It appears that Christians and Jews are at an existential crossroads. This might be a great opportunity to team up against the enemy.
Every year in the Spring, Israel commemorates Yom Ha Shoah to remember the Holocaust. It is known as Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day and starts on the eve of the 27th of Nisan, which is April 13th in 2026. A solemn two minutes of silence takes place at 10:00 AM on the morning of the 28th, as the whole country literally comes to a halt. Cars stop on the highway, businesses stop what they are doing, a siren is heard all over Israel, and people have a two-minute corporate time of reflection about “the Catastrophe.” It first occurred in 1949 and was officially added to the Jewish calendar by 1959.
The main reason for such a day is found in two words that became the global Jewish community’s motto soon after WWII ended: NEVER AGAIN! Yom Ha Shoah is a sober reminder that humanity, when given an opportunity, can become extremely evil and overwhelmingly lethal.
The question should never be about why God would allow for such evil, but rather, how could men do such evil to other men? Part of having free will is the ability to choose evil instead of good. The consequences can be devastating, and yetโas hard as it might be to comprehendโGod never ceases to be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, while also being all-loving and just.
This Holocaust Memorial Day is for Jewish people, Holocaust survivors, sons and daughters of Holocaust survivors, and the many affected by the genocide of all genocides. It is a yearly reminder so that we will not forget, just like the Jewish festivals of Leviticus 23 remind us of God’s lovingkindness, provision, and protection. We certainly need to be reminded, especially in the era of historical revisionism and Holocaust denial, coupled with the fast disappearance of the last survivors. So, no, we do not speak too much about the Holocaust. How can anyone even say that with a straight face in light of the 1,200-person pogrom that took place on October 7, 2023 (not to mention the 250+ hostages)
The question remains, “Why should Christians pay attention to Holocaust Remembrance Day?” What does it really have to do with the Christian community anyway? I see three reasons:
Support of Israel
As believers, we have a biblical mandate to bless Israel. This was never meant to imply that we must blindly agree with 100% of the decisions made by the Knesset, but we must recognize Israel’s sovereign and biblical right to exist in the land given to her by God (Genesis 12, 15). Our support of the Jewish people starts with recognizing their history, punctuated by violent acts of antisemitism over the last 2000+ years. Israel is the only Jewish state.
While the Holocaust is a difficult topic to tackle from any angle, it cannot be ignored. We just have to be honest with our Jewish friends as we realize that nobody really has an appropriate answer for the Shoah.
Even God Himself, who allowed it to take place, is affected by it as we read in Isaiah 63:9, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.” The suffering of the Jewish people always afflicts the God of Israel, and it should afflict us as well.
A Genocide of Biblical Proportions
All genocides are tragic. They are evil attempts at eradicating a specific people group just because they do not fit the mold set by the genocidal party. Pharaoh tried it with the first born sons of Israel (Exodus 1:16, 22) and Haman carefully planned it in Esther 3:6, 8, “But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus…. Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the kingโs laws, so it is not in the kingโs interest to let them remain.’
Genocides have continued to take place over the centuries (Rwandans, Bosnians, Cambodians, Romani, Armenians, just to name a few). They were all evil, tragic, and unnecessary. Yet only the Holocaust targeted the Jewish people, sending the perpetrators outside of their own country to bring Jews back within their borders for certain death. The killing of Jews is also the only genocide of a biblical people group, instrumental to the unraveling of the end times. Satan was behind it, just as he was behind October 7, and is obsessed with the eradication of all Jews to thwart his inevitable demise, if he could.
For as long as the Jews are the chosen people of God, they will remain the chosen target of Satan. Only Yeshua’s Second Coming will bring it to an end (not the Rapture).
Preserving Historical Truth
I grew up in France, son of Holocaust survivors. I heard the stories, and I even have some personal family photos backing up the narrative. In the late 50s and early 60s, Holocaust memory was part and parcel of the European community. Slowly but surely, the erosion of historical truth has reduced Holocaust credibility to a minimum. How could I possibly look my Holocaust surviving mother in the eyes? The very woman who saw her dad snatched away by the Gestapo in front of her eyes at age 15 knew that the Holocaust was not a hoax. Multiply that by six million!
Christiansโand people of goodwillโhave an obligation to perpetuate Holocaust memory, lest we allow for another one to occur. Incidentally, the enemies of the Jews never stop with the Jews. It starts with the Jews and continues with the Christians. So yes, believers better pay attention and stand up for Israel and the Jewish people on Yom Ha Shoah and all 364 other days of the year because antisemitism isn’t only active on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
This is the time for Bible-believing Christians and Jews to lock arms and work together because end-times antisemitism has become an equal opportunity destroyer for both the Jews and the Christian Zionists. Remember the past, partner in the present, and look forward to the future.
