Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every year on the 27th day of the month of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, the world observes Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to remember the six million men, women and children who perished in the Holocaust.

Yom HaShoah, which this year fell on 23 April, is an important day, particularly for those in the Jewish community, and it is a reminder of a very dark chapter in all our histories. I was honoured this year to attend the Yom HaShoah Holocaust commemoration at the Sylvia and Harry Hoffman Hall, at Carmel Primary School, in Yokine, in my home state of Western Australia. The commemoration was hosted by the Jewish Community Council of Western Australia. Rabbi Dovid Freilich recited the memorial prayer, with Harry Hoffman reciting the Kaddish. We heard from Sol Majteles, the son of a Holocaust survivor, who read an excerpt from his father's autobiography. We were graced with the presence of Holocaust survivors and their families, many of whom have devoted their entire lives to sharing their experiences, harrowing as they have been. They continue the important work of the state's Holocaust Institute, educating Western Australians about that terrible period in our global history. Perhaps, most significantly, they continue sharing their stories of survival to combat misinformation that still exists about the Holocaust. Indeed, with university campuses in Canberra recently the targets of Holocaust denial material, their work has never been more important.

Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, set the scene for this year's Yom HaShoah as Restoring Their Identities: The Fate of the Individual During the Holocaust. The centre said:

Restoring the victims’ identities by documenting, remembering, researching and educating not only commemorates the world that was lost, but also makes a substantial contribution to shaping a new and better world. Bonding in this way with specific individuals from the Holocaust enables us, in our post-Holocaust generation, to gain meaning that helps shape our own identities and enrich our world.

And Yom HaShoah commemorations worldwide aim to achieve just that. The act of remembrance is a simple but powerful one. To take a moment to reflect about today or a day in history affords us a chance to be mindful. It shines a light on events past and helps us to determine the trajectory of our future.

The Jewish population in Europe numbered over nine million in 1933. The Holocaust saw mass murders and resulted in the devastation of much of the Jewish community across Europe. From the killing centres in Warsaw to the Auschwitz concentration camp, millions lived through a horror that none of us can imagine. Six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and those who aided and abetted them, as were countless others, including those with disabilities, gypsies and Slavs. Others were targeted on grounds of political, ideological and behavioural difference, including Communists, socialists, Jehovah's witnesses and homosexuals. There are approximately 100,000 Holocaust survivors left in the world today. As the number dwindles with each passing year, their stories of strength, courage and resilience risk diminishing.

After World War II, 27,000 Holocaust survivors migrated to Australia to seek new beginnings. I am pleased to say that almost 100,000-strong Jewish members of our Australian family have flourished in the decades since arriving to our shores. Survivors of the Holocaust and their families contribute to our community, champion their values and, of course, our values, and we are proud of their great contribution in making our country a great one. They have contributed to our democratic traditions, uphold our religious freedoms and have been part of our fair go. Yom HaShoah is of great significance to the approximately 7,000 members of the Western Australian community who are Jewish. In fact, at the 2011 census Western Australia had the third largest Jewish population in the country.

At the Holocaust remembrance event, I was reminded of the work of Elie Wiesel, perhaps the world's most notable and prolific Holocaust survivor, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He detailed his terrifying experience in the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in the haunting book Night. Elie Wiesel recalled:

I pinched my face. Was I still alive? Was I awake? I could not believe it.

  …   …   …

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times … sealed.

Night, which detailed his journey through the camps with his father and the testing of his religious faith and his faith in humanity, is universally recognised as a fundamental text about the horrors of the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel devoted his whole life to remembering those who perished in and were impacted by the Holocaust. Through his words he taught generations about the resilience and importance of survivors, and advocated for a more peaceful, understanding and just society. He said:

Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.

The Yom HaShoah commemoration was a stark reminder that we must be ever vigilant in calling out tyranny and persecution. I agree with Elie Wiesel when he said:

We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.

Yom HaShoah is a time of reflection. It is an opportunity to remember the lives lost at the hands of an oppressive regime. It is an opportunity to remember the unprecedented tragedy that occurred and to stay ever vigilant, constantly on guard so that it can never happen again.

Six candles were lit at the Yom HaShoah Holocaust commemoration, a symbol of those six million men, women and children who lost their lives in the Holocaust. We are constantly indebted to those whose bravery compels them to relive their history so that we need not live it again.