A mother’s prayer, a beacon of hope, shines even in humanity’s darkest hours like the Holocaust. As we remember the liberation of the horrendous Auschwitz concentration camp and the 6 million Jews who perished, including over 1 million children, we honor the unspoken prayers and pleas of the mothers seeking to protect their little ones. Facing unimaginable horrors, these women never relinquished faith.
During the Second World War, a reported 900,000 Jews were immediately killed upon their arrival at Auschwitz; another 200,000 died there over time. An estimated 200,000 non-Jews were imprisoned at the camp. Among them, 165,000 Catholics, including priests, seminarians, and religious. There were 232,000 children and young people up to the age of 18 among the prisoners. Most of these children and youth arrived with their parents, including mothers.
Amidst these devastating statistics, the enduring prayers of mothers, a testament to their resilience, echoed the remarkable power of maternal love. This tribute honors those brave mothers whose prayers sustained the human spirit, a mother’s prayer being a silent yet powerful force during history’s bleakest moments.
In thinking about the events that took place 70 years ago, I remembered the movie Sophie’s Choice. Â As the film unfolds, we learn that upon arriving at Auschwitz, Sophie was forced to choose which one of her two children would be gassed and which would proceed to the labor camp. She wanted to avoid having both children killed, so she chose her son to be sent to the children’s camp and her daughter to be sent to her death. This is a heartwrenching scene.
I can not think of a more torturing decision a woman would have to make. But how many Sophie’s had to make such a choice during World War II? What a crippling effect such a decision would have on these women for the remainder of their lives. My thoughts of these mothers grew deeper and sadder when I read this prayer written by Alexander Kimel, a Holocaust Survivor.
Amighty God, full of Love, remember all the Jewish mothers who carried their babies to their execution, led their children to the gas chambers, witnessed their burning, poisoned them with cyanide, or killed them with their hands. Almighty God, let their anguish, pain, and torture never be forgotten. Never be forgotten. In our memory, they will live forever and ever. Amen.
Today, let us remember these victims and offer a mother’s prayer for a world free from such violence and inhumanity.
Editorial Update: We strive to keep our content accurate and up-to-date. As part of our ongoing efforts, this article has been moved from Personal Musings to LIFESTYLE & MUSINGS on 09/14/2023.
