As a Christian Gentile, it is only right that I apologize to the Jews for, well, everything.
Judaism is one of the oldest religions on Earth, beginning with Abraham in 1812 BC. Moses gave the Jewish people the Torah (their holy book) around 1250 BC. It was the first monotheistic religion and from the beginning, their people have been persecuted.
It is incredible that they as a people have managed to survive this long. I accredit it to the hand of God protecting them no matter what. There have certainly been hardships along the way, but the Jewish people are resilient and have survived.
Recently a pastor came to my school and said something I will never forget; “Every Gentile should apologize for the holocaust. And if you do it sincerely, thinking about the meaning behind it, you will weep.” I had never thought about that before. I am deeply sorry that the holocaust happened to the Jewish people, but it happened 50 years before I was born. Why should I apologize for it?
Because the holocaust was committed by gentiles, many of them claiming to be Christians. It doesn’t matter that I had no part in it. What matters is that the Jewish people who are alive today know that the Gentiles of this generation will never let it happen again. Yes, I am deeply sorry that the holocaust happened, and I think it is despicable enough that I will never let it happen again, even if I am the only one standing against it.
Apologizing for the holocaust is acknowledging that what happened to the Jewish people is unethical and reprehensible. It is saying, “I know that your people suffered, and I wish they didn’t.” It calls out the rampant anti-Semitism that still exists around the world today. It says that it doesn’t matter what time or space the holocaust was committed--history does not change what is right.
It is apologizing for the millions of gentile Germans, again many claiming to be Christians, who did nothing. It is apologizing for the countries around the world, including the United States, who knew a genocide was happening and did nothing. It is an apology to Anne Frank, Sophie Scholl, Czesława Kwoka, Maximilian Kolbe, Jan Ančerl, and the other millions of victims.
On the social media page ‘Humans of Judaism,'’ there is a drawing of a grandfather and grandson. The grandson is standing on a podium and holding a big trophy that says #1. He asks is the grandfather, “If you won, where’s your trophy?” To which the grandfather replies, “You are my trophy.”
I know I am not Jewish and I have no claim to any of their story, but I would like to think I am part of the Jewish people’s trophy. I am a young Gentile girl who was never personally wronged by the holocaust, but I love and respect the Jewish people so much that I will never let it happen again.
As I write this I am planning to attend my first Passover Seder, hosted by a group of Messianic Jews at my university. Passover celebrates when the Jews were able to break free from their slavery in Egypt thanks to the power of God. It is one of their most important celebrations, and so I think there is no better time to say: I am sorry for everything that has happened to your people over the years. I can promise that even if I am the only one left standing, I will do my best to ensure that it never happens again.
