What Is the Source of the Phrase “Never Again”?

Mosaic reader Jim Schwartz wants to know about the expression “Never again.” “Who first used it and when?” he asks:

Was it, as I’ve seen reported in the media, Meir Kahane? Was it picked up as a political slogan from some other ethnic or religious group, or did it originate with Jews? Does it have a source in another language, such as Yiddish? And does it refer only to the commitment to prevent another Holocaust, or can it apply to other things as well?

In itself, of course, the expression “never again” can refer to just about anything. “I’ll never speak to him again,” “I’ll never buy there again,” “I’ll never fall for that again”—one hears such statements all the time. Plain “Never again!” as an exclamation of determination, regret, or disgust is common in English, too. You have splurged, uncustomarily, on a fancy French restaurant that was recommended to you and the food and service were terrible: “Never again!” you say to your dinner companion as you dyspeptically depart.