Nicole Vahlkamp-Louis, president of the Cardozo Jewish Legal Society, and Holocaust survivor Michael Banhidi recently spoke to Miami Law students about the rise of antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 in the event “Never Again is Now.”
"On October 8, [Americans] started to blame the Jews and Israel. People were unafraid to say Hitler was right," Vahlkamp-Louis said. "This threat to the Jewish people is a threat to all people."
Vahlkamp-Louis reminded audiences of what happens when hatred goes unchecked, with Banhidi's life as proof. Raised in Hungary during the 1930s, Banhidi witnessed the rise of the Nazi regime. He detailed their history and how it left an internal scar.
Banhidi listed the demeaning antisemitic laws passed in the 1930s. Laws like making Jews brand a star of David impacted Banhidi's childhood as students would bully and look at him with disgust.
As children destroyed his sandcastles and poked fun at his Jewish name, Banhidi began questioning what it meant to be a Jew. He remembered asking himself, "Why do I have to do this? Why do they hate me?"
When the Nazis invaded in 1944, Banhidi became a witness to humanity's worst. His large family was cramped in a one-bedroom apartment in a Jewish ghetto.
Banhidi would search for food and supplies as gunfire riddled the air. He felt cold, hungry, and afraid when hiding in a cellar. Banhidi then began questioning God's existence as the soldiers and inhuman conditions led to multiple family members' deaths.
"The worst experience in my lifetime was going to sleep with an empty stomach," Banhidi said.
World developments make Banhidi feel that 2024 will be like his past. He described learning about world events as rewatching a horror movie.
A fellow survivor spoke with Banhidi about their experience, igniting a conversation about the contemporary rise of antisemitism.
The Cardozo Jewish Legal Social urged the audience to reflect on the nation's relationship with Jewish culture and to remember the past, so it doesn’t become the present.
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