Tisha B’Av and an Olympic fiasco

As the sun sets this Saturday, July 28, 2012, the we being the commemoration of the 9th day of the month of Av on the Jewish calendar.  This day, known as Tisha B’Av, is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.  It commemorates the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and is widely recognized as the day used to remember those lost in the Holocaust when exact dates are not available.  The sadness of the day is in line with the feelings of despair caused by the attempted annihilation of the Jewish people by Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Germany.  This is going to be a short post designed to make a very powerful and important point.  On the eve of Tisha B’Av 1941, the Nazi killing machine signed into effect the “Final Solution” against the Jews.  On the eve of Tisha B’Av 1942, the Nazis ordered the beginning of deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto.  And on the eve of Tisha B’Av 2012 the OIC (Olympic International Committee) will not sanction just 1 minute of silence at the opening ceremonies for 11 Jewish people murdered at one of its previous events, the Munich Olympics.

Let me make something very clear.  I am by no means comparing the decision makers of the OIC to the evil murderous thugs of Nazi Germany.  However, the message this sends to me is that 70 years later Jewish lives still do not hold value to many out there, and subsequently what I do on this site and what many reading do in their lives carries a great responsibility and importance to Jewish people worldwide.  We must never forget, and in doing so do whatever possible to make sure the world never forgets.