Inconceivable that Jews could apply for German passports

Choni and Miriam Davidowitz, Johannesburg

The headline appears in the same week of the “maftir” reading in shuls throughout the world. Shabbat Zachor reminds us what Amalek did to the Jewish people… “and to wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven – you shall not forget!”

Four times a year Jews recite the profound and moving prayer honouring those who have passed away. The Yizkor prayer includes the millions of those who perished as martyrs in the Holocaust committed by the Amalek of the generation.

These are the words of the Yizkor prayer: “May G-d remember the souls of the holy and pure ones who were killed, murdered, slaughtered, burned, drowned and gassed, for the sanctification of the name, through the hands of the German oppressors. (Yemach sh’mom v’ zichron – may their name and memory be obliterated.)”

In addition, the Jewish people are taught (Sanhedrin 45b, and Rambam Hilchot Sanhedrin 15:9) that it is forbidden for a Jew to derive any benefit whatsoever (passports?) from those countries which oppressed Klal Yisrael with unspeakable horrors. 

How can any Jewish person look at these places, never mind seek passports? Who can forget how many were killed, burned, gassed, plundered in these murderous countries? How can any pure-hearted person associate with such places after what they inflicted on us so intensely, that nothing in our entire history can compare to it?

While it is true that many Jews, including those seeking German (and other) passports, have been blinded by material conveniences and have no emotions of past afflictions and are ignorant of our sages’ warnings of not obtaining any benefits from Germany, it is with great dismay when one hears of influential Orthodox groups who are spending much time and resources on resurrecting Judaism in these murderous countries.

Chabad have built a replica of the Kotel in Berlin using 19 tons of Jerusalem stone at the cost of millions of dollars. Any Jew who wishes to obtain a German (or any) passport is always “welcomed” in these countries by Chabad. Is this the way to obliterate the name and memory of our oppressors? NO!

Hashem will surely avenge the blood of our millions of martyrs in His own time. All of Israel should remember our holy men, women and children who were murdered by obliterating the names and memory of those killers and their countries down to the last “passport”.