Holocaust Remembrance Day

[stowe1]

Today in Israel, the USA, and elsewhere we observe Holocaust Remembrance Day. The shofar sounded at sundown on Wednesday to begin the observances. The main remembrance ceremony in Israel was held at 8 pm on Wednesday. While there are, unfortunately, so many dates which could be designated as Holocaust remembrance, this day is chosen because it is the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Rather than my trying to summarize this, here is a link from Time.com discussing this:

http://time.com/3813714/holocaust-remembrance-day-warsaw/


There were 6+ million Jews and 5+ others (Gypsies, homosexuals, mentally and physically disabled, and other ethnic minorities) killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust. We are approaching a time in the not too distant future when all the Survivors will be gone. Thus it is imperative on the generations who immediately follow them not only to never forget, but also to make sure that future generations never forget. As a student of history, I have a special interest in The War period. And it amazes me that the world let this happen. People criticize Pius XII because they say he didn't do enough to help especially the Jews during this period. I don't doubt that only because no one did enough. Nine hundred Jews sailed from Germany on the St. Louis, having bought their way to what they hoped would be freedom and safety. They were denied docking in South America, Cuba, the U.S., Canada, and the UK before finally returning to Germany. Those governments could have helped and they didn't. Most of the passengers ended up in concentration and extermination camps and were killed. The fact that collectively the world didn't do enough doesn't take away from the fact that many people did help save the lives of countless potential victims. Even Oskar Schindler for all he did thought he did not do enough.

Please take a moment from your busy day to remember this sadly catastrophic event in the history of the world and remember to "Never Forget!"

There are over 25,000 non-Jews recognized as "Righteous Among Nations" at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Israel. These were nominated by Survivors for what they did to help Jews live during the Holocaust. For more information go to the Yad Vashem website.

 

[tampa24]

Thank you for bringing this observance day to our attention Stowe. I'm a huge W.W. II history buff. So all the events you describe are very well known to me. Let us never forget the Holocaust. I was apoplectic during the war in Yugoslavia when they carried out a small scale genocide, (i.e. mass murder of an ethnic and religious group) got away with it for quite a while in the middle of Europe, and then the perpetrators benignly called it "Ethnic Cleansing". Even Joseph Goebbels didn't think of that one.

If any of you have not seen The Imitation Game, I urge you to run to your nearest movie rental or kiosk and get it. It illuminates a part of a history of the war that was considered so top-secret from an international security standpoint that it was not disclosed until at least50 years after the war had ended. There are many layers to the story of Alan Turing. He was the father of the modern computer and never got any credit for it within his lifetime. But he made a huge contribution the Western World.

 

[joeychuck2]

Stowe no one will forget as long as we pass on to our children the need for "NEVER FORGET." You wrote" it amazes me that the world let this happen. People criticize Pius XII because they say he didn't do enough to help especially the Jews during this period. I don't doubt that only because no one did enough. Nine hundred Jews sailed from Germany on the St. Louis, having bought their way to what they hoped would be freedom and safety. They were denied docking in South America, Cuba, the U.S., Canada, and the UK before finally returning to Germany. Those governments could have helped and they didn't. Most of the passengers ended up in concentration and extermination camps and were killed."
I too am amazed how the World let it happen. The story of the Jews on the St. Louis is even more amazing. If there is a hell the leaders who allowed it deserve to be in a special section of it.
It would be nice to say it will never happen again to Jews or any other group but It will happen and is happening with ISIS and Iran now. It's the same mentality that let's it happen and does nothing. The UN is a waste of time and money unless it can get the world to not only reject what's happening but get the world to act together to stop it before it explodes again into a war.

 

[mikeyank]

Thank you Stowe and Tampa and Joeychuck for acknowledging this day. It was a sad and horrible time, but unfortunately as Tampa and Joey said, the world does not change and we see the same kind of things still happening today. As Peter Paul and Mary said in the great Pete Seeger song, ("Where Have All the Flowers Gone"), "When will they ever learn?".

 

[louis33705]

I acknowledge and respect the history and significance of murderous cleansing acts of the past. However, history continues to repeat itself over and over into our present day existence. Today is also the 20th Anniversary of the Oklahoma bombing.

 

[peterh6308]

I saw a video of the horn going off during rush hour traffic on a freeway in Israel. Everyone stopped (no accidents) stepped out of their cars, trucks and off their motorcycles and stood there until the horn stopped, then got back in their vehicles and continued on. It was one of the most powerful videos I've ever seen!! Man's mind will never be understood when he's fighting for a cause that differs from our own thinking. Whether it be in the name of religion or power or land!!

 

[joeychuck2]

Maybe this should be a new thread but I just saw the trailer of the movie UNBROKEN about how American soldiers were tortured by the Japanese in WWII. When we think of the Holocaust we only think of Germany but the Japanese had a BIG part in it as well. We can not blame or punish those who were not even born then but we equally can NEVER FORGET them as well. We rewarded the country of Japan in so many ways. They are an ally and we gave/give them money all the time. I wonder how many war criminals are still alive and go without any punishment for all these years. I will watch that movie when it is on Redbox and I hope some of you do too.
BTW to this day our soldiers in Japan that commit crimes are brutally treated in their jails. Our SOFA agreement we sign with them allows it as well as not protecting them after they are there. In other countries there are sections which are separate from the locals for American soldiers where they are treated as if they were in American prisons not Japanese prisons but in Japan we were not allowed that.
That's a whole other thing to talk about.

 

[peterh6308]

None of my immediate family or extended family hold grudges against the "white man" for what was done to 100 million of our people during their crusade to take over this land. I know it's off the WW2 subject, but not the torture one....

 

[joeychuck2]

None of my immediate family or extended family hold grudges against the "white man" for what was done to 100 million of our people during their crusade to take over this land. I know it's off the WW2 subject, but not the torture one....

Peter we should NEVER FORGET them too!

 

[joeychuck2]

If you want to see how they did it in Israel here is the link to when the siren went off and they were driving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGPbA9wowRk

Why didn't we do the same or even lower our flags in rememberence?

 

[Ambivalent]

Dear Stowe -

That was an exceptionally beautiful and eloquent message. Over the years, I have written a few speeches for public officials, to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day - - - but your message above exceeds any of those in its somber grace, gravity, and reverence. Though you and I often disagree about sundry things; in this matter, we are surely in accord. And, may I say, it is a privilege to be acquainted with someone of your deep learning, and moral sensitivity.

To MikeYank and all others who have special, personal cause, to have observed this day - though I am late in so expressing it, my heart is with you. My best gay friend in this world is a certain Dr. H., from Paris, whose family was part of the Jewish community in Poland. He and his immediate family survived, because his Father had the prescience to flee to the furthest Asiatic regions of the Soviet Union, in those dark days, but, not all his family was so lucky.

It is true, Mike, that mankind, sadly, does not change all that much, over the centuries. Cruelty, hatred, and genocide are being perpetrated all over the globe, at this very moment. But we must always fight, fight, FIGHT against the tyranny of ideologies which seek to impose such cruelties, and which do not recognize the one-ness of humanity.

Thank you all, for your thoughtful and important posts, on this important subject. I love and admire all of you, for you help me to recall, that there is such a thing as the possibility of compassion, human decency, and. . . civilization.

Love,
"A" XOXOXOXOXO

 

[joeychuck2]

Just saw the Unbroken on DVD. I can recommend it highly. I am even more concerned about Never Forgetting the Japanese part in it. At the end they ran pictures of the real people and comments about what happened after. Louie Zamperini the main character went back to Japan and found the guy who tortured him and told him he forgives him. I still think he should be held as a war criminal.