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Never Again” — The Promise the World Keeps Breaking
The slogan “Never Again” promised universal justice after the Holocaust. But from the Biharis of 1971 to Gaza today, the world keeps breaking that vow.
I grew up hearing the phrase “Never Again.”
It sounded final. Sacred almost.
The kind of words adults say when they want to believe the world has learned its lesson.
But I never had the luxury of believing it.
Because in my own family’s story, “never again” already happened — and then it happened again.
When Bangladesh fought for independence in 1971, the Biharis, my people, became targets. Entire neighborhoods burned. Men dragged from homes. Women disappeared. Children caught in someone else’s vengeance.
They called it war. We called it survival.
Even now, fifty-plus years later, the survivors live in camps. The word justice never found them. No tribunal. No apology. Not even a footnote in most history books.
So when people say “Never Again,” I can’t help but pause.
Never again for whom?
The Ideal That Cracked
