Remembering the six million is sacrosanct. Just as everything comes to a complete stop in Israel on Yom Hazikaron when Israelis remember all those who gave their lives defending the Jewish homeland, so too do I believe that Jews the world over should put their lives on hold to attend a program commemorating the six million whose lives were snuffed out in the Holocaust. But I also believe that come the 27th of Nisan, it is incumbent upon antisemites — both current and those in recovery — to remember as well. Accordingly, I have amassed the following five non-negotiable injunctions for past and present enemies of ours to commit to memory.
Mahch mir nisht kayn loch in kop oon layg mir nisht tzoo kayn flahstehr (Don’t make a hole in my head and then slap on a bandage). “Loch in kop” is better associated with the aphorism, “Ich dahrf doss vee ah loch in kop” (I need this like a hole in the head). It’s one thing to receive help from non-Jews. It’s quite another thing to receive help as a goodwill gesture to compensate for a wrongdoing. Rather than being raised on this Yiddish saying, I grew up hearing the more concise, “Don’t itch me and don’t scratch me.”
Tcheppeh zich opp (Leave us alone). While tcheppeh literally means to pick away at or to pick on, the greatest gift that antisemites could give us other than disappearing off the face of this earth would be to leave us alone. Throughout my life I have met many survivors of the Holocaust. Yet not one has ever demanded that justice be done. They understood only too well that justice falls woefully short for righting the extermination of 6 million innocent lives of all ages as well as the imposed suffering and torment on those who survived. The response of most Holocaust survivors when asked by non-Jews how they could redress the wrongs committed by the enemies of the Jews boils down to one request, tcheppeh zich opp.
Shrye oif dyne aygn kop (Yell at your own head). It was the great sage Reish Lakish (Talmud Sanhedrin 18a) who advised us to first worry whether we appear presentable before letting another person know that he doesn’t appear presentable. Before sounding off against Jews, holding them responsible for every evil in the world, any antisemite would be well advised to look at his own shortcomings. How ironic that there are those who insist on scrutinizing the behavior of Jews while remaining oblivious to their own flaws. Before you holler at Jews, holler at yourself. You might just benefit from taking yourself to task.
Shlog zich kop in vahnt (Hit your head against the wall … again and again). Antisemites have yet to accept that Jews are not going to disappear off the face of this earth. Having survived enslavement and expulsion, Crusades and Inquisitions, persecution and pogroms, we Jews are here to stay, regardless of any high price we may have to pay. Spouting age-old invectives against Jews is akin to one who continues to “shlog zich kop in vahnt.” Antisemites continue to come and go. Jews continue to remain. Any antisemite who expects his vituperation to be successful when all other antisemites have failed manifests sure signs of insanity.
Lozz oondz tzoo roo (Leave us rest). There is a fine line between the aforementioned “tcheppeh zich opp” and “lozz oondz tzoo roo.” The former suggests that antisemites take their recriminations elsewhere. The latter implores antisemites to ignore us. I once heard the rabbi who “bar-mitzvahed” me make the following remark: “The Christian world is quick to advise us to ‘forgive and forget’ when it comes to the annihilation of the Six Million. Yet they are adamant that they will neither forgive nor forget the perceived crucifixion of one whose memory they adore and adulate.”
If only editors of antisemitic publications would read this article and commit to memory “Lozz oondz tzoo roo and Tcheppeh zich opp.” If only every antisemite would pay heed when I say “Shrye oif dyne aygn kop!” Unfortunately, antisemites insist on continuing to “Shlog zich kop in vahnt.” As for the recovering antisemite, it’s time to realize that an essential step for them to take is “Mahch mir nisht kayn loch in kop oon layg mir nisht kayn flahstehr.” As for us Jews, if we don’t pay tribute to the six million, then who will?
Rabbi Shawn Zell has recently returned to New Jersey after serving at a pulpit in Dallas. He possesses certification in teaching Yiddish. Rabbi Zell is the author of three books.
