Willow Tree

It Took 60 Years

For this to happen.
I am glad the UN finally sees fit to memorialize the victims of this horrific event, and appalled that it took this long.

Sylvan Shalom, Israel's foreign minister, addressed the UN stating, basing his speech on the prophecy of Ezkiel

Thousands of years ago the prophet Ezekiel had a similar vision. In one of the most famous passages of the Bible, the prophet describes how he came to a valley full of bones. The bones, says Ezekiel, are the House of Israel. And the bones are dry, and their hope is lost. Faced with this scene, he asks the question: Shall these bones live? Shall these bones live?

Ezekiel asked the question that every liberator of the camps asked himself: Can any hope or humanity emerge from such horror? Shall these bones live?

answering the question with these two statements.

The dry bones have lived again not only in the lives of the survivors, but also in two entities established on the ashes of the Holocaust: the United Nations and the modern State of Israel.

and further on in his speech

The fact that so many survivors came and played their part in the building of the State of Israel, was itself a remarkable fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy. As the prophet said:

Thus says the Lord: Behold, O my people, I will take you from the graves. I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live in your own land, in the land of Israel.

The full text of his speech can be found here. I urge you to read it.
It brought me to tears.

UPDATE:

As Batya said the hall was half-empty, the only Arab nation remaining in the hall was Jordan.
as an aside
1.British Muslims plan to boycott the ceremony.
2. A bit of history on the villians and heros in the Arab community during the Holocaust.
3. Batya Medad speaks about the Holcoaust, Great Britain, and the heirs to the British throne.

Posted by Rachel Ann at January 24, 2005 06:15 PM