Holocaust Remembrance | Why I Fight

Today in Israel we commemorate the Holocaust in which 6,000,000 Jewish people were killed. 

You may ask why today? The rest of the world commemorates the Holocaust on 27th of January. This is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviets. In fact, my grandmother was liberated from Auschwitz after four years of imprisonment and it is where much of my family was killed. But in Israel, we do not commemorate on this day.

In Israel, we commemorate the Holocaust on the commencement of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. We mark it on the day a group of young Jewish men and women, with very little ammunition bravely fought against the SS and German army. Led by the 24-year-old Mordechai Anielewicz they repelled the might of the German war machine for 28 days. Each and every one of them knew they faced certain death, yet they fought with bravery. 

The Warsaw ghetto uprising inspired other revolts in extermination camps and ghettos throughout German-occupied Eastern Europe. 

My family’s history is what inspired me to learn Krav Maga and it’s what inspired me to fight in the Israeli Army.

If there is one lesson that we can learn from the Holocaust, it’s that all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

In KMDI our mission is to train people to take ownership over their safety and inspire them to protect others. We say NEVER AGAIN, not as a slogan, but as a way of life.

Today we remember 6 million Jewish people who were killed by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. We remember those who stood up to that evil. And we remember the righteous of the nations - the non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis.

May we never forget.

Sincerely,

Ron Engelman