When words lose their meaning, they eventually disappear from our vocabulary and from our history. For many of us whose families lived through or fought in World War II, the horrors of the Holocaust will never be forgotten. Millions of human beings were murdered through gas chambers, mass shootings, and other unspeakably inhumane acts, leaving the few survivors with nothing to return to. Entire families and communities were erased from existence.
Today, words and labels once used to describe these atrocities are increasingly misused and applied to those who simply hold differing political views, particularly those who do not align with socialist or left-leaning ideologies. This careless misuse diminishes the gravity of history’s darkest crimes and dishonors the memory of those who suffered and died.
By diminishing the meaning of words, we have allowed history to be disregarded and tossed into the bin of forgotten events, despite their profound historical significance. We cannot erase the Holocaust, nor should we ever want to, given its devastating impact on so many lives. Why would we choose to forget?
I want to read about it. I want to learn about it. I want it to be seared into the minds of future generations so that we never forget what happened, how it happened, and why it must never happen again.
Today marks the first day of Hanukkah, and antisemitism is once again on the rise around the world. In recent years, we have witnessed violent attacks against Jewish communities during religious celebrations, outside places of worship, and in everyday public spaces. Families gathering in peace have instead been met with terror, leaving the youngest and the elderly among the victims. These acts are not isolated, nor are they accidental.
Some leaders rightly condemn these atrocities, yet others, who continue to mischaracterize words and weaponize historical language against their opponents, remain silent. The silence is so loud it is deafening. If that does not send chills down your spine, it should.
There is now an entire generation of young people who do not know the history of the Holocaust. Even among those who do, many fail to grasp the full scale of its destruction to the Jewish people. Auschwitz did not issue death certificates – it only issued ashes. Survivors were often left with nothing, not even proof of loss to restart their lives. It is a grim reality that some institutions demanded death certificates from sole survivors whose entire families were annihilated, compounding cruelty with a mindless and unempathetic bureaucracy.
So, the next time you choose a word to describe an idea or ideology you oppose, make sure you use it in its proper context. Better yet, turn your attention to the often-dark side of history. Words matter and sadly the world that once proclaimed, “Never Forget” has forgotten.
7 comments
Yes, words do have consequences. Words also reveal a lot about the speaker.
Charlie Kirk quote: “Kentanji Brown Jackson is a diversity hire. She is only there because she’s a black woman.”
Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in government and earned her JD degree from Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude. While at Harvard law school she was supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Charlie Kirk dropped out of community college.
Trump announced today he wants to be buried in Arlington.
Works for me.
How is next Monday for everyone’s schedule?
Ken – I am Catholic and I can’t even begin to express the love and thankfulness expressed to me by the soldiers and Jewish civilian volunteers I served with in the Israel Defense Forces in June 2024 following Hamas’ invasion of Israel and massacre and kidnapping of Israelis on October 7, 2023. It means so much to Jews and Jewish communities to know that they are not alone in this fight, a fight literally for survival of the state of Israel. My volunteer experience and events since October 7, 2023, particularly the “unveiling” of rampant antisemitism that lies just below of surface of our everyday lives, have made me realize that we must do everything we can to protect the state of Israel and preserve a Jewish homeland.
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Excellent article Ros. Your article also applies to changing the meaning of words for political purposes, such as “genocide.” When I hear that term used to describe the war in Gaza, it makes my blood boil. Here is a quote from an article from Prager U that is very observant” “Our culture rewards emotions over evidence, feeling over fact. But informed citizens must think for themselves. This isn’t about race or politics – its’s about truth.”
Thank you, Sir, and spot on! You are my hero Brother!
In mid-life, I became a Christian believer, and I’ve been a student of Holy Scriptures for many years now. I’ve plowed through the Old and New Testaments back and forth, and have never seen the asterisk or footnote that would instruct one to abandon God’s love for the Jewish nation – the apple of His eye. My God and Savior (born to the lineage of King David) even proclaimed, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Believing Christians don’t always have to agree with Jewish politics, policies, or actions. But they can never abandon God’s nation, Israel, and must be the loudest voices in the room condemning antisemitism. Never again, indeed.
Wonderful article. Jews really need allies in non Jewish communities — like Mr. Poplar — to recognize our simple desire to be different–to worship God in our own ways, to relish our cultures and traditions in peace and have just a little piece of God’s green earth, Isrsel, to be an independent Jewish state as a haven for jews who face oppression and death at the hands of those who hate us. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for — but the Islamofascists and their useful idiots in the Left just won’t let it go