.

Meanwhile, some critics of Israel compare Israeli actions against Palestinians to those of the Nazis, which Israel condemns as anti-Semitic.

Mairav ??Zonszein, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the Holocaust is being used by Israelis and allies to create legitimacy for attacks against Hamas, which have left at least 2,200 Palestinians dead, and to increase appeal. Jews in the Diaspora.

She believes that such comparisons can have dangerous consequences for how the war can be fought.

"When the Holocaust is mentioned, it is the worst of all the worst," said Zonszein, adding that Israel's response could be very harsh./ Rel