Holocaust Survivor Condemns Use of Yellow Badge in Ultra-Orthodox Protests as Disrespectful

Holocaust survivor Michael Orich strongly criticized the use of the yellow badge symbol by ultra-Orthodox protesters opposing IDF conscription and the arrest of draft evaders. In an interview with ynet, Orich described this as a severe disrespect to the memory of the Holocaust, emphasizing that those who did not experience it cannot grasp its significance. He said, "I lived through the Holocaust all these years, so I am not just 80 years after it, I am still within it." Orich expressed deep pain seeing the symbol used for what he called trivial reasons, noting that many protesters lack understanding of the Holocaust's true horrors.

Addressing protesters who compared the IDF and police to Nazi Germans, Orich rejected the analogy, stating that those who endured the Holocaust cannot equate current events with the atrocities they suffered. He called such comparisons baseless and harmful, fostering hatred against the Jewish people and Holocaust survivors who live with the trauma daily.

Orich, an observant Jew, said he was shocked by the misuse of Holocaust symbols, attributing it to ignorance about the suffering endured by the Jewish people. While he declined to engage in the political debate over ultra-Orthodox conscription, he insisted that Holocaust symbols should never be exploited for personal or political agendas.

He advocated for enhanced Holocaust education among younger generations, noting a troubling decline in awareness after 80 years. Orich is working with municipal leaders to promote regular Holocaust studies in schools, warning that forgetting the Holocaust risks repeating history. He urged that Holocaust education be integrated at least monthly in schools to ensure the memory and lessons endure.