Jews must remain a special, chosen people

By Rabbi Bernhard H. Rosenberg

EDISON, New Jersey — To me, the Holocaust is much more than a tragic event in Jewish and World history. To me, it was a wake-up call. In the pre-Holocaust era, European Jewry was rapidly looking to assimilate. Jews were holding some of the most prestigious positions in society, ranging from doctors to musicians to professors and even politicians, some Jews were so wrapped up in their social ranks that they did not even identify with their Judaism anymore. It’s said that the Jewish Germans were Germans first then Jews. They were more loyal to their country than their G-d.

I think the Holocaust was a wake-up call to all of their Jews who forgot that G-d existed. They forgot that they were put on this earth to serve a higher being, not society.

The Jews of that time tried to run from their Judaism. By socializing with their Gentile neighbors, they thought that they could somehow exempt themselves from their religious responsibilities. Obviously they were wrong. Hitler did not care whether a Jew was assimilated or not. He saw them all as Jews. As much as they tried to stray, they were still Jews and in danger of being exterminated.

In today’s society we have a problem, we are so wrapped up in our everyday routine that we forget why we are here. We go on with our lives, day in a day out, often without investing it with any true meaning. This is what society has done to us. Assimilation is on the rise. In modern times, we are all considered “equals.” Everyone is supposed to be accepted and looked at in the same way, no matter what color, nationality or religion. Sure, this is good for society as a whole. Equal rights and privileges should be given to all of G-d’s creations. But how good is this for the Jews? The fact that they are now accepted as any other ordinary person somehow suggests that they are not different.

We have to realize that we are different, we are special. We are G-d’s chosen people. When we consider ourselves the same as the other nations, this takes away the special privilege that we have been given. G-d chose us, the Jews, to be His people. He gave us the Torah and commanded us to serve Him. This is a privilege — not a chore. We have to appreciate who we are and what we represent if we are proud of our heritage and not try to deny it. We can overcome anything. If we try to fool ourselves into thinking that we can mesh into society, straying from our Judaism and still survive as a strong nation, we are wrong. We need unity to keep us alive.

In my opinion, the Holocaust could, and if we are not careful, will happen again. There will always be hatred against Jews. We are the scapegoats for society. When something goes wrong we are to blame. Just as in the Middle Ages we were blamed, we are blamed now too. We cannot prevent hatred. Someone who wants to hate will hate. What can be prevented is the spread of that hate. We must be careful never to let history repeat itself. If we do not educate ourselves, we are liable to fall into the same traps that we fell into over 70 years ago. If we remember and learn from the past, we can hope for a good future. If we forget, we are doomed.

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Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth-El in Edison, New Jersey and is the author of Theological and Halachich Reflections on the Holocaust, among other books. He serves on the New Jerseu State Holocaust Commission and chairs the Holocaust Commission of the New York Board of Rabbis.