"Where our Families Turned into Ashes, we are Standing in IDF Uniforms”

Saul and Mina Sterngast from Krakow had eight children. One of them, Romak, was my grandfather. He and some of his siblings were captivated by the idea of Zionism and they immigrated to Israel before the war. The rest of the family that remained in Krakow was forced into the ghetto and finally, like the Jewish community as a whole, squeezed into and suffocated in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. As they suffocated to death, humanity, justice and morality suffocated with them.

I arrived at their family home which still stands to this day. It’s easy to imagine the sound of the footsteps of little children as they go down the wooden stairs to play outside or prepare for Shabbat.

I could also imagine the family being expelled from the house as they were beaten on this very staircase. My emotion grew as I stood above the main hall of the Auschwitz crematorium alongside six battalion and unit commanders in the Israel Defense Forces. I know them personally—they represent our very best, those who choose to dedicate their lives to the most important thing. Many of their families were murdered in the Holocaust, and now, straight from the State of Israel, with Israeli soil on the soles of their boots, they gather in the lowest and darkest place of history, this time as the spearhead of the defense of the State of Israel and its civilians.

Where our families turned into ashes, we are standing in IDF uniforms, upright and armed. On our clothes, in place of the yellow star, are now IDF symbols and campaign medals signifying wars and operations in which we struck and averted our enemies, whether it be in the distant past or during recent weeks. Each one of the commanders represents unique capabilities and military strength. Each of them has fought and defended throughout their service, and each of them leads activities and operations to thwart threats, defend and build up the strength of the IDF.

We stand amongst the barracks of death and feel the commitment strengthening and the commitment intensifying. From here, Israel and its institutions, military, culture and all of its components and achievements are seen as a beautiful asset. It is our utmost duty to protect and guard them.

Here, the families of each one of us also gain an additional and special meaning.

The members of my family, as well as the family members of the battalion and unit commanders, could not have imagined that within the distance of a three-hour flight from here—from the place where they were murdered and where there was an attempt to annihilate the entire people of Israel—this people will exist in its prime in a prosperous and developed country that is constituted on the values of the Jewish people and is able to defend itself. We are blessed to have our own military, one that is strong, professional and moral, which ranks among the most outstanding militaries in the world. We are privileged to serve in the Israel Defense Forces.