Remembrance - Union Station KC Auschwitz Exhibit High Holy Days ceremony- September 12, 2021

My remarks on remembrance at the special ceremony at Union Station Kansas City in conjunction with the High Holy Days and the exhibit, “Auschwitz: Not Long Ago…Not Far Away.”

Remembrance at Auschwitz Exhibit - 9/12/2021

We remember.

We remember even when we may not want to recall 

events that cause anguish

Or bring to mind painful losses of the past. 

Still, we do remember.  

In this space, laid out for us, are exhibits

 that enable the remnants of dark days 

To teach us lessons of how to respond with resolve 

to past inhumanity and persistent hatred 

By engendering greater understanding, acceptance, respect and love. 

On Rosh Hashanah, Jews who gather for worship 

for the New Year hear the sound of the shofar, the ram’s horn.

The shofar calls out to offer a poignant reminder 

Of the divine presence that is with us, and does not leave us,

Urging us, even in a place where there is no decent human being, to continue to strive to be a decent human being. 

Through tragedy and times of sorrow,

And through moments of connection and triumph, 

we remember, and God remembers along with us, 

inspiring us to sustain a covenant of life in our world.  

On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonment, Jews around the world engage in a solemn time of fasting and introspection

And recite prayers to address their grief. 

During a section of the Yom Kippur service called Yizkor, remembrance, 

we remember loved ones, friends, community members, 

And even people we don’t know

But whom we are committed to honor for lives well lived.  

Our time in the world is limited, but our days offer us the possibility of touching the hearts of others,

Hoping that the contributions

Which we leave upon the human family 

Will be enriching and enduring.  

So when we pray to the God of Compassion 

to bind in the bond of Eternal life

The souls of loved ones who have died, 

We remember 

That we should never see ourselves as divided or distant from one another. 

Even now, we can all find peace and protection 

Under the wings of the shining presence of the Eternal One. 

May a comforting and enduring spirit unite us 

As we join together to remember  

Here

Today

Tomorrow

And in the time to come.