Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today has been named a day to remember the Holocaust. For obvious reasons this is an event that has shaped who I am, and not just because of my religious faith.
But as I look around, I become worried about the world. Has the world forgotten about this genocide so quickly?
We always say when the Holocaust is brought up about how we will never let it happen again. And yet, every single factor that led the world to the second World War and the repercussions of said war are here already.
As famously stated by George Carlin many years ago, the Nazis lost the war, but Fascism won. It became implanted in the west like a parasite. And while it has lain dormant for a long time, it is still alive.” Unfortunately the dormant part is a thing of the past. There are politicians (note the fact that I stated that in the plural tense) who are rising to predominance is a step by step fashion that is far to similar to Mussolini for my liking.
I learned a long time ago that nationalism and murder go hand and hand. To this point, any politician that tells me that they want our country to be great again and tells us to think back to the good old days, is someone that in my mind is an enemy of not just the country where I live, but has the capacity to do great evil if given power.
And power has already been given to these individuals. The fear of Arabs mirrors the fear of the Jews of the 30s in far too many ways for my liking. The most visible parallel is the fear of allowing any near our nation for the fear of violence should we do so. Quickly the world has forgotten that all Jews were feared to be Soviet Spies in the 30s leading to none of them to be able to flee from danger that was on their doorstep.
And also, like before there is an eagerness in the Jewish people ourselves especially the more religious they tend to be, to support the very individuals who would gladly put us to the torch. But as any Jew should know by now, the most deadly adversary to the Jewish people tends to be ourselves. It is a little known fact that a Jewish scientist created Zyklon B, the gas used against the victims. It was no lie that many German Jews voted against their interests. They were proud of their country as well. A shame that their country did not feel likewise…
And Antisemitism is on the rise, make no mistake about it. It is veiled under hatred of Israel, just as before it was hidden under a hatred of Communists. It has become commonplace to associate my people with any group or idea that is negative and to place blame at our feet. For example, there are quite a few people in the world who claim that Isis exists because of “Israel taking land that didn’t belong to them.” Forgetting the fact that Israel lawfully owns all the land that they have, Isis is an entity with a far more complex origin.
Back on point though, I am quite fearful for the future of the Jewish people. I am watching politics carefully, and am prepared to move to Israel to escape a terrible fate, and I caution any of my friends of any minority to weigh their options if danger comes. After all, when one minority is attacked, its only a matter of time until another is struck.
Just as 6 million Jews died in the Halocaust, 6 million more also lost their lives in a crime against humanity. A crime that I fear will soon happen again.