"Never Again" - The Genocide of Six Million Jews

“Never Again” – the Genocide of Six Million Jews

Who/What: “Never Again” is a slogan, with disputed origins, which gained national recognition after the atrocities committed during the Holocaust during WWII. It has been quoted from Holocaust victims,

Where: The phrase has been used multiple times during WWII, one of the earlier (and emotionally profound) places where it was heard/seen written on a wall in Buchenwald after the camp was liberated.

When: The phrase has been used multiple times during WWII, that is when it first became nationally recognized. After this, in reference to protests, it has been used in reference to

Why (is it interesting/relevant): The slogan “Never Again” became a term to reference multiple instances of genocide, although the phrase itself implies it need not be repeated in the future. From this, never again has become a call to action, a reminder of what was promised and we have sometimes failed to do. It rallies people to speak out against genocide and other acts of violence. The slogan creates a collective identity not only based on shared religious beliefs or heritage, but in shared recognition of something horrible.

Works Cited:

Forsyth, Justin. “After the Rwandan Genocide 20 Years Ago, We Said ‘Never Again’. Did We Mean It?” The Telegraph. The Telegraph, 05 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 Sept. 2016.

Power, Samantha. “Never Again: The World’s Most Unfulfilled Promise.” PBS. PBS, n.d Web. 02 Sept. 2016.