Holocaust lessons in Tehran

Ahmadinejad's convention of historian-clowns was absolutely condemned by heads of state, including Israel's, even before it commenced, with President Bush referring to it as a terrible thing. Yet condemnation in and of itself is insufficient in this case. It is natural for the condemnation to be forgotten, while reality feeds the ignorant with new "facts", thus expanding the circle of denial. 

In this context it should be noted that in the civilized world too, the denial of the Holocaust's true meaning has started to expand under the guise of comparison and distorted use of language. Theories have emerged arguing that the word "Holocaust" characterizes other terrible phenomenon like the genocide in Rwanda and Darfur.

We Jews must not undermine the terrible character of human evil, yet these comparisons emanate a stench of malicious agendas that ignore the lessons of the Holocaust as a unique phenomenon that carries a moral and social message, which requires a permanent and conscious approach to the subject.

The condemnations by diplomats and politicians turn the problem of the Tehran conference into a part of a diplomatic problem that is handled by declarations only. Here words are not enough, and we should be addressing it differently.

Words are not enough

With all due respect, for example, to the initiative of the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to invite ambassadors and present them with direct evidence of the Holocaust and its phenomena, there's no guarantee this visit will result in more than just another condemnation.

The objective that could have been presented to the world is completely different: An unequivocal demand that countries of the world meet the denial coming from Tehran with innovative initiatives and enhancement of information and moral values at all levels.

This should be done in academia and education institutions, while entrenching the terrible truth of the Holocaust and its implications for the future of the entire world.

The conference should be used to refresh collective memory and present a truth that not only contradicts the new "findings," but rather, feeds the world's perception with information and broad, constant, and uncompromising educational awareness both theoretically and practically.

This awareness is relevant and essential both morally and diplomatically: The Holocaust is a terrible unique phenomenon of a people sent to the crematoria based on criminal ideology. We're not talking about the behavior of ignorant masses, but a phenomenon that emerged in a certain culture and may repeat itself, and not only against the Jews.

The great German philosopher Edmund Husserl, who is known as the father of Phenomenology, predicted in a detailed theory that the 20th century would be one of worst in human history in humanistic terms. His prophecy did not advance the prevention of the Holocaust evil, but its importance resonates these days in an even more threatening manner.