'Israel is the safest place for Jews', says Holocaust survivor & former Supreme Court head Aharon Barak

Holocaust survivor and former President of the Israeli Supreme Court Aharon Barak recalled his harsh life as a Jewish child in the Lithuanian Kovno Ghetto in "I Was a Child in the Holocaust," an Israeli project aired on Holocaust Remembrance Day in cooperation with the World Zionist Organization. 

"Life there was like that of prisoners sentenced to death, but the execution date hadn't been set yet. At any moment, a German soldier could encounter a Jew on the street and execute them," Barak recalled in a conversation with the actress Kim Or Azulay. 

Barak addressed Israel’s current post-Oct. 7 challenges by placing them in a historical and personal context. 

"There's no absolute safety anywhere, but Israel is the safest place for Jews. This understanding arose from the Holocaust experience and the necessity for a national home,” Barak argued.

"Antisemitism is ever-present and always felt. Anyone who values the past must know about the Holocaust to prevent similar future experiences."

Barak praised his mother Leah who saved his life by hiding him in a Lithuanian farmer’s house as the Nazis and their allies were searching for Jewish children. 

"People always asked me, President Barak, Judge Barak, Professor Barak, who are you? I always said – I'm Leah's son. She greatly influenced me. The Jewish fate taught us never to be pessimistic and always to hope for something better," he said. 

Azulay also articulated her link to the Holocaust as a great-granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. 

"Holocaust Remembrance Day has always been significant for me as the great-granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor – my late great-grandmother Sonia,” she revealed. 

“Having the opportunity to hear more and more survivors' stories is a privilege. Especially when it involves Aharon Barak. It was fascinating to hear how his opinions and actions over the years were mainly influenced by his childhood during the Holocaust. He's a wonderful person and hosted us amazingly. It's important for the younger generation to understand the importance of remembering and passing on these stories. In the future, the responsibility will be entirely ours, to continue telling and ensuring everyone hears about what happened. This is our legacy," Kim concluded. 

Six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, constituting around one-third of the Jewish people. There are currently only some 200,000 living Holocaust survivors, with around half of them residing in the Jewish state. However, the number of Holocaust survivors is dwindling rapidly due to their advanced age. 

A new Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) report titled “Vanishing Witness” predicts that some 70% of the current living Holocaust survivors will be gone within the next decade. 

The Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor stressed the urgency to collect and preserve first-hand Holocaust testimonies for Holocaust education purposes. 

“This report provides clear urgency to our Holocaust education efforts,” Taylor assessed. “Now is the time to hear first-hand testimonies from survivors, invite them to speak in our classrooms, places of worship and institutions. It is critical, not only for our youth but for people of all generations to hear and learn directly from Holocaust survivors. This report is a stark reminder that our time is almost up, our survivors are leaving us and this is the moment to hear their voices."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to preserve the Jewish state, defeat its enemies and return the hostages in his speech marking Holocaust Day. 

“On this Holocaust Day, I promise, we will defeat Hamas, return all the hostages and prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Fighting the fanatical regimes that threaten the world, and doing so in time, is the lesson of the Holocaust,” Netanyahu pledged.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for unity in Israel’s politically divided society. 

“Let us lower the flames. Let us heal the hearts. Let us not allow the poison of social media and the experts in smearing and polarization to take over the soul of the people and destroy us from within. Let us mourn together and miss each other; let us hurt together, and yes – even today – let us stand tall – together,” Herzog urged the Israeli public.