The Railroads of Auschwitz
By 1943, British and American military officials definitively knew that Jews were being thrown into the ovens of Auschwitz and they refused to bomb the railroad tracks. Sixty years later, worldwide anti-Semitism rose by 15%. Every day we hear calls for another Holocaust from the Arab and Muslim world - and also from both the slums and universities of Europe. And yet most of the world is silent.
It should not surprise anyone that the world has forgotten its promise of "Never Again." We have lost the diplomatic battle, and cannot even bring the world to remember its promises from half a decade ago.
It should not surprise anyone that the world has forgotten its promise of "Never Again." We have lost the rhetorical battle. Today the crimes that have been committed against Jews are used everywhere - from the halls of Muslim leaders to the pages of fashionable academic journals - as a weapon against those who insist that there are anti-Semites in the world who want to kill Jews just for being Jewish.
It should not surprise anyone that the world has forgotten its promise of "Never Again." We have lost the public relations battle. Most of the world is divided between populations preparing to commit another Jewish genocide and populations trying to convince themselves that Jews are evil so that they can get over their guilt for committing the last Jewish genocide.
The Prime Minister of the Jewish state is not surprised. He remembers Europe's repeated arms boycotts, slapped down while Israel was being invaded by hostile Arab armies promising to wash the streets of Tel Aviv with Jewish blood. He hopes that support from the leader of the most powerful country in the history of the world will at least quiet those who oppose Israel. He'll be disappointed. The world opposed the United States in alleviating an on-going genocide in Iraq - why would it support the United States in trying to stop a future genocide in Israel?
The President of the Third Temple Commonwealth is not surprised. He knows that it's hopeless to ask Europe to care about the Shoah. Instead, he talks about how anti-Semitism will hurt their way of life. Knowing that the world doesn't care that synagogues are being burned, he hopes that they'll at least care that their governments are going to be destroyed. He'll be disappointed. Europe has been burying its head in the sand about their anti-secular, anti-democratic, and wholly unassimilated Muslim populations for years now.
Those who keep the eternal flame lit for the six million who perished in Europe's gas chambers are not surprised. They know that the Shoah no longer resonates with the vast majority of the world. They are dedicating themselves to raising the world's awareness. They'll be disappointed. The world has not forgotten the Holocaust - people everywhere talk about it every day, sometimes quite gleefully. Hatred can not be cured by alerting people to the fact that they hate - they already know.
The Chief of Staff of the first military force dedicated to the protection of Jews in 2,000 years is not surprised. He does not expect Europe to even recognize genocidal intent, let alone to combat it. He still hopes that if Europe recognizes the morality of Israel, they'll realize the barbarity of others. He'll be disappointed. Europe is blind to Israel's restraint in the face of unimaginable threats and costs because Europe has already convinced itself that Jews are guilty and can never be proven innocent.
But Ya'alon and the directors of Yad Vashem and Katsav and Sharon have come to grips with their disappointment. They know that they are charged with protecting Jews in world where few others will. And that is a hopeful thought.
In 1944, a single plane could have bombed the railroad tracks and saved the lives of over a million Jews. In 2004, another six million Jews are being threatened daily with extermination. But this time, there is a Jewish state. This time, the railroads will be bombed. And should the worst happen, God forbid, Israel will leave behind enough to make sure that the world does not again forget the crimes it has committed against Jews.
UPDATE: Oceanguy has a heart-wrenching poem you should read, Imshin discusses reclaiming her past, and Meryl's post from last year always bears re-reading.
It should not surprise anyone that the world has forgotten its promise of "Never Again." We have lost the diplomatic battle, and cannot even bring the world to remember its promises from half a decade ago.
It should not surprise anyone that the world has forgotten its promise of "Never Again." We have lost the rhetorical battle. Today the crimes that have been committed against Jews are used everywhere - from the halls of Muslim leaders to the pages of fashionable academic journals - as a weapon against those who insist that there are anti-Semites in the world who want to kill Jews just for being Jewish.
It should not surprise anyone that the world has forgotten its promise of "Never Again." We have lost the public relations battle. Most of the world is divided between populations preparing to commit another Jewish genocide and populations trying to convince themselves that Jews are evil so that they can get over their guilt for committing the last Jewish genocide.
The Prime Minister of the Jewish state is not surprised. He remembers Europe's repeated arms boycotts, slapped down while Israel was being invaded by hostile Arab armies promising to wash the streets of Tel Aviv with Jewish blood. He hopes that support from the leader of the most powerful country in the history of the world will at least quiet those who oppose Israel. He'll be disappointed. The world opposed the United States in alleviating an on-going genocide in Iraq - why would it support the United States in trying to stop a future genocide in Israel?
The President of the Third Temple Commonwealth is not surprised. He knows that it's hopeless to ask Europe to care about the Shoah. Instead, he talks about how anti-Semitism will hurt their way of life. Knowing that the world doesn't care that synagogues are being burned, he hopes that they'll at least care that their governments are going to be destroyed. He'll be disappointed. Europe has been burying its head in the sand about their anti-secular, anti-democratic, and wholly unassimilated Muslim populations for years now.
Those who keep the eternal flame lit for the six million who perished in Europe's gas chambers are not surprised. They know that the Shoah no longer resonates with the vast majority of the world. They are dedicating themselves to raising the world's awareness. They'll be disappointed. The world has not forgotten the Holocaust - people everywhere talk about it every day, sometimes quite gleefully. Hatred can not be cured by alerting people to the fact that they hate - they already know.
The Chief of Staff of the first military force dedicated to the protection of Jews in 2,000 years is not surprised. He does not expect Europe to even recognize genocidal intent, let alone to combat it. He still hopes that if Europe recognizes the morality of Israel, they'll realize the barbarity of others. He'll be disappointed. Europe is blind to Israel's restraint in the face of unimaginable threats and costs because Europe has already convinced itself that Jews are guilty and can never be proven innocent.
But Ya'alon and the directors of Yad Vashem and Katsav and Sharon have come to grips with their disappointment. They know that they are charged with protecting Jews in world where few others will. And that is a hopeful thought.
In 1944, a single plane could have bombed the railroad tracks and saved the lives of over a million Jews. In 2004, another six million Jews are being threatened daily with extermination. But this time, there is a Jewish state. This time, the railroads will be bombed. And should the worst happen, God forbid, Israel will leave behind enough to make sure that the world does not again forget the crimes it has committed against Jews.
UPDATE: Oceanguy has a heart-wrenching poem you should read, Imshin discusses reclaiming her past, and Meryl's post from last year always bears re-reading.
