After Thought

After Thought

Through Holocaust Memorial Day, 27th January saw a great opportunity to highlight the need for education and annual commemoration of this date, set by the United Nations in 2000. The 2025 events around the UK commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

“I believe firmly and profoundly that whoever listens to a witness becomes a witness,
so those who hear us, those who read us, must continue to bear witness for us.
Until now, they’re doing it with us. At a certain point in time, they will do it for all of us.”
(Elie Wiesel)

Sometimes we can be touched by a memorial or solemn occasion but quickly forget even the most important of messages they left with us. Over a million were killed at Auschwitz – and now so few survivors are able to attend commemorations.

Numbers of survivors at Auschwitz memorial service:
1000 - 20 years ago
300 - 10 years ago
50 – this year.

Now is the time for greater education on the horrors of the Holocaust, and also the time for the next generation of those whose lives were irrevocably changed to speak up, because their parents lived through the Holocaust. This will mean that testimonies aren’t forgotten and something like the Holocaust or the October 7th Massacre never happens again. As Christians we can do this, support and pray for those who continue to ‘bear witness’. It’s part of our calling, here at CFI UK, to stand with Israel and the Jewish communities around the world, as antisemitism continues to rise at an alarming rate.

“Today, we see parallels throughout the world. Jewish children have been told to hide any outward signs of being Jewish.
Today, there are mass demonstrations against Jews. Today, we see vile comments all over social media.
Need I remind you; this is not 1933 or 1939, this is 2025. …
These lessons from Auschwitz are not just for Jews, they’re for the entire world.”
(Ronald Lauder)

• Pray that survivors are comforted by the good media coverage and the commemorations that took place around the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Pray that the Holy spirit provides comfort in a supernatural and tangible way.
• Pray for their families to make sure they have the whole message that the survivors want to pass on and that they are given a safe, dignified platform to share that testimony in the future.
• Pray for all who attended a service, library exhibition or act of commemoration this year: pray that any afterthought is strong and powerful enough to create another way for the testimony to be heard and that more churches, schools and youth groups decide to host a time of dignified remembrance in years to come.
• Pray that the work of Christian Friends of Israel with the many elderly survivors in the land of Israel is able to expand through an increase in the size of the team and the number of visits they make each year. May they experience more special times with these survivors. Pray that they are able to comfort and befriend them, praying the Psalms with them and providing practical help too, when its needed.
• Pray for teachers in schools where education on the Holocaust isn’t a priority. Many teachers say they don’t have time to research the Holocaust well enough to include it in their studying of World War Two. Pray that this changes for the good and they are helped, encouraged or even put in touch with good, balanced organisations that are already doing this. We have two exhibitions duplicated across the UK, which are available for anyone to host. Please contact me for more details.

Julia Soakell

February 2025