JERUSALEM, Israel – In opposition to a backdrop of rising anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, Christians who’re descendants of Nazis are asking forgiveness from Holocaust survivors, their descendants and the Jewish folks; and this transfer is resulting in a larger sense of unity.
Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum welcomed the Christians to town. She informed them, “I noticed you all marching and it’s so heart-warming to see our metropolis full of lovers of Jerusalem. Thanks for being right here!”
Christians from some 30 nations got here as much as Jerusalem for what they name “The March of the Nations.” They got here to say, “From the Holocaust to new life, Shalu Shalom Yerushalayim – Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
Hassan-Nahoum informed CBN Information, “The founders of this march are primarily descendants of Nazis, and you understand, to have the human beings coming and saying one thing so terrible occurred, we will spend our lives attempting to right and compensate for that; and to create a motion like that.”
Jobst Bittner, from Tubingen, Germany, is the founder and president of the March of Life. “I’m from a metropolis through which the college is the place Nazi perpetrators – SS murderers – have been educated and skilled,” he defined. “They usually have been liable for the loss of life of 700,000 Jews, and that is why we began actually researching the historical past of our metropolis.”
Bittner says German households often do not discuss their Nazi previous.
“We found that solely as soon as we’re keen to truly communicate the reality concerning the previous, we will take duty each for the current and the longer term. And that is why we determined to offer that decision into the nations and to name tons of of hundreds to the streets to boost their voices towards anti-Semitism, the hatred of Jews and for Israel,” he mentioned.
Bittner, like many within the march, has a private story.
He recalled, “My very own father was an officer within the Wehrmacht (German military), and he was in France and in Northern Africa; and as an officer of the Wehrmacht, he shared in that duty for the deportation of Jews, for the homicide of Jews, as a result of everybody who was within the Wehrmacht shared that duty,”
Now he sees their duty is to face with Israel, particularly in instances of disaster.
“United to be a lightweight, and along with our Jewish associates, hand in hand, we need to stroll and stand for Israel and that is our theme: ‘united to be a lightweight.'”
Heinz Reuss, the worldwide director for the March of Life, mentioned the previous was revealed to them over time. “Many people came upon that our fathers, great-grandfathers, they have been Nazis, they have been a part of the Shoah. They have been focus camp guards. They have been a part of the Wehrmacht,” he defined.
Reuss’ household shared a combined previous. Whereas his Dutch great-grandmother hid Jews in her house, his German-Austrian great-grandfather took a special path.
“He was not a Nazi,” Reuss said. “He was a part of the Lutheran church and was not supporting Hitler. So, I believed, okay, every part was okay. However then I began to learn his diaries and his letters, and what I came upon is that…he withdrew from his Jewish associates at the moment. So he did not communicate up. He simply did not need to have something to do with that. And, that is the issue, as a result of at the moment, individuals who knew higher did not do something.”
The march started as a motion of repentance.
“We realized that the identical silence in the direction of the Jewish folks, it is also in our personal hearts.” He associated that “in 2007, we discovered that there have been eight focus camps round our little city of Tubingen in southern Germany. And there have been loss of life marches on the finish of the warfare in the direction of Dachau. After which we had …a phrase from the Lord to say, why not do a March of Life on these trails of the loss of life march?”
They walked 300 kilometers, re-tracing the steps alongside these completely different routes for three days. The outcome was highly effective.
“We had, reconciliation conferences in the course of it, and exquisite encounters between the descendants of the Nazis and the Holocaust survivors and the descendants of Holocaust survivors,” Reuss mentioned.
What they initially noticed as a one-time occasion is now worldwide. Marches have been held in tons of of cities in 25 nations. Within the U.S., it’s referred to as the March of Remembrance.
Forward of the Jerusalem occasion, Israeli President Isaac Herzog recommended the group for its braveness in dealing with their darkish previous. He wrote:
Your presence demonstrates unwavering ethical help for our nation-state and its folks, and the State of Israel welcomes you with open arms.”
Gerd Gekeler, a participant from Germany, famous, “I do know that my, grandfathers have been a part of the military and so they have been – I do not know a lot about it – however they have been a part of the system. And, so, I’ve discovered that everyone who’s a part of the system has his half in it.” He added, “I used to be in Yad Vashem final week. And to see the dimension of that grief and that homicide that was actually onerous; and I am completely happy that I may very well be part of this motion as a result of I do know, additionally in Germany, most individuals say it is handed, it is gone. However that is not true. It is a part of our heritage.”
Susan Haueter took half within the march from Colombia. “I can take a stand for the previous, the current, and the longer term with being a part of the March of, (life in Spanish) in Espanol. I used to be thrice, concerned in organizing a march, in Colombia, in Bogota, (within the capital). Additionally, the Jewish neighborhood, the chief Rabbi of Colombia, is in favor of the march and just some weeks in the past, we had the fourth march, in Agua Sierra,” she mentioned.
Nikolai Gagarkin, a participant from war-torn Kyiv, Ukraine, mentioned, “We’re praying for Israel. We’re praying for the Jewish folks in all nations, in the entire world.”
International Zionist Motion chief, Rabbi Yehuda Glick, welcomed the marchers, saying he hoped to see many extra visiting and standing with Israel for the longer term.
He additionally had an exhortation: “After the folks of Israel got here again house and established our state and established Jerusalem as our capital, now it is the time that to boost the banner of God on the place that He selected in Zion. It is time for the nations. Similar to we – the Jewish folks – took our future in our arms and got here again house, now the nations have to face up for Zion and ensure Zion is the Home of Prayer for all Nations.”
In a robust and emotional present of unity, the Jerusalem march and occasion members sang the Aaronic Blessing from the Guide of Numbers over Israel and the Jewish folks.
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