“Do Not Forget What Amalek Did to You” The Second Holocaust of Israel– Between Holocaust Memory and the Release of the Hostages Today

The verse “Do not forget what Amalek did to you” (Deuteronomy 25:17) is an eternal commandment for the Jewish people to remember the evil of their enemies, especially those who seek to destroy them. Throughout history, Amalek—the symbol of hatred toward Israel—has taken different forms but has always acted with cruelty against the Jewish people, attacking them in moments of weakness and attempting to erase their existence. Even today, the enemies of Israel continue in Amalek’s path, repeatedly trying to annihilate the Jewish people in various ways.

The Holocaust: An Attempt to Annihilate the Jewish People and the Struggle for Survival

The Holocaust was the most extreme attempt to wipe out the Jewish people, carried out by the Nazis, who sought to exterminate every last Jew from the face of the earth. Like Amalek, they attacked the Jewish people with boundless hatred, indiscriminately targeting men, women, children, and the elderly. The survivors who emerged from the concentration camps were left utterly broken—emaciated to the point of being skeletal, their eyes hollow, their bodies and souls scarred by immense suffering. This evil was not random; it stemmed from a murderous ideology that sought to erase the Jewish people.

The Hostages in Gaza – A Chilling Resemblance to Holocaust Survivors

Today, as we see the hostages returning from captivity in Gaza, we cannot ignore the shocking resemblance to Holocaust survivors. Many of them emerged frail, weak, with vacant stares, their bodies and souls bearing the scars of severe abuse. Testimonies from captivity describe conditions of starvation, total isolation, torture, and humiliation—much like what Jews endured during the Holocaust. The enemies who held them captive are no different from Amalek—they acted out of pure hatred for the Jewish people, with the intent to cause pain, humiliation, and destruction.

The Enemies Who Continue Amalek’s Legacy

Throughout history, Amalek has taken on new faces—from the Nazis to modern terrorist organizations—but their goal remains the same: the destruction of the Jewish people. Today, Hamas and other terror groups continue Amalek’s mission, committing massacres, kidnappings, and torture against Jews—not as part of a political struggle, but with a declared goal of annihilating Israel. Just as the Torah commands us to remember Amalek’s actions and fight against them, so too must we act today against those who seek to destroy us, ensuring that the Jewish people are never again at risk of extermination.

The Duty to Remember and Act

The message of “Do not forget” is not just a historical remembrance—it is a moral and political imperative for the Jewish people. Just as we did not forget the Holocaust and worked to establish the State of Israel as a safeguard for our existence, so too must we ensure today that all the hostages are brought home, that the enemies who seek our destruction are defeated, and that we never again allow Jews to become helpless victims of unrestrained evil.

Am Yisrael Chai – We will never forget, and we will never forgive.