Some time ago, a flurry of ignorant and offensive memes began to appear in my social media feeds, blaming Holocaust horrors on the absence of a 2nd Amendment equivalent to ensure the right of European Jews of the 1930s and 1940s to be armed. It took a while to "unfriend" the idiots who shared them.
Perhaps because of that experience, the dark underside of Holy Week seemed more evident this year --- the mindless and long-established Christian habit of scapegoating "the Jews" while observing this annual festival of death, resurrection and renewal; a habit many, including myself, believe was a major factor in that great calamity 70 years ago, birthed as fascism spread across Europe.
And now we're approaching Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust day of remembrance observed in Israel and many other nations, including the United States. Here, Congress some years ago designated an entire week --- from the Sunday before Yom Hashoah until the Sunday after --- as days of remembrance.
Yom Hashoah itself, April 12 this year, coinciding with the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, commences at sundown Wednesday. Light a candle; resolve to do better --- and never forget.
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