YOM HASHOAH - SIX HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN MITZVOT

The exact name of Yom ha Shoah is Yom ha Shoah vehaGvurá, the day of remembrance of the Shoah, but also of the heroism of those who fought against the Nazis by all possible means.

Emil Fackenheim (1916 –2003), a theologian and a Rabbi, is particularly well known for postulating that after the Shoah Jews should observe a new mitzvah, a new obligatory responsibility in addition to the traditional six hundred and thirteen mitzvot. This new mitzvah consists of not granting the mad Austrian painter a posthumous victory.

I have always believed deeply in this idea. But I believe more than ever, and this is also why I chose the rabbinate, that the best way to put it into practice is to develop a Judaism that is vital, bold, never banal, open and able to confront the challenges of our time.

A vital Judaism both qualitatively, through the depth of research and study, and quantitatively, through reintegrating the many people and families of Jewish origin who for a thousand reasons are distant from Judaism, as well as welcoming new Jews by choice.

The Torah says : "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. But you shall choose life" [Deut. 30:19].

Choosing life also means this. Celebrating and commemorating is extremely important, but only the elaboration of this kind of living Judaism will allow us not to concede victory to that project, and to all other similar projects.