In most of my Holocaust studies, there were many facts and figures about Nazi brutality, about the many anti-Semites inside Germany as well as those in “conquered” countries who assisted the Nazis in rounding up and killing Jewish men, women, and children to kill them just because they were Jewish. Secondary to the perpetrators were the many silent witnesses from all these countries who stood by and did nothing. Perhaps they felt helpless and powerless to do anything to save the Jews. On the other hand, maybe they were in agreement with what was happening, but felt by not participating in the persecution and deaths of the Jews kept their own hand clean. Proverbs 24:11-12 says, ”Deliver [those who] are drawn toward death, And hold back [those] stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider [it]? He who keeps your soul, does He [not] know [it]? And will He [not] render to [each] man according to his deeds?” It would have been a hard thing for people to help the Jews, because the Germans told non-Jewish populations if they helped the Jews, they themselves as well as their families would be killed.
Some were active volunteers in helping the Germans. Many Ukrainians lined up to be concentration camp guards. In the city of Lvov, Ukrainian police actively rounded up Jews and beat and killed some before they were handed over to the Germans.
Read more: Righteous Among the Nations
As Passover comes to an end, I have been reading about all the solemn remembrances being observed all over our community for the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. I find it somewhat ironic, when there are over 50,000 elderly Holocaust survivors living in Israel, and many thousands of holocaust survivors living in the former Soviet Union living in abject poverty right now. They don’t have bread to eat, going hungry, doing without needed medicines because they don’t have the money.
