Remembering the holocaust

Holocaust Remembrance Days, a week long reflection of the atrocity that resulted in the deaths of 6 million jews, started Sunday. As part of that Beth Israel held a holocaust memorial Sunday night. 

Rabbi Arnold Bienstock of Beth Israel tells 47 ABC it’s important for us to look back on the holocaust so we may never repeat what happened. 

As part of the memorial, testimonies of Holocaust survivors and those who were alive during that time were read.

These testimonies are important Bienstock said, because they “preserve for all time how something as vile, as hideous and cruel as the holocaust, how it started, from it’s beginnings.” 

Bienstock said lessons can be learned from what happened and translated into today’s current events. For example, the fact that Adolf Hitler was elected through a democratic system. 

Bienstock told the congregation that people should consider that as they follow this years presidential election and give attention to each candidate and their platform. 

He also said that the anti-semitism that Jews faced then, is not too different than what Jews are facing now. 

“We remember (the Holocaust) because we want to be very concerned about really how prejudice emerges, of course there’s the tremendous rise in anit-semitism too in this country and abroad,” Bienstock said. 

Holocaust remembrance day is Thursday, May 5.