Really Roger? This article is a disservice to not only the facts but to the hope for realistic solutions.
3
Mr. Cohen, I have long admired your columns for the lack of humanity, human beings have displayed over centuries. Absolutely true, indifference kills. And our immediate history of European Jews targeted and killed was downright atrocious and inhumane. Such cruelty should not have happened but it did. But they were welcomed by the Western world and gifted with a country, Israel. That's not indifference. But you hold that as the gold standard for perversity. It is not. There is Africa, Asia and now the Middle East. They may all not be the victims of 'targeted' (although most fit that criterion) annihilation or the cruelty of one despot but the pain, suffering, loss are the same. And this time around, there is indifference without a welcome. The fact that they are Muslims does not make them less of a human being. They are rudderless, stateless, helpless, hopeless. I wish everyone would be measured by the same yardstick and the world finds a solution to their suffering. But as you say, we have become indifferent, selfish, without a conscience decency or generosity.
2
Several points: First, RC is a roving NYT correspondent, free to pick up and travel where he wishes, not forced to live with the "humane"solutions he proposes for others. Walk the streets of Milan and you will see increasing numbers of Muslim women wearing hijabs, niquabs. U wonder where r the Italians. There r also shantytowns, much like in AVIGNON and the Paris "banlieux" where u would think twice about venturing into. Second, more Muslim migrants to EUROPE increases the threat of anti Semitism. Once, anti Semitism in FRANCE was BLAMED on the FN of JM LE PEN. Today it is North African immigrants, not all but an militant minority, who have exacerbated racial tensions, and have made many of the JEWISH faith consider relocating in the US or Israel.Controlled immigration, assimilation, is a kind and good thing.Both my spouses r immigrants from w. Africa. DJENNABA is Muslim.Both waited in line.Finally re the indifference of Italians to the deportations of the fascist years, I was recently in Argentina where I visited the NAVAL MECHANICS SCHOOL(ESMA)) now converted into the "Museum of Living Memory" where, under the dictatorship, thousands of "presos" were tortured and disappeared. Afterwards, I took an informal poll of average citizens to find out how many had visited it as well. Of about 3 dozen polled, not one had been there, and some had only a vague idea where it was. So, RC's point is well taken re popular indifference towards tragedies affecting others.
3
In an op-Ed that compares the present refugee crisis to the refugee crisis of jews during WW II you (rightly) criticize many countries for the little help they offer. But you don't mention that one of Syria's neighbors doesn't even consider opening its doors to even a few families is the one country that should offer more than any: Israel. How is it we have listened to 70 years of "and the world stood by" from Israelis politicians, and here Isreal is in the face of this crisis, doiing nothing.
I know Isreal will claim it is an issue of their security. Wonder who else in history may have taken that stand?
I know Isreal will claim it is an issue of their security. Wonder who else in history may have taken that stand?
8
Yes and Unfortunately Cohen again put salt of European wound of indifference.
In fact , 1940's holocaust is not a different problem and Europe was not different then. It happened in front of everybody's eyes, period. Yes there was tyrant but it happened in front of the peoples eyes.
Todays migrant crisis is happening in front of everybody's eyes too, and yet Giant 18 trillion USD economy EU cannot built refugee/migrant centers in Greek islands to alleviate pestilence, instead they dumped the work literally bankrupted Greece. What a charade?
People are coming and no way to stop them, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon needs not only economical aid, needs Humanitarian help to deal with millions.
If EU doesn't care of Millions in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, those people one way or another find a way to make it Europe.
Austerity for humanitarian help, really, EU needs to spend quite lot money to counter these migrants their departing ports, Tunisia, Libya, Turkey.
No way around it.
UNHCR needs to bolstered by world with money, human power etc. That malaise is another big disgraceful shame for at least G20 countries.
In fact , 1940's holocaust is not a different problem and Europe was not different then. It happened in front of everybody's eyes, period. Yes there was tyrant but it happened in front of the peoples eyes.
Todays migrant crisis is happening in front of everybody's eyes too, and yet Giant 18 trillion USD economy EU cannot built refugee/migrant centers in Greek islands to alleviate pestilence, instead they dumped the work literally bankrupted Greece. What a charade?
People are coming and no way to stop them, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon needs not only economical aid, needs Humanitarian help to deal with millions.
If EU doesn't care of Millions in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, those people one way or another find a way to make it Europe.
Austerity for humanitarian help, really, EU needs to spend quite lot money to counter these migrants their departing ports, Tunisia, Libya, Turkey.
No way around it.
UNHCR needs to bolstered by world with money, human power etc. That malaise is another big disgraceful shame for at least G20 countries.
3
Two ironies here:
1) The plight of the Jews being used to help a group of people who in all likelihood have anti-Semitic leanings
2) A NYT columnist writing that the world should help these refugees because of its indifference to the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust
1) The plight of the Jews being used to help a group of people who in all likelihood have anti-Semitic leanings
2) A NYT columnist writing that the world should help these refugees because of its indifference to the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust
6
Wow. It seems like so many commenters are not up on what is currently going on in Syria, and are assuming all of the refugees are religious conservatives. I would recommend reading the Facebook page/blog "Humans of new York". The author/photographer is in Greece now documenting the stories of refugees. So many of the men face the choice of: fight for Assad, fight for ISIS/rebels, or be killed by them. Escape is their only hope of survival. This is a kind of genocide of secular moderate/liberal people.
7
America has learned a LOT about indifference under this bumbling federal government the past seven years.
I always thought of faculty lounge dreamers as itching to get started helping the worker the second they become Something Important.
Yet Barack Obama has never lifted a finger to actually help American workers to improve their lives once.Instead, he has taken thousands of dollars out of their homes with this tawdry wealth redistribution scheme that we call Obamacare. Add to that the loss of $6000 or more from workers' family finances since 2008 and the devastation - and indifference - is writ large.
He has worn himself out helping everyone ELSE'S workers, but hiring in America - even for the 29-hour jobs - is drying up like a vine in winter, with 96 million workers unable to find work. For shame, liberals.
I always thought of faculty lounge dreamers as itching to get started helping the worker the second they become Something Important.
Yet Barack Obama has never lifted a finger to actually help American workers to improve their lives once.Instead, he has taken thousands of dollars out of their homes with this tawdry wealth redistribution scheme that we call Obamacare. Add to that the loss of $6000 or more from workers' family finances since 2008 and the devastation - and indifference - is writ large.
He has worn himself out helping everyone ELSE'S workers, but hiring in America - even for the 29-hour jobs - is drying up like a vine in winter, with 96 million workers unable to find work. For shame, liberals.
1
Why *I* will literally NEVER lift a figure to defend Kentucky or Kentuckians, or even send a dime of relief money to Kentucky...ever:
2001: Al Qaeda attack the sleeping Bush administration which was so busy planning its other crimes to defend the U.S.
2003: Bush abandons Afghanistan for Iraq; the war in Afghanistan is now lost; the Iraq war will lead to the creation of ISIS
2005: A hurricane is coming to New Orleans; Bush removes prepare; thousands of American die needlessly and senselessly
2008: The U.S. almost single-handedly causes the second Great Depression due to the incompetence of Bush and the crimes of its corporations.
Yes, Mr. Austin, U.S. history started more than seven years ago. But I see Kentucky history only started seven years ago.
2001: Al Qaeda attack the sleeping Bush administration which was so busy planning its other crimes to defend the U.S.
2003: Bush abandons Afghanistan for Iraq; the war in Afghanistan is now lost; the Iraq war will lead to the creation of ISIS
2005: A hurricane is coming to New Orleans; Bush removes prepare; thousands of American die needlessly and senselessly
2008: The U.S. almost single-handedly causes the second Great Depression due to the incompetence of Bush and the crimes of its corporations.
Yes, Mr. Austin, U.S. history started more than seven years ago. But I see Kentucky history only started seven years ago.
6
Many comments say Mr. Cohen is wrong to compare the current refugees to those from WWII and the Holocaust. But they are missing his point.
What he is comparing is not so much the refugees, but the reaction of governments and the populace two generations ago, with their reaction today. The reaction then was indifference. What is the reaction today?
The situation is complicated, but the danger is that indifference will once again rule the day. The rationalizations and xenophobia offered by many commenters only show how correct Mr. Cohen is on this point.
What he is comparing is not so much the refugees, but the reaction of governments and the populace two generations ago, with their reaction today. The reaction then was indifference. What is the reaction today?
The situation is complicated, but the danger is that indifference will once again rule the day. The rationalizations and xenophobia offered by many commenters only show how correct Mr. Cohen is on this point.
15
I wonder how many refugees might have fit in Mr. Cohen's cruise ship stateroom?
Stop with the preaching, sir, until you have solutions to offer.
Stop with the preaching, sir, until you have solutions to offer.
7
As long as Mr. Cohen writes as well and as compassionately as he does, I don't begrudge him a stateroom, if he ever had one.
6
You too are indifferent to the sufferings then, and just take a temporary time-out from your own overprivileged lives to preach to us.
Profile the people who work with the refugees day in and day out. Don't tell us stories about how great this little bitty gesture is, because Mr. Cohen got to see it during a vacation cruise stop...
Profile the people who work with the refugees day in and day out. Don't tell us stories about how great this little bitty gesture is, because Mr. Cohen got to see it during a vacation cruise stop...
The comments here implicitly attacking Israel for not taking in the Syrian refugees seem ill-thought out. Syria and Israel have been bitter enemies, and its difficult to believe that Syrians, whether pro- or anti Assad, don't hate Israel and would constitute an essentially enemy bloc in the country. Where "indifference" does rear its ugly head in Israel is in the treatment of the (non-Jewish) African asylum-seekers from the killing fields of Sudan, to whom its explicitly made clear that they are not wanted. In truth, Israel is no worse than most countries in disliking would-be asylum seekers of a different ethnic background than the majority, but then one might have thought that the tragic history of the Jews in Europe in the 30's and 40's of the last century would have given rise to a more humane attitude.
5
I always wondered why so many South Sudanese and Eritreans walked across the Sinai dessert to Israel? Today there are about 60,000 African migrants in Israel. While their lives are not great, they are far better than they had stayed in their home countries. During the the first African migrations Israel sent their reserves to the border. Their overwhelming feelings were that: we are Jews and cannot stop this immigration, and they left. The IDF was then sent in to stop the immigration, they too left. Much is bad in Israel, but to some, a blind eye is turned to the often good that Israel, or the Israeli people do.
2
Instead of wishing that various countries could do more, I personally wish that Obama had done less. The current crisis is the result of Obama's announcement "Assad must go" and arming various anti-Assad factions, leading to an "uncivil" war.
Obama has finally seen the un-wisdom of his ways, but the damage has been done. Mrs. Merkel is willing to pay the price for Obama's mistake, but instead she should send some German troops to Syria to help the legitimate government and re-establish order. Not that she will - Germany is not an interfering power (unlike us) and she still has to kowtow to the US if only a little.
Obama has finally seen the un-wisdom of his ways, but the damage has been done. Mrs. Merkel is willing to pay the price for Obama's mistake, but instead she should send some German troops to Syria to help the legitimate government and re-establish order. Not that she will - Germany is not an interfering power (unlike us) and she still has to kowtow to the US if only a little.
3
Where is Israel in welcoming refugees from its immediate neighbor? Surely it has the economic resources to welcome many thousands. Why does Mr. Cohen complain of Britain, so far away it might as well be equally-unwelcoming America, and say nothing of the conscience of the richest nation proximate to the crisis?
9
Shhhh....
We don't see Israel's crimes.
("Look -- the Holocaust!)
Remember, they are the true victims of history. Never to be surpassed. "No analogy" as Cohen writes, in this fluff piece for the Milan Holocaust tourist site.
We don't see Israel's crimes.
("Look -- the Holocaust!)
Remember, they are the true victims of history. Never to be surpassed. "No analogy" as Cohen writes, in this fluff piece for the Milan Holocaust tourist site.
4
Really. IsraAID doctors has offered medical and other help to refugees in Greece--clothes, flotations etc. Israel the size of New Jersey with seven million people should absorb refugees, while the US has offered but a fraction of these peoples seeking a better life.
3
Indifference does indeed kill. Too bad the US and Europe are indifferent to pursuing war criminals among the highest ranks of their former governments.
10
To even mention the Holocaust in the same sentence as these illegal migrants shows an indifference to historical reality. It is the indifference of the illegal migrants to International laws that's the problem. Rather then stay and fight for their own country they flee, often for economic reasons. If anything they need to be pushed back. And since the majority of these illegal migrants are Muslims told that "if you make your bed with Islam you must lie in it".
6
Are you serious? Have you looked at photographs of what Syrian cities look like now? You expect mothers and children to stay where they are under those circumstances? You are a fool!
13
You nailed it. There's a huge difference. Syria is not expelling or imprisoning masses of people because of their ethnicity. The entire world, including the U.S., turned Jews away. And Fortunato, I have seen the photos. It's tragic, but it's just not the same situation as the Holocaust.
1
I suggest Mr. Cohen visit an asylum center in Germany, sit down with a room full of representative "refugees" and tell them that he is Jewish. No? I didn't think so..
13
"The indifference of Hungary, with its self-appointed little exercise in bigotry: the defense of Europe as Christian Club. The indifference of Britain, where the prime minister speaks of “swarms,” the foreign secretary of “desperate migrants marauding,” and the home secretary of threats “to a cohesive society.”
What about Israel ? Why not berate a neighbour for not accepting any "refugees" ?
What about Israel ? Why not berate a neighbour for not accepting any "refugees" ?
14
The comments about why not Israel either betray a high degree of bias or ignorance of history and/or geography.
Why not Israel? Maybe there are no Syrians, who want to come to Israel. Maybe they want Berlin and not Petah Tikvah and maybe just because they do not like Assad they still consider Israel the enemy.
Of course nobody, among those commentors, seems to be even vaguely aware that Israel has and continues to provide medical assistance in Israel to those Syrians who seek it.
Why not Israel? Maybe there are no Syrians, who want to come to Israel. Maybe they want Berlin and not Petah Tikvah and maybe just because they do not like Assad they still consider Israel the enemy.
Of course nobody, among those commentors, seems to be even vaguely aware that Israel has and continues to provide medical assistance in Israel to those Syrians who seek it.
3
Our current pack of GOP presidential candidates would have us believe we need higher fences and inpenetrable boarders. One would even declare that our southern neighbor only sends us their worse criminals. Dehumanizing others while building walls is a very dangerous game to play and is too often enjoyed by those who are themselves indifferent to the struggles of others.
10
"Then there is the indifference of an America that seems to have forgotten its role as haven for refugees of every stripe . . ."
Actually, bashing immigrants is a very successful conservative cottage industry. Hardly indifference.
Actually, bashing immigrants is a very successful conservative cottage industry. Hardly indifference.
15
Bashing ILLEGAL immigrants is not indifference but common sense. When someone from another country disrespects your rule of law it is common sense to want the illegal alien to be deported asap before they start feeding at the Government trough at American taxpayer's expense.
7
Back when we were a real coiuntry, the federal government actually sent immigrants back home when they became ''public charges.'' Howwever, that only took place under administrations devoted to protecting the U.S.
Do you actually believe that we have the rule of law in the United States? How refreshingly naive you are to think so. With enough money you can get a Visa for the United States anytime you please. Besides, up to a hundred years ago you could come to the United States most immigrants to the United States just came over, I don't think you needed any documentation.
No matter what European governments should or shouldn't do about this crisis, Roberto Jarach and his colleagues at the Milan Holocaust Memorial are doing the right thing. They are giving compassionate aid and comfort to people who are dire straits.
Jews have good reason to fear Islamic extremism and terrorism, but they also have good reason to care about people who are fleeing from Islamic extremism and terrorism and the turmoil in their own countries.
It may be that too much is being asked of Europe and too little of Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't mean it's okay to abuse the refugees and immigrants who have landed in Europe. It's not okay to treat them like dirt and to leave them stranded without basic necessities.
Pope Francis recently called upon European Catholics to take in refugees. Good for him, and good for Roberto Jarach. They are proving that indifference to human suffering is not inevitable, even in these crazy and violent times.
Jews have good reason to fear Islamic extremism and terrorism, but they also have good reason to care about people who are fleeing from Islamic extremism and terrorism and the turmoil in their own countries.
It may be that too much is being asked of Europe and too little of Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't mean it's okay to abuse the refugees and immigrants who have landed in Europe. It's not okay to treat them like dirt and to leave them stranded without basic necessities.
Pope Francis recently called upon European Catholics to take in refugees. Good for him, and good for Roberto Jarach. They are proving that indifference to human suffering is not inevitable, even in these crazy and violent times.
19
Israel's Netanyahu lost no time declaring "Israel is a small country, and we do not have the geographic and demographic depths [to absorb them]... Therefore, we must control our borders and prevent migrant worker infiltrators or generators of terror." I am a human being, a Jew, and an Israeli, and I am ashamed of this man, the electorate that returned him to office, this specific declaration and related policies, actions, and inactions, and the brazen inhumanity beyond and more heinous than indifference.
25
Swizterland made a similar argument in the late 1930's after having taken in thousands of Jewish refugees from Germany. The Swiss came up with the idea of a "J" stamp in German Jewish passports in order to screen out Jews. According to Martin Gilbert's data, Switzerland took in a total of 16,000 Jewish refugees from 1933-45. Surely Israel could find room for a few hundred or a few thousand Christian Syrian refugees.
4
Shall we assume that Rocky is ready to volunteer to go help the Israeli authorities tell the actualy refugees from trained ISIS, Hezbollah, and Iranian agents looking to establish cover in the land of their sworn enemies?
The Refugees all want to become Germans or Swedes and practice ISLAM in the hundreds of Mosques and Madrassas being planned and funded by the Wahabbis in Saudi Arabia. The Wahabbis also fund and created Madrassas in Pakistan with graduates bringing their intolerance of Non Muslims to Europe. The Saudis will not take any refugees. They prefer to help the successful 2015 Invasion of Europe which began in the 700s and ended in Vienna 900 years later. Good for the Germans who are already regretting their stupidity by creating a stampede. Enjoy Your Mosques in Bavaria. Beer is UnIslamic - as is music and women who drive.
9
Just as we have liberals, Syria has (had) liberals. Not everyone who is a Muslim is an extremist. Many don't even go to mosque, just as many Christians don't go to church. You know what leads to extremism? The feeling of us vs them. The feeling of being ostracized. Should you accept refugees as "us," and treat them kindly, then they will have no need to cling to "them." After all, they are an "us" - human beings wanting to feel safe.
5
Lil50, Norway tried it your way and ended up having to deport thousands of violent criminal offenders back to the sordid, violent Middle East.
Their robbery, assault, and rape victims would beg you to change your mind. Never simply assume that refugees - even cute, harmless-looking ones - were raised with ANY of the parenting or standards that you may have enjoyed while growing up.
Their robbery, assault, and rape victims would beg you to change your mind. Never simply assume that refugees - even cute, harmless-looking ones - were raised with ANY of the parenting or standards that you may have enjoyed while growing up.
1
As others are saying here, the analogy to the Holocaust is a poor one on almost every level. But here's one that might work. Europeans who know their history note that Switzerland came out of WWII intact while all of the countries surrounding them were in ruins. As a matter of public policy Switzerland aggressively pursued harsh and brutal policies of non-intervention and neutrality coupled with fierce border controls. With regard to the Middle East, most Europeans want to be Switzerland.
On a personal level most people feel likewise. How many of us open our doors to needy strangers and invite them to move in... forever?
In a real sense, that's what's being asked of Europe. Europe has a right to say "no."
On a personal level most people feel likewise. How many of us open our doors to needy strangers and invite them to move in... forever?
In a real sense, that's what's being asked of Europe. Europe has a right to say "no."
16
Based on many of the comments there is ample evidence of an indifference that could potentially kill in the world. Many attribute opinions to Mr. Cohen that he simply did not state in this op-ed and how exactly is one a self-loathing jew for showing an ounce of empathy and compassion for refugees who are muslim or African?
No where does Mr. Cohen state that this current situation is the Holocaust, worse than the Holocaust or like it but he highlights the indifference that we all show to others who are not like us or unacceptable in some way. Just look the other way and you'll be fine, no moral obligation. Every society does it and it is good to be reminded of that indifference that kills by Roberto Jarach.
It is true that some Middle East oil states are not doing their part but when someone arrives in our countries that does not excuse us from any responsibility. As for Saudi Arabia their failings are on them. Indifference killed in Rwanda, Congo, Cambodia, Guatemala, the Irish famine and during the Holocaust and so on.
Self examination is not a bad thing just a hard thing.
No where does Mr. Cohen state that this current situation is the Holocaust, worse than the Holocaust or like it but he highlights the indifference that we all show to others who are not like us or unacceptable in some way. Just look the other way and you'll be fine, no moral obligation. Every society does it and it is good to be reminded of that indifference that kills by Roberto Jarach.
It is true that some Middle East oil states are not doing their part but when someone arrives in our countries that does not excuse us from any responsibility. As for Saudi Arabia their failings are on them. Indifference killed in Rwanda, Congo, Cambodia, Guatemala, the Irish famine and during the Holocaust and so on.
Self examination is not a bad thing just a hard thing.
5
There seems to be an elephant in the room. Mr. Cohen berates the UK and Hungary and Europe in general for their response to the refugee crisis, rightly so. He praises the kindness of Greeks on Kos and Lesbos (although this is debatable from the news footage I've seen)), and that of a few Italians in Milan. But he seems to be indifferent, to use his word, to the extraordinary humanitarian policy that Germany has adopted, to absorb hundreds of thousands of refugees from the war in Syria. Germany, the very country that carried out the Holocaust, is acting from lessons learned and the right to asylum, a founding law. Refugees are not absorbed by Turkey and Jordan, they live in refugee camps (which the world should help them maintain and improve). Absorbing is what Germany will be doing until the war in Syria is over. Germany is not indifferent. Why don't you acknowledge that?
9
Germany is now closing borders, as is Austria. There is a limit to the numbers of people these countries can absorb. The migrants are not all fleeing war; they are fleeing bad economies. They are looking for benefits first, jobs last. They include thousands of young able bodied men who will need something to occupy them. They do not speak the languages of the countries they are entering; many of them are not educated in their own languages. At some point, those borders will close. Norway has already closed its borders with Russia. At what point do the countries whose people are fleeing for safety, jobs etc. assume responsibility for their people?
2
Germany is not closing its borders. It does have border controls to figure out how many refugees are entering the country, but it does not turn them away.
Aren't the underpopulated Golan Heights right next to Syria? Shouldn't Mr. Cohen be demanding his cousins in Israel let Syrian Muslim refugees flood into the Golan Heights (that are still legally considered to be their territory) before he demands that gentiles in Europe let in massive numbers of traditionally hostile people from a distant continent?
13
Indifference, in this instance, can only save Europe.
You know what kills and destroys? Inviting Muslim hordes to reenact their Euro invasion from the Middle Ages destroys. Multiculturalism destroys. The socialist welfare state destroys.
Europe is sowing th seeds of its own destruction. And Obama is following suit.
You know what kills and destroys? Inviting Muslim hordes to reenact their Euro invasion from the Middle Ages destroys. Multiculturalism destroys. The socialist welfare state destroys.
Europe is sowing th seeds of its own destruction. And Obama is following suit.
9
Cohen is saying the Jews should understand best the importance of helping the refugees. So why doesn't he just say Israel is the right destination for the refugees?
16
Because even Mr. Cohen realizes how non=feasible this suggestion is as numerous commentors or repliers have pointed out.
3
Israel has its own migrant crisis to deal with, not to mention the festering Arab-Israeli conflict. There are probably more Jews in the diaspora than in the State of Israel, living in safer conditions. Although related, Judaism the religion is not the same thing as Zionism the nationalist movement. It's easier for we Jews who don't live in Israel and don't consider it our personal homeland to take action in this latest refugee crisis. The Jewish Bible ("welcome the stranger") and our own history should motivate us to do so. I applaud Milan's Holocaust memorial for taking action. Other Jewish organizations should do the same.
6
Giving Syrian refugees safe harbor in Israel would pose a real and present danger to the State of Israel and Israelis. Unfortunately, these poor refugees have been fed an institutional indoctrination diet of hate and violence towards Israel. But the world wouldn't take issue with the killing of Israelis. In fact, in the current climate, it seems that they would likely welcome it.
1
Awash in billions of dollars of oil profits, it is not just Europe and the U.S. that should be softening the blow to immigrants fleeing religious discrimination and partisan political dissension. The Saudis and the Emirates should be pressed to do more as well.
19
The U.S. Iranian treaty has diminished U.S. power in the Middle East.
Obama has become the modern day version of Neville Chamberlain. Refugees
in the Middle East? Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey can take these people, but
these refugees will never be accepted in large numbers by Europe. Ancient
hatreds still prevail.
Obama has become the modern day version of Neville Chamberlain. Refugees
in the Middle East? Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey can take these people, but
these refugees will never be accepted in large numbers by Europe. Ancient
hatreds still prevail.
2
The Jews of Europe were being herded up to go to concentration camps, where at best they would be worked to death under brutal conditions, and at worst, they were going to be gassed with Zyklon B, and then cremated in ovens.
To compare ECONOMIC MIGRANTS from all over (only a few are from Syria itself) to the Holocaust is just obscene. Where is this self-hating Jew stuff going to end, Roger?
People who cheerfully bypass peaceful Turkey, because they want more welfare benefits in Sweden and Germany, are NOT the same as Jews being taken to the death camps. And you surely are not explaining all the Albanians and Pakistanis and other groups surging into Europe.
The Jews of the 1930s Europe would have been overjoyed to find refuge in Turkey or anyplace that would have taken them in -- they were not demanding to go just to certain wealthy areas. Shame on you!
To compare ECONOMIC MIGRANTS from all over (only a few are from Syria itself) to the Holocaust is just obscene. Where is this self-hating Jew stuff going to end, Roger?
People who cheerfully bypass peaceful Turkey, because they want more welfare benefits in Sweden and Germany, are NOT the same as Jews being taken to the death camps. And you surely are not explaining all the Albanians and Pakistanis and other groups surging into Europe.
The Jews of the 1930s Europe would have been overjoyed to find refuge in Turkey or anyplace that would have taken them in -- they were not demanding to go just to certain wealthy areas. Shame on you!
18
Inevitably, from my post as dual citizen of the USA and Sweden, living in Sweden and meeting new refugees every week I am endlessly disappointed first by the comments and then by the steady criticism - even from Roger Cohen, one of the Times best - of Europe.
Here a few words from Sweden.
Roger, there is little indifference here, but there is reality. This reality is described much better in my Swedish newspapers DN and GP and every night on BBC World Radio than it is described in the New York Times.
A majority of the Swedish people want to help. I help at the Red Cross in my own small way and by so doing get a first hand view of the magnitude of the task faced in Europe.
Imagine, if you are a New Englander that the 6000 refugees who arrived in Sweden (population 9.6 million) had arrived in Boston last week to be distributed among these states, total population also 9.6 million: MA-RI-VT-NH. Think only of sleeping. 6000 mattresses/beds must be provided in that 7 day period. I can see pictures of a sample and I meet some of the people at the Red Cross. Sweden manages. If 6000 arrive in Boston this weeken, can you manage? And then again the next week. And the next.
What will my fellow New Englanders say? To judge from the comments every day in the NYT they we will say, we do not want you. Do not even try to come here.
I want to be proved wrong.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Here a few words from Sweden.
Roger, there is little indifference here, but there is reality. This reality is described much better in my Swedish newspapers DN and GP and every night on BBC World Radio than it is described in the New York Times.
A majority of the Swedish people want to help. I help at the Red Cross in my own small way and by so doing get a first hand view of the magnitude of the task faced in Europe.
Imagine, if you are a New Englander that the 6000 refugees who arrived in Sweden (population 9.6 million) had arrived in Boston last week to be distributed among these states, total population also 9.6 million: MA-RI-VT-NH. Think only of sleeping. 6000 mattresses/beds must be provided in that 7 day period. I can see pictures of a sample and I meet some of the people at the Red Cross. Sweden manages. If 6000 arrive in Boston this weeken, can you manage? And then again the next week. And the next.
What will my fellow New Englanders say? To judge from the comments every day in the NYT they we will say, we do not want you. Do not even try to come here.
I want to be proved wrong.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
17
Thank you for the reality check. We are awash in ignorance as we continue to react emotionally while not planning nor acting strategically.
"Europe is awash in small-mindedness, prejudice and amnesia." As true now as it was in 1936 and 1939, at the outbreak and finish of the Spanish Civil War. Spain was allowed to become an experimental theatre of war for the Third Reich due to sins of ommission and commission by the Western powers of the day. And, perhaps more pertinent to Cohen's article, the flood of refugees fleeing the victorious fascists by streaming on foot over the Pyrenees to France and hearded into appalling holding camps by the French speaks to Europe's (always repressed) history. Shame on us then, shame on us now.
3
The only comment I'd add to Mr. Cohen's heart-rending article and it's well-deserved tribute to the Milan museum, is a small correction on the "specs" of the boxcars. My recollection is that they were designed for 40 men or 8 -- not 6 -- horses. During my childhood in the '30s in Binghamton, NY, the local paper had frequent articles about our town's American Legion chapter, and it's fun-making little inner group, the "Forty-and-Eighters." My grade-school friend's father had been an infantryman in WW I, and was active in the Legion. What I didn't know was the new use to which these cars were already being put, by the time my bar mitzvah took place in that peaceful setting in May of 1941. Strange what things stick in one's mind...
1
It's interesting that Mr. Cohen cites only the behavior of Hungary and Britain as evidence that "Europe is awash in small-mindedness, prejudice and amnesia."
Strangely, he makes no mention of Germany, which is doing everything it possibly can to accommodate this huge influx of people. Guess that wouldn't fit in with his anti-German stance, as was evident in his recent article, in which he gleefully bashed the entire country for the misdeeds of one German company.
Strangely, he makes no mention of Germany, which is doing everything it possibly can to accommodate this huge influx of people. Guess that wouldn't fit in with his anti-German stance, as was evident in his recent article, in which he gleefully bashed the entire country for the misdeeds of one German company.
8
Well said Roger.
I am not Jewish but I have a profound sense of the holocaust, and that should enlarge to encompass all crimes against humanity.
I am not Jewish but I have a profound sense of the holocaust, and that should enlarge to encompass all crimes against humanity.
1
Mr Cohen, try as he may, seeks time and again to foist his version of Judaism and his type of Jewishness ("as much as possible") on the reader.
While it is nice to be a "liberal" Jew, whether in NYC or London and to stress the universal aspects of prophetic Judaism and Jewish history, there are aspects that history which are unique and particular to the Jewish experience.
The Holocaust is one.
While a case might be made for similarities to Rwanda or the Armenian genocide, his comparison in this article is absurd ("There is no direct analogy...there are echoes).
One thing is true though: indifference still kills. Just depends on where you look for or find that indifference. Mr. Cohen is often quite selective in that indifference.
While it is nice to be a "liberal" Jew, whether in NYC or London and to stress the universal aspects of prophetic Judaism and Jewish history, there are aspects that history which are unique and particular to the Jewish experience.
The Holocaust is one.
While a case might be made for similarities to Rwanda or the Armenian genocide, his comparison in this article is absurd ("There is no direct analogy...there are echoes).
One thing is true though: indifference still kills. Just depends on where you look for or find that indifference. Mr. Cohen is often quite selective in that indifference.
5
you are right that indifference kills ,but do not point your finger only at Europe or the Western world. Jordan,Turkey and Lebanon have done more than is believable to help these unfortunate people, Israel receives as many as wish to come for medical treatment (some for major and some for minor injuries.).
On the other hand Saudi Arabia which has the capability and the means to do so accept no refugees. They just were able to house 2 million and more in perfectly good accommodations for the Haj. I am sure that these are better accommodations than any available to the refugees anywhere in Europe .The indifference shown by some of the Arab world is not to be believed .
On the other hand Saudi Arabia which has the capability and the means to do so accept no refugees. They just were able to house 2 million and more in perfectly good accommodations for the Haj. I am sure that these are better accommodations than any available to the refugees anywhere in Europe .The indifference shown by some of the Arab world is not to be believed .
43
"Then there is the indifference of an America that seems to have forgotten its role as haven for refugees of every stripe."
Indifference to the responsibility of having created this mess would be more a more appropriate articulation. The hubris behind the notion of "regime change" that brought down the Saddam and Gaddafi regimes have an ongoing human cost many orders of magnitude above beyond the cost of letting these regimes evolve in their own path.
That same indifference is noted when a GOP presidential candidate proposes to ship eleven million latinos beyond our border.
Indifference to the responsibility of having created this mess would be more a more appropriate articulation. The hubris behind the notion of "regime change" that brought down the Saddam and Gaddafi regimes have an ongoing human cost many orders of magnitude above beyond the cost of letting these regimes evolve in their own path.
That same indifference is noted when a GOP presidential candidate proposes to ship eleven million latinos beyond our border.
8
Isn't Mr. Cohen aware that there were two Italian uprisings after Italy surrendered and the Germans invaded Italy. About 12,000 Germans were killed or MIA during the 1944 uprising with 15,000 Italian civilians killed in reprisal. The second uprising occurred in 1945. The Italian Communist Party played a massive role in the resistance, notably in Milan. Exactly what is Mr. Cohen's point here. That there was no resistance, or that the Communist led resistance refused to intervene on behalf of the Jews?
3
Indifferent to the poor, homeless, veterans, yes !!! But we also have large Syrian communities in Detroit and Paterson,, I want to help as well. Indifferent, no !!!!! But the masses seem overwhelming as well.
Let's work w Paterson and Detroit to udr their willingness to help their countrymen,women, and children...l
Let's work w Paterson and Detroit to udr their willingness to help their countrymen,women, and children...l
1
It occurs to me that in 1943 the West and its ally the Soviet Union were engaged in a desperate fight to defeat the Nazis and fascist Japan. Only a narrow minded, parochial bigot would call that indifference.
3
The existence of concentration camps and the Final Solution were by then well known. A few bombs dropped on the railroad tracks leading to the camps or even on the camps might have proven that the Allies were not indifferent in this matter.
Unfortunately, in this case, Mr. Cohen is dead right.
Unfortunately, in this case, Mr. Cohen is dead right.
1
Really? A few bombs dropped on the camps? Or, a few bombs dropped on the trains carrying Jews to the camps? Maybe it wasn't as black and white as it appears to you 70 years later. Britain lost a generation in WWI, and did not have a huge army ready for WWII some 30 years later. The U.S. was fighting on two fronts - Europe and the Pacific. Russia was holding the Eastern Front. Germany was well organized and well armed at the start; Japan had a militaristic society in place. We had to catch up, and we did. Then we won, on two fronts.
How many will Israel take, Mr. Cohen?
3
As many as actually would want to come, which is likely the amount that have come or not come so far.
See the replies to e.s. below.
Israel does provide medical treatment for Syrian refugees, more than one can say for Saudi Arabia.
See the replies to e.s. below.
Israel does provide medical treatment for Syrian refugees, more than one can say for Saudi Arabia.
1
European peoples...all peoples, have an inherent right to preserve their demographic balance. They are under no obligation to absorb... really be absorbed by... the projected 2 billion Africans by the end of this century, or by 100 of millions of Middle Easterners and Central Asians.
5
The European's 'demographic balance' of today originated in Africa and spread to Europe through the Middle East and Central Asia.
If most of the refugees are young men, this poses special problems. Do they have wives and children that they hope to bring in later? If they are single, are they going to look for wives in their previous country or their new one?
What they need is peace and a working economy in their countries, and because we are unwilling to make that happen, Europe gets swamped with refugees (even though it was us who destabilized the region by derailing democracy in Iran and by bumping off our former order-keeping butcher in Iraq without having any plans on how to replace his order). If the Middle East was ruled by a single empire -- Turks, Iranians, Egyptians, or whoever it might be -- that empire would have the oil resources to deal with its problems and the central authority to impose an end to the Sunni-Shiite conflict that underlies much of the region's troubles.
What they need is peace and a working economy in their countries, and because we are unwilling to make that happen, Europe gets swamped with refugees (even though it was us who destabilized the region by derailing democracy in Iran and by bumping off our former order-keeping butcher in Iraq without having any plans on how to replace his order). If the Middle East was ruled by a single empire -- Turks, Iranians, Egyptians, or whoever it might be -- that empire would have the oil resources to deal with its problems and the central authority to impose an end to the Sunni-Shiite conflict that underlies much of the region's troubles.
2
When interviewed, many of the young men state they have a wife (or TWO) back in Syria and several children, and of course their mother, father, inlaws, a few siblings and cousins, etc. Likely each man represents another 8-10 migrants who he will bring with chain migration.
DO THE MATH.
DO THE MATH.
4
The evils of indifference are one lesson to be learned from the Holocaust. But what about the other lesson - the one about appeasement? Major world powers, tired of war (and WW I was a far greater bloodbath than the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan) decide to leave brutal regimes unchallenged (then Germany, Italy and Japan, now Syria and Iran, backed by Russia) and wave pieces of paper and declare the superiority of diplomacy. Yes, Hitler's brutality was unimaginable. But Iran and Syria have both sought nuclear weapons capable of exceeding Hitler's body count in the blink of an eye. Assad has used chemical weapons against his own civilians, was supposedly disarmed, and then proceeded to use chemical weapons again.
An indifferent world trapped the Jews of Germany and Austria. Appeasement gave Hitler access to the much larger Jewish populations of Poland, Lithuania and Russia. Indifference kills, but appeasement kills more.
An indifferent world trapped the Jews of Germany and Austria. Appeasement gave Hitler access to the much larger Jewish populations of Poland, Lithuania and Russia. Indifference kills, but appeasement kills more.
5
Dan W, are you planning on volunteering for the multiple wars you are urging us to embark on? Not to mention paying $8 a gallon for gas after Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil flows? Since we have done such a great job creating failed states in Iraq (a US-only triumph) and Syria, you propose that we add Iran to the list?
3
By what stretch of the imagination, Dan W., do you see “appeasement” in the handling of Syria and Iran today? Did you seriously expect the United States to mount an army to invade Iran? Did you expect that American bombs would be dropped on every uranium extraction and enrichment site and on every military base? And in Syria, did you expect that the American military would invade and march towards Damascus, our soldiers being shelled and sniped at along the way by al-Qaeda and ISIS, organizations which also have the Alawite government in their sights?
Your references to appeasement and your mocking of diplomacy are saber-rattling nonsense, Dan W. You are much too generous with the blood of American’s serving in our military.
Your references to appeasement and your mocking of diplomacy are saber-rattling nonsense, Dan W. You are much too generous with the blood of American’s serving in our military.
3
Dan, some words of support from without the babble. You are spot on, but unfortunately the same mindset that existed preceding WWII is in place today. Unfortunately we will lose many more young women and men in the coming years because of our lack of vision and courage to face the facts and act accordingly with our Allies.
1
Why isn't Israel taking in any Syrian refugees?
5
Israel has been treating wounded Syrians in Israeli hospitals for almost the entire duration of the wars. Often when the Syrians returned to their homes after they had recovered they were afraid to tell neighbors and family where they were treated. You might try to inform yourself before any further judgmental comments.
4
Because most of the Syrians hate Jews. Syria had gone to war with Israel three times since modern Israel was made a state in 1948.
The better question is why can't Arab/Muslim countries govern themselves or even take in refugees. They have all the money in the world and plenty of space!
The better question is why can't Arab/Muslim countries govern themselves or even take in refugees. They have all the money in the world and plenty of space!
8
Because Syria has gone to war with Israel three times since its independence and most Syrians hate Jews.
6
Indifference ?
As an Australian - used to chatting to strangers in a queue, etc. - I remember waiting in Paris CDG airport for an early morning flight - snoozing in a row of seats, I noticed an older European couple sat down immediately beside me without a word or acknowledgment - I was disturbed, because in Australia this would usually involve some form of 'excuse me' or 'do you mind' verbal acknowledgement.
When I later asked a local, they said 'they were respecting your right to privacy' - wha' ?
So I learned - in crowded societies (I've also read Hong Kong), people ignoring each other may be seen as respecting the other's privacy.
So - while indifference in the holocaust may be painted as a horrible thing - in normal society it may be regarded as normal and polite behaviour
And - as I learned in law studies - it's much harder to blame someone for an omission - or failure to act - than it is for the commission of a guilty act.
Sure - Germans collectively have been weighed down with guilt since Hitler and WWII - but to blame people for not doing something - where do we start ? That process could have no end.
I blame my mother - that usually covers it.
As an Australian - used to chatting to strangers in a queue, etc. - I remember waiting in Paris CDG airport for an early morning flight - snoozing in a row of seats, I noticed an older European couple sat down immediately beside me without a word or acknowledgment - I was disturbed, because in Australia this would usually involve some form of 'excuse me' or 'do you mind' verbal acknowledgement.
When I later asked a local, they said 'they were respecting your right to privacy' - wha' ?
So I learned - in crowded societies (I've also read Hong Kong), people ignoring each other may be seen as respecting the other's privacy.
So - while indifference in the holocaust may be painted as a horrible thing - in normal society it may be regarded as normal and polite behaviour
And - as I learned in law studies - it's much harder to blame someone for an omission - or failure to act - than it is for the commission of a guilty act.
Sure - Germans collectively have been weighed down with guilt since Hitler and WWII - but to blame people for not doing something - where do we start ? That process could have no end.
I blame my mother - that usually covers it.
4
In a democratic country like the USA, where the people is sovereign, indifference to what the nation is up to does kill and is certainly blamable. The people were not indifferent finally to what the nation was doing in Viet Nam and exercised its power in repeated demonstrations. We are now indifferent, largely, to the conflagration in the Middle East and its refugee crisis, and our nation with its two wars in Iraq was the precipitating cause of all the carnage and loss of human life and now the stunting of human life there.
1
From the NYTs recently:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/world/europe/isis-defectors-reveal-dis...
'...In the last two years, an estimated 20,000 foreigners, about a quarter of them European, have joined jihadist groups in the Middle East...'
Nothing to fear there, right?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/world/europe/isis-defectors-reveal-dis...
'...In the last two years, an estimated 20,000 foreigners, about a quarter of them European, have joined jihadist groups in the Middle East...'
Nothing to fear there, right?
9
Sorry, man, none of us like the jihadis but a quarter of 20,000 is 5,000. That's 5,000 from a continent of half a billion. You are going to suggest that Europe (or the US) should ignore the refugees because of penny numbers of disgruntled people from other previous immigrant waves?
2
By 1943, most Italians were worried about themselves and their nation, of which Italian Jews were only a tiny part. Milan had been extensively bombed, and that would continue for two more years. With Mussolini's fall, northern Italians lived in a country occupied by the Germans, with whom their nation was now at war. Most Italians knew nothing about Nazi extermination camps. (One who did, and failed to act, was Pope Pacelli.) Massive movements of people were taking place all over Europe and Asia, often beyond the comprehension of even those involved in them, much more bystanders.
Under these circumstances, I don't find it that surprising that there was no concerted Italian attempt to rescue Italian Jews. It's one thing for us to imagine witnessing the deportation, knowing what we know and being free to indulge our humane sentiments. Another for a war-ravaged population that literally didn't know to whom they might be answering next week.
Under these circumstances, I don't find it that surprising that there was no concerted Italian attempt to rescue Italian Jews. It's one thing for us to imagine witnessing the deportation, knowing what we know and being free to indulge our humane sentiments. Another for a war-ravaged population that literally didn't know to whom they might be answering next week.
4
Our Western views of Islam and Muslims changed dramatically since 9/11, and our natural instincts are to lump the entire culture in a jihadist, fundamentalist spectrum. It's a unfair to conflate the events during WWII [and the horrible atrocities which precipitated]- to today's Syrian crisis. It's certainly is not "Indifference," more of a semi-sweet Intolerance perhaps. I understand the need to paint with broad strokes, but sometimes it makes better sense to paint within the lines.
Richard Cohen,
Thank you for nüdging us.
Beatrice
Thank you for nüdging us.
Beatrice
2
Not at all surprising considering Europe's difficulty in getting along with one another. Societal integration among diverse peoples is a tough sell, more so when newcomers arrive with little more than the clothes on their backs and who can contribute little more than the sweat of their labor.
Germany, for its part, looks around seeing an aging population, and reluctantly, very reluctantly, is willing to accommodate this new influx of refugees, but only to a point. But Western Germany does have a history of importing labor, so-called 'guestworkers', dating from the years immediately following World War II. Most returned home after their sojourns, taking perhaps a new VW and accrued savings home with them, maybe returning the following year, but maybe not.
Many of these sojourners decided to stay, putting down roots in the industrial towns of Western Germany, raising families, but then faced with the difficulties of gaining acceptance within German society as a whole. It has not been easy.
Eastern Germany has no such history and for years its economy struggled; newcomers were unwelcome.
Muslim communities in France illustrate how difficult gaining acceptance and societal integration can become. Countries within the former communist bloc continued to see themselves as victims of outsiders: Russia, Western Europe, or whomever, and foreign influence is forever seen as exploitation and oppression, and never as investment. Any wonder then why they hate and fear refugees?
Germany, for its part, looks around seeing an aging population, and reluctantly, very reluctantly, is willing to accommodate this new influx of refugees, but only to a point. But Western Germany does have a history of importing labor, so-called 'guestworkers', dating from the years immediately following World War II. Most returned home after their sojourns, taking perhaps a new VW and accrued savings home with them, maybe returning the following year, but maybe not.
Many of these sojourners decided to stay, putting down roots in the industrial towns of Western Germany, raising families, but then faced with the difficulties of gaining acceptance within German society as a whole. It has not been easy.
Eastern Germany has no such history and for years its economy struggled; newcomers were unwelcome.
Muslim communities in France illustrate how difficult gaining acceptance and societal integration can become. Countries within the former communist bloc continued to see themselves as victims of outsiders: Russia, Western Europe, or whomever, and foreign influence is forever seen as exploitation and oppression, and never as investment. Any wonder then why they hate and fear refugees?
2
I recently took a Lufthansa flight. The CEO boasted in writing in the in flight 'Magazin', that the company had recently received 130,000 applications for 3000 places in internship programs.
There is no labor shortage in Germany, despite a 'graying' population.
There is no labor shortage in Germany, despite a 'graying' population.
1
If your own citizens won't reproduce -- even though you give lavish maternity benefits, free health care, long paid infant care leave (for both parents), and even a monthly stipend for the child's entire life -- all "bribes" to get German women to have babies -- and it DOES NOT WORK -- then you have a very serious problem.
And it won't be solved by importing a lot of economic refugees from a very different culture & religion & value system. Unless your goal is to become the New Syria, or the first Muslim nation in Europe.
Why isn't Germany instead concentrating on figuring out why so many German women (40% of all German women!) refuse to have children? That would be very interesting, just to know "why".
And it won't be solved by importing a lot of economic refugees from a very different culture & religion & value system. Unless your goal is to become the New Syria, or the first Muslim nation in Europe.
Why isn't Germany instead concentrating on figuring out why so many German women (40% of all German women!) refuse to have children? That would be very interesting, just to know "why".
2
If Saudi Arabia and all the other Muslim countries won't take in the refugees, why should Europe or the U.S. do so? Perhaps GW Bush should pay to help the refugees since the Iraq war he started to look for WMDs he knew did not exist is the real cause of the collapse of the entire middle east.
7
" The indifference of a world unready to acknowledge that more than 4 million Syrian refugees absorbed by Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon need a massive program of economic and educational aid over the next decade to confront the crisis. "
That is the key paragraph in this piece. The solution is not to admit millions of refugees into Europe while at the same time gutting Syria of much of its human potential. The solution is to provide logistical and financial support to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey while they are sheltering these people , until the war ends (and all wars end eventually) and they can go home.
And sadly, we have to recognize that many if not most of the people wanting to enter Europe are not refugees, but simply economic migrants looking for a better life. As understandable as this desire is,these people cannot be admitted en mass, because there are potentially billions of them.
That is the key paragraph in this piece. The solution is not to admit millions of refugees into Europe while at the same time gutting Syria of much of its human potential. The solution is to provide logistical and financial support to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey while they are sheltering these people , until the war ends (and all wars end eventually) and they can go home.
And sadly, we have to recognize that many if not most of the people wanting to enter Europe are not refugees, but simply economic migrants looking for a better life. As understandable as this desire is,these people cannot be admitted en mass, because there are potentially billions of them.
7
Wow. An arrow shot straight to the soul.
Thank you, Roger Cohen.
Thank you, Roger Cohen.
1
Comparing the "FINANCIAL" refugees from the middle east and wherever they are from to the poor lost souls that were executed during world war 2 is to me the biggest shonde that this diatribe of an editorial is trying to suggest.
Do I really need to spell out the difference between forcibly removed from ones house to volunteering to relocate ones family?
Do you know the difference where the outcome of one means being put to death and the outcome of the other is finding a safe haven to raise ones family?
Do I really need to spell out the difference between forcibly removed from ones house to volunteering to relocate ones family?
Do you know the difference where the outcome of one means being put to death and the outcome of the other is finding a safe haven to raise ones family?
6
Furthermore, displaced Jews before and after WWII (some of whom were my own family members) would have been overjoyed to go ANYWHERE -- South America, Mexico, Africa, any Arab nation -- ANYWHERE they could live peacefully. They did not sit there, yakking on a new iPhone (or the 1930s equivalent luxury) while demanding the welfare states of Germany or Sweden, and expressly saying "I want to go where the welfare cash benefits are the highest, and oh yeah, I am getting a free house too!"
1
@ Herrenmensch - Herrenmensch, since the New York Times presents no data, can you please present the data - with reliable source - that lead you to write:
Comparing the "FINANCIAL" refugees
I am a volunteer at the Red Cross here in Linköping and I know hundreds of refugees all of whom fled war to keep from getting killed or harmed.
So tell me what percentage of the refugees coming to Sweden (for example) each week are what you call FINANCIAL refugees.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
Comparing the "FINANCIAL" refugees
I am a volunteer at the Red Cross here in Linköping and I know hundreds of refugees all of whom fled war to keep from getting killed or harmed.
So tell me what percentage of the refugees coming to Sweden (for example) each week are what you call FINANCIAL refugees.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
1
The comparison between Jews fleeing persecution and Syrians fleeing a civil war, partly of their own making, is ludicrous. Jews returning to Germany were slaughtered. Syrians returning to Syria would be caught in a war as Europeans were caught up in WW II.
Where is Cohen’s commitment to help the Syrians? How much money has he donated? Has he invited them into his home or sponsored any for British citizenship?
Where is the demand for Arabs (Saudis, etc.) to take in the refugees? Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have taken in many, but none offer them citizenship.
Why are the Syrians not even trying to go to Arab countries? Answer - because they are not welcome, will not get citizenship, would live under another dictatorship and if they represent the wrong Islamic sect they will find themselves worse off.
Those who oppose accepting Syrian refugees and demand the Syrians to go back to Syria are rebuked as xenophobic monsters. Yet, no one has rebuked the Arab world or the Palestinians or their supporters for demanding that Jews go back to Europe as they were refugees from Europe, despite the fact that many Israelis did not come from Europe and Jews have lived in the land for 2,500 years. Indeed, there has been silence by the world to this Arab demand for 68 years. Has anyone called them xenophobic monsters?
I am not indifferent to their plight, but the reality is that the more Europe lets them in, the more will come bringing the hatred and intolerance we see in the 22 Arab countries.
Where is Cohen’s commitment to help the Syrians? How much money has he donated? Has he invited them into his home or sponsored any for British citizenship?
Where is the demand for Arabs (Saudis, etc.) to take in the refugees? Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have taken in many, but none offer them citizenship.
Why are the Syrians not even trying to go to Arab countries? Answer - because they are not welcome, will not get citizenship, would live under another dictatorship and if they represent the wrong Islamic sect they will find themselves worse off.
Those who oppose accepting Syrian refugees and demand the Syrians to go back to Syria are rebuked as xenophobic monsters. Yet, no one has rebuked the Arab world or the Palestinians or their supporters for demanding that Jews go back to Europe as they were refugees from Europe, despite the fact that many Israelis did not come from Europe and Jews have lived in the land for 2,500 years. Indeed, there has been silence by the world to this Arab demand for 68 years. Has anyone called them xenophobic monsters?
I am not indifferent to their plight, but the reality is that the more Europe lets them in, the more will come bringing the hatred and intolerance we see in the 22 Arab countries.
11
Bravo, melfarber! Well said!
1
Thank you for your beautiful explanation of this situation, and "What IS a self-hating Jew?"
1
Roger: I love your columns, always.
But no one fleeing Assad's Syria thinks of it as a "weak state." On the contrary.
But no one fleeing Assad's Syria thinks of it as a "weak state." On the contrary.
2
Still Roger, the German Jewish population at the start of Nazism was about 500,000 in total. Germany is now saying it's prepared to take almost twice that number of Muslim refugees in this year (this is not even counting the tens of thousands of Turks who immigrated to Germany in the later 20th Century), and similar numbers are being planned for Germany next year.
German Jews as did the Jews of Italy, France, Netherlands, Hungary, Sweden and other countries prided themselves in their assimilation and sophistication. Even the Jews of Eastern Europe would have moved in this direction if it wasn't for the great prejudice in Poland and Russia that confined them in Jewish areas -- the Pale. Will the hundreds of thousands of Muslims coming into Western Europe look forward to the same? If the situation in France is any guide, it's not encouraging. Jewish neighborhoods were not known as disaffected breeding grounds of unemployment and violent crime (since the large Muslim immigration into Sweden over the last decade, incidents of rape which was almost non-existent before increased an unprecedented 1400%). Nor would anyone ever have even considered the possibility that at least two out of every 100 Jews seeking refuge were actually terrorists beholden to a psychopathic fringe movement. It is reported that European police estimates are that 2% of the Muslim refugees are likely extremists if not out-and-out Islamic State operatives. The moral choices here are far from clear here.
German Jews as did the Jews of Italy, France, Netherlands, Hungary, Sweden and other countries prided themselves in their assimilation and sophistication. Even the Jews of Eastern Europe would have moved in this direction if it wasn't for the great prejudice in Poland and Russia that confined them in Jewish areas -- the Pale. Will the hundreds of thousands of Muslims coming into Western Europe look forward to the same? If the situation in France is any guide, it's not encouraging. Jewish neighborhoods were not known as disaffected breeding grounds of unemployment and violent crime (since the large Muslim immigration into Sweden over the last decade, incidents of rape which was almost non-existent before increased an unprecedented 1400%). Nor would anyone ever have even considered the possibility that at least two out of every 100 Jews seeking refuge were actually terrorists beholden to a psychopathic fringe movement. It is reported that European police estimates are that 2% of the Muslim refugees are likely extremists if not out-and-out Islamic State operatives. The moral choices here are far from clear here.
11
The Jews of WWII were indeed fleeing for their lives. These migrants however, are not your grandmother's "refugees". They are organized, aggressive and quite demanding. It was just three weeks ago, we saw great crowds of these "refugees" chanting "Germany" as they strode through national boarders and marched on trains. Today the BBC World Service just put up a podcast called "Great Expectations" in which the new arrivals in Hamburg were interviewed. One of the interviews was striking -- he planned to study "civil engineering" - at university and at public expense, I guess. It is an interesting and informative podcast.
http://bbc.in/1RlGS93
http://bbc.in/1RlGS93
10
My work required me to attend a First Aid class every year (for 28 years)
1. Survey the scene...make sure the environment is safe for the responder. It will do no one any good if the responder gets hurt or dies.
People rarely make this type of evaluation, through lack of training, or emotion, or hurry, or pride...or I don't know what.
The people that suggest any one country can only take in so many immigrants are correct. Too many would endanger the mother country.
But, also, failure to respond unnecessarily costs lives. Isn't it lives we wish to save?
America and Europe are not guilty, now, of being hesitant to commit to rescuing Syrian refugees. America and Europe are guilty of failing to acknowledge the problem two and three years ago. They knew what was happening, but the issue had not hit a media flash point, so the governments ignored the issue.
The heroes--the responders--are the Turks and the Jordanians. They have taken people in, fed and housed refugees of this war, for years now.
In my mind, they are world leaders.
If the Europeans or the American want to know how to behave, they should ask the leaders. The leaders have surely addressed the questions other countries have avoided for some time. Their answers may not be perfect, but they have surveyed the scene.
1. Survey the scene...make sure the environment is safe for the responder. It will do no one any good if the responder gets hurt or dies.
People rarely make this type of evaluation, through lack of training, or emotion, or hurry, or pride...or I don't know what.
The people that suggest any one country can only take in so many immigrants are correct. Too many would endanger the mother country.
But, also, failure to respond unnecessarily costs lives. Isn't it lives we wish to save?
America and Europe are not guilty, now, of being hesitant to commit to rescuing Syrian refugees. America and Europe are guilty of failing to acknowledge the problem two and three years ago. They knew what was happening, but the issue had not hit a media flash point, so the governments ignored the issue.
The heroes--the responders--are the Turks and the Jordanians. They have taken people in, fed and housed refugees of this war, for years now.
In my mind, they are world leaders.
If the Europeans or the American want to know how to behave, they should ask the leaders. The leaders have surely addressed the questions other countries have avoided for some time. Their answers may not be perfect, but they have surveyed the scene.
1
Without taking anything away from the dreadful experiences of the migrants from the Middle East, there is a clear difference between what they are undergoing and what Jewish people underwent under the Nazis. The Holocaust was a singularly horrific and monstrous event. Nothing compares and nothing should be compared to it.
11
Val in Brooklyn, NY.
My heart goes to the refugees. At times like this I think of a quote from the 1982 film Gandhi: You'll find there's room for us all.
Mr. Rohlik in Fargo. Anyone would agree that the Holocaust was a horrific, monstrous event. Yet, you also say that it was singular and that nothing compares with it or should be. I don't attempt to start debate, get into a contest or apples and oranges.
However, there's another event, the legacy of which we still suffer from in this country--the triangular Atlantic African Slave Trade. You might wish to refresh your memory with series The African Americans, Many Rivers to Cross with Prof. Henry Gates.
Mr. Cohen, I welcome all refugees with a hug, kiss and a smile.
Submitted: 10-9-15, 12:34 a.m. EST
My heart goes to the refugees. At times like this I think of a quote from the 1982 film Gandhi: You'll find there's room for us all.
Mr. Rohlik in Fargo. Anyone would agree that the Holocaust was a horrific, monstrous event. Yet, you also say that it was singular and that nothing compares with it or should be. I don't attempt to start debate, get into a contest or apples and oranges.
However, there's another event, the legacy of which we still suffer from in this country--the triangular Atlantic African Slave Trade. You might wish to refresh your memory with series The African Americans, Many Rivers to Cross with Prof. Henry Gates.
Mr. Cohen, I welcome all refugees with a hug, kiss and a smile.
Submitted: 10-9-15, 12:34 a.m. EST
1
It is actually obscene to use this as a comparison.
Only about 30% of the so-called "Syrian refugees" are even from Syria. Even those of actual Syrian ethnicity were almost all living peaceful lives in Turkey and only left because they wanted "more stuff" (social benefit freebies in Germany or Sweden).
The Holocaust was the DELIBERATE murder and destruction of an entire people -- the wiping out of every Jew in Europe -- and Hitler nearly succeeded! Six million died. And those were in 1940s numbers, when the whole population of the planet was less than half what it is today.
I had family who were displaced persons after WWII; I assure that you none of them would have sat there demanding which country take them in, or how much welfare they wanted. They were thrilled to go ANYWHERE they would not be murdered.
Only about 30% of the so-called "Syrian refugees" are even from Syria. Even those of actual Syrian ethnicity were almost all living peaceful lives in Turkey and only left because they wanted "more stuff" (social benefit freebies in Germany or Sweden).
The Holocaust was the DELIBERATE murder and destruction of an entire people -- the wiping out of every Jew in Europe -- and Hitler nearly succeeded! Six million died. And those were in 1940s numbers, when the whole population of the planet was less than half what it is today.
I had family who were displaced persons after WWII; I assure that you none of them would have sat there demanding which country take them in, or how much welfare they wanted. They were thrilled to go ANYWHERE they would not be murdered.
_Indifference_ is such a gentle, unassuming word. It's passive, it's vanilla, and it is so inadequate to describe that which was levied against the Jews of Italy. It matches, however, the description at the end of your column, Mr. Cohen, "Nobody saw the Jews. Nobody wanted to see them."
This time, the entire world sees this huddled mass of humanity. And asylum is being offered in places one would never expect. Even Israel.
The Euro-states are far from indifferent, as if taking in thousands of refugees would prove things are different now. They are faced with huge practical problems...how to feed, clothe, house, and absorb the seemingly endless wave of humankind. "Can we afford this?" is not a question being asked.
The Arab states are the ones turning their backs and closing their doors to Muslims seeking refuge. They talk a good game, but do nothing. They supply no relief nor aid anywhere in this process. Where is their sense of caring for their own?...oh, wait, never mind.. They must be the "wrong" type of Muslim. Or so it appears to the rest of the world.
If that's the wrong impression, the Arab states need to step up to the plate and change the perception. If it accurately represents their collective attitude, then perhaps the western countries need to defer foreign aid to those states in favor of supporting relocation and absorption processes where the masses are now huddled.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
This time, the entire world sees this huddled mass of humanity. And asylum is being offered in places one would never expect. Even Israel.
The Euro-states are far from indifferent, as if taking in thousands of refugees would prove things are different now. They are faced with huge practical problems...how to feed, clothe, house, and absorb the seemingly endless wave of humankind. "Can we afford this?" is not a question being asked.
The Arab states are the ones turning their backs and closing their doors to Muslims seeking refuge. They talk a good game, but do nothing. They supply no relief nor aid anywhere in this process. Where is their sense of caring for their own?...oh, wait, never mind.. They must be the "wrong" type of Muslim. Or so it appears to the rest of the world.
If that's the wrong impression, the Arab states need to step up to the plate and change the perception. If it accurately represents their collective attitude, then perhaps the western countries need to defer foreign aid to those states in favor of supporting relocation and absorption processes where the masses are now huddled.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
7
The chilling thought that mankind on a regular basis is capable of turning a collective blind eye to the misery and suffering of large groups of others is demoralizing at every level. However, today unlike in the 40s, the ever present camera recording the Syrian exodus in real time makes our apathy even more repulsive. No longer can we claim out of sight out of mind. At what point is it that the most depressive and hope killing thought of the persecuted comes to full fruition "no one cares". The haunting image of the young child washing up on the beach shows it is still too late for us. Once again our minds replay the film footage of the death camps.
1
How many have been welcomed by Iran? Since the majority of the refugees are Shia then why in the name of reason is so difficult for Iran
to welcome those who are culturally similar, where language wouldn't be the barrier it is in Germany. And why aren't the nations that could help
not even criticized for their indifference.
to welcome those who are culturally similar, where language wouldn't be the barrier it is in Germany. And why aren't the nations that could help
not even criticized for their indifference.
6
The migrants do not want to go Iran or any Arab nation. Why? Those places have no real welfare state. They at most have guest worker programs.
Clearly that is NOT what these economic migrants want. They are already safe. They are not directly faced with war, and certainly not with genocide (like the Italian Jews of the 30s). They simply prefer Germany and her lavish social safety net to that of Turkey.
That's not a "crisis". That's a manufactured fake crisis, created by lefty liberals like Mr. Cohen, and with the usual lefty goal of a "multi-cultural society" but of course, one that does not inconvenience himself.
I do not hear about how Mr. Cohen has offered to sponsor a couple of Syrian refugee families in his own home.
Clearly that is NOT what these economic migrants want. They are already safe. They are not directly faced with war, and certainly not with genocide (like the Italian Jews of the 30s). They simply prefer Germany and her lavish social safety net to that of Turkey.
That's not a "crisis". That's a manufactured fake crisis, created by lefty liberals like Mr. Cohen, and with the usual lefty goal of a "multi-cultural society" but of course, one that does not inconvenience himself.
I do not hear about how Mr. Cohen has offered to sponsor a couple of Syrian refugee families in his own home.
A friend of mine said this crisis, the crisis of refugees and those tired of living in utterly failed states, will become the defining crisis of this decade, and how the US and other countries respond and decide how to conduct themselves, will define us and define the kinds of problems the world will have in the 2020's.
This is a moral moment. A moment where what is easy, practical, or efficient can either shove moral action to the side, or moral action can rise above.
When moral action rises above the coldness of "stuff happens," those are moments of greatness for humanity. I await to see what kind of stuff we are made of.
This is a moral moment. A moment where what is easy, practical, or efficient can either shove moral action to the side, or moral action can rise above.
When moral action rises above the coldness of "stuff happens," those are moments of greatness for humanity. I await to see what kind of stuff we are made of.
1
As Freddie Mercury sang in an ecstatic coda many years ago, in a song about the poison of indifference, and our tragic cynicism, which we must overcome:
"Because love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last chance
This is ourselves...."
Have we solved this problem in our spirit yet?
"Because love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last chance
This is ourselves...."
Have we solved this problem in our spirit yet?
2
False equivalencies, Mr. Cohen.
The Holocaust was the predictable climax of two millennia of Christian Europe's Jew hatred, officially supported and encouraged by both Church and State.
In the first quarter of 20th century America the anti-immigration targets were "eastern" and "southern Europeans", ie. "Russian" Jews and Sicilians. The Immigration Restriction Act of 1921 (The Emergency Quota Act) and The Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson–Reed Act) were both in effect in the 1930's and '40s when Jews were trying to flee from Europe and were not repealed until The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act).
The current wave of Muslim refugees is the predictable by-product of centuries of Arab Muslim religious differences, discrimination and official government policy. It is a Muslim problem, not a European or North American one, with Arab roots and should be dealt with by Muslim Arabs.
BTW: It should be noted that there over 90 nations in the world with a Muslim majority, plurality or significant Muslim population...
The Holocaust was the predictable climax of two millennia of Christian Europe's Jew hatred, officially supported and encouraged by both Church and State.
In the first quarter of 20th century America the anti-immigration targets were "eastern" and "southern Europeans", ie. "Russian" Jews and Sicilians. The Immigration Restriction Act of 1921 (The Emergency Quota Act) and The Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson–Reed Act) were both in effect in the 1930's and '40s when Jews were trying to flee from Europe and were not repealed until The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act).
The current wave of Muslim refugees is the predictable by-product of centuries of Arab Muslim religious differences, discrimination and official government policy. It is a Muslim problem, not a European or North American one, with Arab roots and should be dealt with by Muslim Arabs.
BTW: It should be noted that there over 90 nations in the world with a Muslim majority, plurality or significant Muslim population...
6
No, "Eastern" in America was not just a code word for Jews. The great majority of those that were "Eastern" coming into the U.S. were not Jews at all. Of course, that would mean you'd have to acknowledge that they were victims of prejudice too, and as this history fades into the rearview mirror, it's easier for you to get take advantage of this ignorance.
They may not be comparable events, but the image of the pile of discarded shoes was a bit jarring.
2
Must it always come back to the putative deficiencies of the United States? For as much criticism is leveled at us it's a wonder people still want to come here! This is not 1890; we can't take in everyone.
5
Refugees...I don't know the correct number to accept and from where...but I do know that the copper,iron and steel lady with a torch and crown,that guards NY city harbour, symbolizes what the USA stands for. She speaks the words "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free..." She would want us to continue the be the same country we were when she arrived from France. Freedom, sometimes,maybe we forget that many countries do not have real freedom. I know, I lived in China for10 years. So, no wonder the worlds number one destination for freedom is the country where this lady lives.
2
The doggerel by Lazarus wasn't placed on the *pedestal* of the Statue of Liberty until a decade after its erection. Basing immigration policy on a bad bit of century old poetry is idiotic.
1
The Statue of Liberty makes no such promise. She was a gift from France. The sign was added decades later, the poem on it written by a left wing poet named Emma Lazarus. It is not part of the Statue and actually has nothing to do with the Statue.
We can't be that country of the 1800s, because then we had maybe 50 million Americans and now we have 320 million, and we cannot even provide jobs or health care for all 320 million! We are full up. When the lifeboat is full, and you take on more and more passengers, the result is the lifeboat sinks and everyone drowns.....EVERYONE.
BTW: I recently saw the old 1980 film "Ghandi" on TV. It was talking about the terrible poverty in India during Ghandi's time (first half of the 20th century) and that it was largely due to India's vast population then -- 350 million. That took my breath away. It is very close to today's US population! Since the 1940s, India has gone from 350 million to 1.4 BILLION people -- and life is still pretty wretched there for the poor. Is this what we wish to emulate? 320 million isn't enough -- we need a BILLION people here?
We can't be that country of the 1800s, because then we had maybe 50 million Americans and now we have 320 million, and we cannot even provide jobs or health care for all 320 million! We are full up. When the lifeboat is full, and you take on more and more passengers, the result is the lifeboat sinks and everyone drowns.....EVERYONE.
BTW: I recently saw the old 1980 film "Ghandi" on TV. It was talking about the terrible poverty in India during Ghandi's time (first half of the 20th century) and that it was largely due to India's vast population then -- 350 million. That took my breath away. It is very close to today's US population! Since the 1940s, India has gone from 350 million to 1.4 BILLION people -- and life is still pretty wretched there for the poor. Is this what we wish to emulate? 320 million isn't enough -- we need a BILLION people here?
What a sad place this world is. People hating each other, killing each other, indifferent and callous to human suffering. If we each try to do one deed of kindness each day the world will be a much better place.
3
"If the counter-indifference gesture of Milan’s Holocaust memorial were repeated myriad times across a European Union of more than half a billion people, the impact would be dramatic."
I agree. Doing what one can to make one's own little corner of the world better does make a difference. It's a constructive approach. It helps get people over the hump of not doing anything because they can't solve the whole problem.
If Europeans and Americans get stuck on fears about Islam and Muslims, I think they will have in a sense joined with groups like the Islamic State in victimizing innocent people, by allowing IS and other brands of militant or intolerant Islam to be successful in redefining how Islam is thought of.
I agree. Doing what one can to make one's own little corner of the world better does make a difference. It's a constructive approach. It helps get people over the hump of not doing anything because they can't solve the whole problem.
If Europeans and Americans get stuck on fears about Islam and Muslims, I think they will have in a sense joined with groups like the Islamic State in victimizing innocent people, by allowing IS and other brands of militant or intolerant Islam to be successful in redefining how Islam is thought of.
17
It seems the top comments on the NYT are now the same writhing pile of narrow-minded fear found on the rest of the Internet. It wasn't long ago that that was not the case. Yes, there are problems with integration of refugees being an annoyance for comfortable people inside the global walled garden, but is anyone willing to address the vastly more serious problem of a huge population of people who just want to survive and live normal lives, but have had to flee combat zones? I challenge anyone who's using the word "invasion" to go read the Humans of New York refugee series, and still use that characterization of the situation.
30
The NYT and other media outlets are deliberately lying and mischaracterizing this migrant invasion, for political and ideological reasons.
I never thought that I would perceive the comments of the NYTimes Readers' Picks to be hard hearted and prejudiced. But I do today.
19
If every county in America would take one family and pledge to support educate (they may be middle class but many need English) and integrate them into the community we could set an example for the rest of the world. Taking in our share of these people will not hurt us if we all do it. There is an example in the Bible where Mary and Joseph couldn't find shelter and has to stay in a stable.
Never forget that the slammed-shut national doors that trapped the Jews fleeing Europe during the 1930’s remain closed today. “Man’s inhumanity to...non-citizens" remains a defining structural feature of our international system. Just ask anyone in the Palestinian diaspora...or now, from Syria.
9
Just ask any Palestinian in the diaspora if the Jews have any right to return and live in their historic homeland and they'll go through contortions to avoid the historical truth and will prefer to see all the Jews murdered or pushed into the sea. If you don't want to end up a refugee like these Palestinians, don't start a war of annihilation ... and lose. And if you do you lose, tough luck. Want an idea of inhumanity. Just imagine how the Jews of Israel would have been treated by the Palestinians and their "brother" Arabs if the Jews had lost in 1948, 1967 or 1973. Checkpoints, house searches and a security wall would have been a Sunday picnic compared to what the Arabs would have doled out to the Jews (hint: the Arab Legion -- now the Jordanian Army -- in 1948 leveled every synagogue it found in areas it seized, ethnically cleansed every Jewish neighborhood that came under its control especially in East Jerusalem and Hebron, and it vandalized any Jewish cemetery using the gravestones to build latrines for their army -- imagine if they had actually won the war).
4
The Palestinian diaspora (another term appropriated from the Jews, history, naturally) is the direct consequence of their complicity in the Arab attempt to annihilate the Jews in 1947-49 - who, as recognized by the League of Nations in its Mandate for Palestine, are the true indigenous population returning to their historical homeland. Unlike the European Jews and present day Syrians, the Palestinian Arabs were the active agents of their own fate.
2
There is a natural prejudice that exists with both the people living within the lands of migration and those who migrate. It is to some degree a simple clash of cultures, which if not understood and dealt with by both brings disruption when and wherever encountered.
It appears the most obvious difficulties stem from language and custom both of which can be easily overcome if there is an understanding and willingness on the part of both, but from my perspective more so on the part of the immigrant. A less obvious but perhaps more difficult hurdle to overcome is is the philosophical contrast brought about primarily through cultural beliefs.
While we have various sects within our culture who practice dress which clearly identify them as belonging to a particular group, we are bound by a concept of universal laws which do not stem from adherence to supernatural beliefs.
If we and the immigrants will bind ourselves with the similar ties of law common to all humanity rather than those dictated by religious beliefs in particular, I don't imagine genuine problems. It is when a group separates itself from the rest of society by adherence to laws and practices which are not common to and therefore accepted by al,l that human schisms develop.
The wisdom of our founders here was to make clear the necessary separation of church and state which however tenuous today is still the requisite that allows overall social binding between disparate groupings.
Religious belief is personal.
It appears the most obvious difficulties stem from language and custom both of which can be easily overcome if there is an understanding and willingness on the part of both, but from my perspective more so on the part of the immigrant. A less obvious but perhaps more difficult hurdle to overcome is is the philosophical contrast brought about primarily through cultural beliefs.
While we have various sects within our culture who practice dress which clearly identify them as belonging to a particular group, we are bound by a concept of universal laws which do not stem from adherence to supernatural beliefs.
If we and the immigrants will bind ourselves with the similar ties of law common to all humanity rather than those dictated by religious beliefs in particular, I don't imagine genuine problems. It is when a group separates itself from the rest of society by adherence to laws and practices which are not common to and therefore accepted by al,l that human schisms develop.
The wisdom of our founders here was to make clear the necessary separation of church and state which however tenuous today is still the requisite that allows overall social binding between disparate groupings.
Religious belief is personal.
9
The Jews had no place to go. Syrian refugees have other homelands... they could go to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Arab Emirates, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan, Yemen, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan. What's wrong with those destinations?
32
Really? Iran, home of the Shia, are going to open their doors to Sunni Syrians? You don't read much, do you?
As for most of the rest, you mean those place that ALREADY have significant percentages of their total population made up of Syrian (not to mention, Iraqi) refugees. Meanwhile, we're at 0.5%.
As for most of the rest, you mean those place that ALREADY have significant percentages of their total population made up of Syrian (not to mention, Iraqi) refugees. Meanwhile, we're at 0.5%.
1
My God! If you don't know what's wrong with, say, Iran or Saudi Arabia and why Syrians don't want to go there - of all places - you can't be helped! I'm commenting from Germany and don't complain about the many, many refugees coming to our country.
1
These folks have obviously voted with their feet against both their "homeland" and all of its equally oppressive siblings listed above.
There is danger in accepting them into a new society, particularly when they come thinking that society is open and free. Disappointment is a powerful motivator. As the door of hope is slammed in their faces they may well start reaching for their swords (or explosive vests).
The funny thing about humans is that 'backward' as they may appear on the surface, their ability to innovate for self survival against opposition is as inherently equal and as powerful as that of any other human on the planet.
There is danger in accepting them into a new society, particularly when they come thinking that society is open and free. Disappointment is a powerful motivator. As the door of hope is slammed in their faces they may well start reaching for their swords (or explosive vests).
The funny thing about humans is that 'backward' as they may appear on the surface, their ability to innovate for self survival against opposition is as inherently equal and as powerful as that of any other human on the planet.
The refugees have given everything to this world: their property, their homeland, their lives and their souls!
Moses was a refugee when they escaped from Egypt.
Jesus was a refugee when the clergy forced him out from the Temple to an orchard.
Mohammed was a refugee when he ran from Mecca to Medina.
Moses was a refugee when they escaped from Egypt.
Jesus was a refugee when the clergy forced him out from the Temple to an orchard.
Mohammed was a refugee when he ran from Mecca to Medina.
5
Thank you Roger Cohen. I come from a family of survivors who were forced to falsify papers to obtain safe entry into the United States, because many in the US really didn't want any more Jews here. Our family has contributed to this Country in countless ways.
My heart will always be with refugees that are fleeing their homeland for safety, and it sorrows me that so many cannot see our loss of humanity when we don't help those with the greatest need. Indifference does kill-- it kills the souls of those that have no compassion and those needing help the most -- perfectly titled.
My heart will always be with refugees that are fleeing their homeland for safety, and it sorrows me that so many cannot see our loss of humanity when we don't help those with the greatest need. Indifference does kill-- it kills the souls of those that have no compassion and those needing help the most -- perfectly titled.
16
It is ironic that Israel, located next door to the calamitous warfare in
Syria is unable to take any refugees. Sad and disheartening
to think about the reasons why.
Syria is unable to take any refugees. Sad and disheartening
to think about the reasons why.
20
That's exactly what Israel needs: more Muslims that hate its guts to begin with and would be happy to see it destroyed. How many German and Japanese refugees would the US or Britain have been prepared to take in while it was at war with these very countries in 1941-1945? How many refugees would we take in from countries who indoctrinate their population from birth that we are evil and don't deserve to exist?
As a matter of fact, Israel did take in a number of Vietnamese boat people. And of course it took in tens of thousands of black African Ethiopian Jewish refugees caught up in the chaos and war of East Africa (so much for the "apartheid" Israel blood libel).
As a matter of fact, Israel did take in a number of Vietnamese boat people. And of course it took in tens of thousands of black African Ethiopian Jewish refugees caught up in the chaos and war of East Africa (so much for the "apartheid" Israel blood libel).
3
Check your facts. Yes, Israel has and continues to take in African refugees who come illegally.
4
Israel has received 10's of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled for their lives with little more than the shirts on their back. They were Syrian Jews. It's the old story: First they came for the Jews, then they came for just about everyone else.
5
Mr. Cohen,
I totally agree with the lack of help from the countries that are able to help to the disposed and those chased out of their countries by brutal dictators . I am very much disappointed by what has been going on inside Israel for over five years in regards to about 50,000 Eritreans and other Africans . The Israeli government labels these people who are BY the UN AND INTERNATIONAL organizations have been recognized as fleeing brutal persecutions as infiltrators. This people have been detained in concentration camp like centers in the desert away from the major urban areas .It is a shame that of all the countries Israel is denying this people sanctuary.
I totally agree with the lack of help from the countries that are able to help to the disposed and those chased out of their countries by brutal dictators . I am very much disappointed by what has been going on inside Israel for over five years in regards to about 50,000 Eritreans and other Africans . The Israeli government labels these people who are BY the UN AND INTERNATIONAL organizations have been recognized as fleeing brutal persecutions as infiltrators. This people have been detained in concentration camp like centers in the desert away from the major urban areas .It is a shame that of all the countries Israel is denying this people sanctuary.
10
To get to Israel, those refugees needed to travel through Egypt and other countries. Pray tell? Why did they not stop in Egypt or elsewhere?
Really? How many Eritreans and Africans are taken in by Saudi Arabia? Kuwait?UAE? Brunei? Yemen? Quatar? Iran? Please give specific numbers.
Because otherwise it sounds like you are imposing a far higher moral standard on tiny Israel than the huge, wealthy oil-producing nations that surround her.
Because otherwise it sounds like you are imposing a far higher moral standard on tiny Israel than the huge, wealthy oil-producing nations that surround her.
It's curious Hungary's Prime Minister, a self-proclaimed defender of the Christian faith, is apparently ignorant of Matthew 25:40: "...Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Tragically, he has much company in his indifference.
8
What happens after the initial burst of enthusiasm has dissipated, when people do what they believe is the right thing but their heart is not in it, once both sides hate each other for it? What happens then?
9
France might provide an example: large enclaves of unemployed refugees; they do not have access to jobs, education, and health care. They are simply housed with basics provided for survival.
1
Europe is awash in labor laws gauged to protect older workers at the expense of younger ones, the primary reason for their traditionally high and structural unemployment rate among their young. For the first time in memory (perhaps in history), France’s young are leaving to find careers and lives elsewhere.
So … how do you put to work hundreds of thousands of refugees, most of them young, who may not even speak the native language? Particularly when, Roger’s estimate of the low number of refugees notwithstanding, everyone knows that should Europe truly welcome the refugees those numbers would skyrocket – Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan would empty of aliens seeking better lives in Germany and elsewhere.
So, again, what does Europe do about its laws? Change them for the sole purpose of accommodating Syrians and Eritreans? Or embrace the refugees and accept that they’ll be lifetime wards of the state?
Indifference kills. But unwise haste in Kumbaya destroys socialisms that already are teetering on the edge of fiscal viability.
If they need to be resettled, let that happen in Syria, within a protected enclave maintained by the U.S. and allied forces, and let that resettlement be generously underwritten by the U.S. and Europe.
So … how do you put to work hundreds of thousands of refugees, most of them young, who may not even speak the native language? Particularly when, Roger’s estimate of the low number of refugees notwithstanding, everyone knows that should Europe truly welcome the refugees those numbers would skyrocket – Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan would empty of aliens seeking better lives in Germany and elsewhere.
So, again, what does Europe do about its laws? Change them for the sole purpose of accommodating Syrians and Eritreans? Or embrace the refugees and accept that they’ll be lifetime wards of the state?
Indifference kills. But unwise haste in Kumbaya destroys socialisms that already are teetering on the edge of fiscal viability.
If they need to be resettled, let that happen in Syria, within a protected enclave maintained by the U.S. and allied forces, and let that resettlement be generously underwritten by the U.S. and Europe.
15
"and accept that they’ll be lifetime wards of the state?"
That's not up to the refugees, Richard. That's totally within the purview of the state taking them in. If they want them to BE 'wards of the state' they WILL be wards of the state...and will suffer the long-term consequences of such a myopia. Especially when Europe cannot sustain its social contract without either a rise in birthrate or an allowance/acceptance for foreigners, together with a transparent path to citizenship (the one thing the US does relatively better than the rest).
As for an 'enclave in Syria'...really? An enclave in the same country they're fleeing? Is the sky blue where you live, Richard? Do birds chirp gayly? Because now you're trafficking in fantasyland.
That's not up to the refugees, Richard. That's totally within the purview of the state taking them in. If they want them to BE 'wards of the state' they WILL be wards of the state...and will suffer the long-term consequences of such a myopia. Especially when Europe cannot sustain its social contract without either a rise in birthrate or an allowance/acceptance for foreigners, together with a transparent path to citizenship (the one thing the US does relatively better than the rest).
As for an 'enclave in Syria'...really? An enclave in the same country they're fleeing? Is the sky blue where you live, Richard? Do birds chirp gayly? Because now you're trafficking in fantasyland.
The U.S. contributed to this exodus of refugees with its bombing policy. Now, we want other countries to take care of the refugees. We want to screen all of those who want to enter the U.S.; we require proof of persecution; we do not want to bring in millions of unknown, unregistered refugees. Nor does Europe at this point. Assad was our guy; now he isn't.
I am OK with your words, except "let that resettlement be generously underwritten by the US and Europe".
Instead, let the oil rich Arab nations pay. They can easily afford it, and these are their own fellow Muslims.
Instead, let the oil rich Arab nations pay. They can easily afford it, and these are their own fellow Muslims.
2
Mr. Cohen has some pretzel logic going on here. Recently after the Charlie Hebdo killings Jews were questioning whether it was safe to be in Europe now and were migrating to Israel to escape the Muslim violence and rising Fascism in Europe. I doubt that the influx of millions of Muslim migrants will make life any better for Jews in Europe or for moderate Christians for that matter. There is a pathology at the heart of this Muslim on Muslim violence that has displaced an estimated 60 million persons in the Middle East and Africa. We need to quarantine this epidemic before it spreads further. Europe will destroy itself if it attempts this task alone. Israel has become a fortress against Muslim violence. The EU might do well to follow its example. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/06/warns-alarming-level-global-refuge...
33
Bruno Jasienski wrote: "Don't be afraid of your friends: the worst they can do is to betray you. Don't be afraid of your enemies: the worst they can do is to kill you. Do be afraid of those indifferent: they neither kill nor betray, but with their silent agreement murder and treason exist in the world."
14
Your own pubication, as well as The Guardian and many others, contain details of the current refugee situation. There is no relationship at all between today and the treatment of Jews in WW1 or WW2.
16
He basically says as much, while pointing out that the Jews themselves are lacking in empathy. (Also, WW1 did not see any particular targeting of Jews as a people, that was only in WW2)
Did you read the piece at all, Helen?
Did you read the piece at all, Helen?
1
Germany under Angela Merkel is winning the respect and affection of millions of Moslems and of many people of other faiths. Her actions and those of the majority of her countrymen are putting us to shame.
11
Some really "hard"hearted postings on this issue. Some of the nays are influenced by the negative impressions created by world wide hatred of the Muslim world. I also must say that some of the hysteria of a Muslim takeover has some validity in Westerners minds. It still amazes me as an old timer (83) that we as human beings can generate such hatred to other human beings, regardless of their race, or religion. Amazing. I fear for the future.
14
When nine out of ten of the world's worst places to be a women are majority Muslim nations then perhaps such fears are understandable.
1
As disgusting as the nativist, xenophobic rhetoric used by many far-right foes of immigration is, both in Europe and the U.S., it's understandable that many European countries are concerned about how they can absorb tens of thousands of refugees without disrupting their own economies and cultures. Most of the EU isn't doing as well, economically speaking, as Germany. Most countries would be hard-pressed, even if they were doing well, to cope with such a large number of people who, by and large, don't speak the language and have little but the clothes on their backs. You speak as if compassion is all that should be needed, Mr. Cohen, but if you were on the front lines of this crisis, I think you'd find that compassion isn't enough.
14
The callousness of David Cameron notwithstanding, he may have inadvertently hit on a partial solution to the crisis. If all the European north American nations would agree to the following policy: Applications for refugees would only be taken at the camps in the countries neighboring Syria. Second, these western nations would provide the resources to provide decent care in the camps. The refugee stampede would stop overnight.
8
INDIFFERENCE indeed does kill. While I appreciate Roger's thoughtful piece, one comment sparked my interest--stood out from all the rest, when he described how it's been difficult for Islam as a religion to transition to modernity. It was not always so among the followers of Islam. In Spain prior to the Inquisition in 1492, there were great centers of learning, scholarship and multiculturalism thriving together, including Cordoba, Toledo, Granada and others. In fact, some believe that the ongoing research pursued by the followers of Islam during the Dark Ages in the West preserved and advanced scientific thought so the rest of the world could benefit form their work.
Interestingly, there are currently multi-national, multi-cultural centers of great learning and research many places in the often housed in universities. The candidates for advanced studies who are accepted come from widely divergent backgrounds. They are brought together by a common interest in advancing human knowledge. While there is place for religious belief and practices among such diverse groups, battles for the primacy and dominance of any one group would quickly end the flowering of research and knowledge, cross-fertilized by the teamwork of researchers who focus on their shared commonalities rather than battling for dominance.
We could gain much by studying these models. Wherever people from diverse backgrounds embrace common goals to mutual benefit, there is a flowering of knowledge.
Interestingly, there are currently multi-national, multi-cultural centers of great learning and research many places in the often housed in universities. The candidates for advanced studies who are accepted come from widely divergent backgrounds. They are brought together by a common interest in advancing human knowledge. While there is place for religious belief and practices among such diverse groups, battles for the primacy and dominance of any one group would quickly end the flowering of research and knowledge, cross-fertilized by the teamwork of researchers who focus on their shared commonalities rather than battling for dominance.
We could gain much by studying these models. Wherever people from diverse backgrounds embrace common goals to mutual benefit, there is a flowering of knowledge.
6
With all the empathy that I have for the refugees (Syrian, Afghani, African) and their plight, let me remind you that you neglected to mention one big difference between the Jewish immigration of the early 20th century and that of today's Moslems. The Jews always accepted the local laws and abided by them and tended to assimilate in the culture of their adoptive country. Unfortunately, this has not been the experience of many European countries with significant Moslem communities. In fact, the rising European anti-semitism is a testament to some of these Moslem effects. It is the reaction to that experience that you see reflected in some of the responses to the refugees' plight. And while it is nice that the Milano community helps the refugees, at the end of the day they send them on their way to Germany and do not settle them locally.
As for the US - it in fact has a much more urgent problem of refugees in its back yard - that of the Central American children.
As some have already commented - the solution to all these problems is establishing a functional government in the source countries rather than trying to resettle millions and millions of refugees.
As for the US - it in fact has a much more urgent problem of refugees in its back yard - that of the Central American children.
As some have already commented - the solution to all these problems is establishing a functional government in the source countries rather than trying to resettle millions and millions of refugees.
18
In the USA our laws challenging most civil rights violations require "standing" which the courts have defined as being a member of the "protected" class. This perspective is wrong because it creates indifference in everyone else. The only way for society and our world to build peace, move human rights and civil rights to be available for all, nationally and internationally is to make the denial of them available to be challenged by anyone and everyone.
No one should be silenced when prejudice and bigotry are being confronted, in court and in life. No one should be indifferent. No one need be indifferent in the world of the internet and digital media we all now share. If our courts and political leaders would choose to care indifference may diminish but we need not let their failures stop or even delay our efforts and actions to show care and compassion for our fellow human beings.
No one should be silenced when prejudice and bigotry are being confronted, in court and in life. No one should be indifferent. No one need be indifferent in the world of the internet and digital media we all now share. If our courts and political leaders would choose to care indifference may diminish but we need not let their failures stop or even delay our efforts and actions to show care and compassion for our fellow human beings.
4
Mr. Cohen, on point as always! Thanks!
7
As Americans we know the cry" remember the Alamo". But how many would recognize the phrase" remember the St.Louis" the boat with 907 German Jews who ,in 1939, were denied entry into the US and Canada,with statements like " none is too many" by a Canadian immigration agent and " what will we do with all these Jews " by a member of Parliament.
Reluctance to address the terrible situation faced by these displaced Syrians and other middle easterners may be somewhat based on the islamophobia generated by the Jihadist elements roaming the earth and the integration problems attributed to Muslim immigrants in a number of European countries .
Still and all, as Mr. Cohen so aptly points out, the Judeo- Christian ethic and sensitivity demands that we aid in providing safety, and succor, to these displaced people. We must never forget that we and ours were all immigrants at one time. The motto at the base of the Statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus"Give me your tired,poor,your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless,tempest- tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door".
That is my America.
Bravo Mr. Cohen
Reluctance to address the terrible situation faced by these displaced Syrians and other middle easterners may be somewhat based on the islamophobia generated by the Jihadist elements roaming the earth and the integration problems attributed to Muslim immigrants in a number of European countries .
Still and all, as Mr. Cohen so aptly points out, the Judeo- Christian ethic and sensitivity demands that we aid in providing safety, and succor, to these displaced people. We must never forget that we and ours were all immigrants at one time. The motto at the base of the Statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus"Give me your tired,poor,your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless,tempest- tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door".
That is my America.
Bravo Mr. Cohen
10
During WWII, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem responded to the Jewish refugee problem by entering into a pact with Hitler to create a Jew-free zone.
How ironic that some posters can only point to Israel, which has treated numerous wounded Syrians in its own hospital, as the root of this refugee problem. Notwithstanding many of the refugees are committed to Israel's destruction.
How ironic that some posters can only point to Israel, which has treated numerous wounded Syrians in its own hospital, as the root of this refugee problem. Notwithstanding many of the refugees are committed to Israel's destruction.
15
Israel has already taken in nearly every Syrian Jew who was expelled for reasons of religious bigotry (they had lived in Syria for generations).
Syrian Muslims would never choose to go to Israel anyways -- they hate Israel and wish for its destruction.
Syrian Muslims would never choose to go to Israel anyways -- they hate Israel and wish for its destruction.
1
How do you know they are not committed to the destruction of Europe and the US too?
The comparison between the Jews in World War II and the current situation for Syrian and other refugees is offensive. As has been said the Jews of Europe were already a part of their countries. They were targeted for extermination by the Nazis, but this was aided and abetted by many local populations in Poland, the Ukraine, and several other countries, not to mention the Catholic Church turning a blind eye. The Holocaust was the result not only of the indifference of people and their governments, but also their collusion. In Canada, a government minister said that one Jew was too many to let in. The record of the US, Britain and others is no better.
The refugee crisis today is not made up of indigenous populations, but of people fleeing war, repressive regimes, and economic deprivation. Where are the Gulf States in all of this? Why are these oil rich countries not helping? It is not only for Europe and the rest of the world to deal with this. The Saudis, Kuwaitis, Qataris, and others are the epitome of indifference. It is ironic that the country responsible for the Holocaust is setting the best example here and not a surprise that Hungary and other countries are showing their historic xenophobia, from a historic and well rooted anti-Semitism to their current "indifference" is not a big leap.
The refugee crisis today is not made up of indigenous populations, but of people fleeing war, repressive regimes, and economic deprivation. Where are the Gulf States in all of this? Why are these oil rich countries not helping? It is not only for Europe and the rest of the world to deal with this. The Saudis, Kuwaitis, Qataris, and others are the epitome of indifference. It is ironic that the country responsible for the Holocaust is setting the best example here and not a surprise that Hungary and other countries are showing their historic xenophobia, from a historic and well rooted anti-Semitism to their current "indifference" is not a big leap.
12
Reading this - how the current refugees are given shelter in the station, juxtaposed with the memorial - brought tears to my eyes. God bless those people who lend a hand.
14
Mr. Cohen is wrong to compare the treatment of Jews before and during World War II to the influx of mostly Muslim refugees today. There is no comparison.
I really want to ask these refugee coordinators at the UNHCR or David Miliband why these refugees are being sent to European countries where they are mostly unwelcomed.
These refugees do not have a culture, language, religion etc comparable to Western Europe. So why isn't the UNHCR and other refugee organization not sending these people to countries where their religion and customs are similar. Why are no refugees sent to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Gulf States?
Why must Western Europe or the US be the destination selected for Muslims by the UNHCR? Why are they not sent to countries where they will find a similar religion and culture and language?
These refugees must be send to countries in the Arab world and not force Western Europe to take them
I really want to ask these refugee coordinators at the UNHCR or David Miliband why these refugees are being sent to European countries where they are mostly unwelcomed.
These refugees do not have a culture, language, religion etc comparable to Western Europe. So why isn't the UNHCR and other refugee organization not sending these people to countries where their religion and customs are similar. Why are no refugees sent to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Gulf States?
Why must Western Europe or the US be the destination selected for Muslims by the UNHCR? Why are they not sent to countries where they will find a similar religion and culture and language?
These refugees must be send to countries in the Arab world and not force Western Europe to take them
64
Newsflash:
There is only one "World" on this Planet. It's everybody's.
There is only one "World" on this Planet. It's everybody's.
3
Could we force Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf States to take refugees as a humanitarian gesture? The commentator sounds well meant but politics play a much bigger role in this domain. The UN could put a pressure on these Arab States, but forcing them is another issue. The more we possess, the more we know, the more we are responsible. Just let these countries earn a better reputation; in another way, the world will owe them not just gratitude but a chance in decision making over universal power, we would look up to those powers because of their good actions. Thank you.
Judy you take a tough stance on this subject. No easy answer for the comfortable Western world. Should the world just let these people perish, after all they are human beings? Difficult isn't it to throw away humans because they are from other countries that are forcing people to flee.
P.S. The proper word is sent to not send to other countries.
P.S. The proper word is sent to not send to other countries.
Britain has taken in more immigrants in the past 15 years than in the previous 1000 years. Native Britons are now a minority in London. There are more Islamic children being born in some major British cities than non-Muslims. The vast majority of the people trying to get into Europe are not refugees, but economic migrants (and the biggest group in the current flow to Germany aren't from the Middle East at all but the Balkans).
Small-minded? Selfish? Some people won't be satisfied with anything short of Europe committing cultural suicide. And in the cause of what? What do you want Europe to look like in 30 years? If you want a continent of anti-American anti-Semites that resembles the Middle East in politics, stability, and world outlook, the best way is to follow Cohen's counsel.
Small-minded? Selfish? Some people won't be satisfied with anything short of Europe committing cultural suicide. And in the cause of what? What do you want Europe to look like in 30 years? If you want a continent of anti-American anti-Semites that resembles the Middle East in politics, stability, and world outlook, the best way is to follow Cohen's counsel.
74
Immigrants? I think these were citizens of your empire that you so kindly conquered in order to bring them Christianity, civilization and cricket, and, oh, maybe exploit a bit economically along the way.
And Europe, probably the bloodiest continent in history -- it brought the world mechanized warfare and the Holocaust -- certainly needs no improving.
And Europe, probably the bloodiest continent in history -- it brought the world mechanized warfare and the Holocaust -- certainly needs no improving.
If you need to bring in the Jewish comparison then maybe Mr. Cohen can try his hand at writing about how Israel is opening its borders to refugees? Oh no, they are actually building more walls.
17
Israel has been open to Jewish refugees since its founding.
Your point is?
Your point is?
12
Israel is already one of the most densely populated countries on Earth.
8
Are you suggesting Israel should open its doors to its enemies? Would we?
2
The United States and its allies ended the Holocaust and the World War II refugee crisis not by accepting refugees but by defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
23
"Europe is awash in small-mindedness, prejudice and amnesia." Germany will likely get about 1.5 million refugees this year, Is that good enough for you? Not long ago Angela Merkel gave a speech in the Bunderat expressing deep concern at the persistent difficulty of integrating the existing muslim community, many of whom are German born. Issues included the treatment of women and poor standards of language skills and educational achievement. It is important that the refugees embrace the system they have run to and not over time try to turn in closer to the one they escaped from. That's what people are concerned about based on past experience. Despite all the goodwill and best of intentions, that should not be too hard to understand.
39
Europe is not awash in small mindedness, parts of Europa are. Most importantly, the de facto leader of Europe, Ms. Merkel , is not,
"When someone says: ‘This is not my Europe, I won’t accept Muslims’ … I have to say, this is not negotiable,"
Finally, it must be said that country, that is small minded, is the America, that having destabilized the Mideast is now washing it hands of the mess it made.
Yes, 2016 is an election year, and immigration is unpopular, but when you claim to be the moral leader of the free world, you must act accordingly.
"When someone says: ‘This is not my Europe, I won’t accept Muslims’ … I have to say, this is not negotiable,"
Finally, it must be said that country, that is small minded, is the America, that having destabilized the Mideast is now washing it hands of the mess it made.
Yes, 2016 is an election year, and immigration is unpopular, but when you claim to be the moral leader of the free world, you must act accordingly.
9
After the Godwin point the Godwin article.
I feel profundly tired to see the sad fate jewish people faced in the last world war used and reused for anything, even if the authors admit themselves no analogy is to found in the situations.
Usually now the islamists use the misleading analogy in order to play victims of " islamophobia " and try to link the fate of muslims in europe to the victims of the anhiliation of the jews by the nazis.
The reason Mr Cohen uses the same kind of rhétoric is puzzling.
Can't he find real arguments ?
I feel profundly tired to see the sad fate jewish people faced in the last world war used and reused for anything, even if the authors admit themselves no analogy is to found in the situations.
Usually now the islamists use the misleading analogy in order to play victims of " islamophobia " and try to link the fate of muslims in europe to the victims of the anhiliation of the jews by the nazis.
The reason Mr Cohen uses the same kind of rhétoric is puzzling.
Can't he find real arguments ?
11
How true, indifference kills. It kills not only the victim but the one's losing their soul in the process...by denying assistance, by making a helpless neighbor invisible (for all intent and purpose). Hate, the emotion opposite love, at least acknowledges one's presence, a start at least. Indifference to the plight of others seeking help is pettiness personalized, and no chance for redemption. In this predicament are most advanced nations, the U.S. included, who try to ignore our common humanity by our inaction. Not a nice picture, by a long stretch. Poverty of spirit for all to see. And poor rich countries 'proud' of their egotistic society, in search of material gains...while selling their souls to the devil. So far, our hats off to a few countries doing their part ( e.i. Germany, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Italy and Greece). Lets not even mention Hungary, pettiness notwithstanding, supposedly to preserve its christian intolerance for the ages. Who are we, exactly?
4
This Roger Cohen is getting worse all the time. Naturally, the Volkswagen scandal to him just has to be an example of what Germany really is as a whole — never mind that we have plenty of industrial crimes to answer to in this country. But most of all, Cohen simply can't avoid writing just about anything these days without making a deep analogy to the Holocaust. What Cohen calls indifference to the refugees is more often apprehension about the complex social issues involved in absorbing peoples from very different cultures. Of course, he is never worried about Japan and South Korea hardly ever accepting refugees from anywhere at all, because that wouldn't fit in with his targeted resentment: Europe. And of course, the ultimate irony: if Cohen is so insistent on making every crisis in Europe somehow a reminder of indifference to Jews during the Holocaust, why does Israel have no interest in taking in any refugees? Oh, of course, that wouldn't make any sense would it? And indeed it wouldn't.
17
Mr. Cohen makes quite a stretch to convert shame for the holocaust into support for an open borders policy for today's refugees.
Deportation is the opposite of immigration.
Trepidation (about the Islamization of Europe) is the opposite of indifference.
Mr. Cohen criticizes Hungary for its "... bigotry: the defense of Europe as Christian Club". Perhaps Hungary is motivated to preserve secularism against Islam? It's not obvious that we're looking at Christian bigotry. Will someone check the facts about Hungary's motivations for their border control efforts? Roger's accusation may not be founded in fact.
Deportation is the opposite of immigration.
Trepidation (about the Islamization of Europe) is the opposite of indifference.
Mr. Cohen criticizes Hungary for its "... bigotry: the defense of Europe as Christian Club". Perhaps Hungary is motivated to preserve secularism against Islam? It's not obvious that we're looking at Christian bigotry. Will someone check the facts about Hungary's motivations for their border control efforts? Roger's accusation may not be founded in fact.
18
One wants to curse all who have ever excluded or lifted a sword against Jews or Syrians, Blacks or Latinos, Muslims or Christians, Asians, Catholics, man, woman, and the list goes on. Why do we allow these seeds of discourse to be sown? Give no mind to those who sew such seeds.
1
The other morning I listened to an NPR interview with the new Hungarian ambassador to the United States. She pirouetted around the questions like a consummate diplomat/politician. Like so many people from minor, less prestigious European countries, she referred far more often to "European" than to "Hungarian." The border fence was in adherence to "European policies;" it was up to "each European country" to decide for itself on the quotas and economic usefulness of migrants. The issue of not wanting Muslims juxtaposed with Christians translated into "the right of a country to preserve its cultural heritage." (Bible thumpers in the U.S. repeat until they are blue in the face that the U.S. is a "Christian" nation.)
But she did sell me on a couple of things: the refugees don't want to remain in Hungary any more than Hungary wants them to remain. They want to be off to Germany, etc. The U.S. media seem to play down that fact. Also, she observed that Hungary already has a small Muslim minority population who evidently are not treated so horribly.
It was an enlightening interview, probably in some ways not intended by the Ambassador.
But she did sell me on a couple of things: the refugees don't want to remain in Hungary any more than Hungary wants them to remain. They want to be off to Germany, etc. The U.S. media seem to play down that fact. Also, she observed that Hungary already has a small Muslim minority population who evidently are not treated so horribly.
It was an enlightening interview, probably in some ways not intended by the Ambassador.
2
Liberal Americans have a strange idea that people in Europe who are anxious about the mass migration of Muslims are conservative Christians analogous to southern bible belters in the US who worry about Hispanics. In fact, vast numbers of us are secular progressive people who don't want our countries to import huge numbers of reactionary religious conservatives from the Middle East--reactionaries who in their conservative Islamic faith make Bob Jones University look like Barney Frank University in comparison. Most Europeans are not particularly religious (though have a historical regard for local religious traditions) and have no desire to import large numbers of deeply regressive and traditionally Europhobic people. Our governments, however, have in most cases done just that anyway (in London, Amsterdam, and many other European cities, the most common name for newborns is Mohammed, and polls show that Muslims are far more religious and socially conservative than any other population in Europe). If you want a liberal Europe, don't support mass migration from the Middle East. And if you define liberalism as requiring mass migration from the Middle East: Huh?
4
Most muslims hate the Jewish state and people, calling for its destruction. To compare Nazi Germany to this hoard is deplorable. The "immigrants' consist of mostly young men whose religion is oh so tolerable of other beliefs, women's rights, gay, etc. Oh, I forgot some would ban music and dancing also. What a wonderful infusion to what is, for now, a free and tolerant Europe. Indifference? No, rationale fear!
43
These people from the middle east are fleeing a hostile climate, gross over-population caused by their adherence to Islam and broken governments. The Jews faced extinction. There is no equivalence. We in the west should consider inviting every middle eastern non-Islam into our countries because they are refugees by definition. The rest are economic migrants.
37
The continued emphasis on whether the hundreds of thousands of refugees are following rules put in place to deal with handfuls of asylum seekers arriving by air, land or sea to dispersed destinations is being used to justify indifference. The same can be said for pointing out that these poor souls do not face the same appalling fate the Jews suffered in the Holocaust. But here's the rub. As with the failure to anticipate 9/11, Europe and the US are suffering a very serious lack of imagination here.
What happens when the numbers of refugees far exceed the ability of a small police force on the other side of a fence to contain them? Will they bring in troops? Will they shoot? How many unarmed people will they shoot? Will the country on the other side of the fence view this as a declaration of war? Even if thousands are killed, will thousands more still make it to the other side of the fence? Is this scenario acceptable?
For me the answer is a clear no. Merkel is correct in saying we shouldn't be in a race to be the most unwelcoming country (looking at you Hungary and shamefully my own country). It will be hard, there will be problems but the alternative is too terrible to contemplate. Make no mistake, this won't go away until these people have a safe place to live. Merkel's generosity might have accelerated the flow by a month or so but it was always going to happen and it won't stop until we roll up our sleeves and start addressing the problem head on.
What happens when the numbers of refugees far exceed the ability of a small police force on the other side of a fence to contain them? Will they bring in troops? Will they shoot? How many unarmed people will they shoot? Will the country on the other side of the fence view this as a declaration of war? Even if thousands are killed, will thousands more still make it to the other side of the fence? Is this scenario acceptable?
For me the answer is a clear no. Merkel is correct in saying we shouldn't be in a race to be the most unwelcoming country (looking at you Hungary and shamefully my own country). It will be hard, there will be problems but the alternative is too terrible to contemplate. Make no mistake, this won't go away until these people have a safe place to live. Merkel's generosity might have accelerated the flow by a month or so but it was always going to happen and it won't stop until we roll up our sleeves and start addressing the problem head on.
3
Roxane these people already have safe places to live, in UN run refugee camps. What they want is a better place to live.
'...What happens when the numbers of refugees far exceed the ability of a small police force on the other side of a fence to contain them?...'
We saw what happened. The migrants become violent and throw bottles and rocks at the police, if their demands are not met.
They also throw food back over the wall, if it is not to their liking.
We saw what happened. The migrants become violent and throw bottles and rocks at the police, if their demands are not met.
They also throw food back over the wall, if it is not to their liking.
Mr. Cohen, drivel like this piece of yours is becoming standard fare at NYT. Let the Muslim countries take these migrants, few of whom seem to be genuine refugees. If there is an analogy between the treatment of the Jews is WWII and that of the Muslims today, you have certainly failed to state it.
55
Readers are urged NOT to forget that the good life Eurpeans are enjoying now and are terribly worried will be disrupted by the incoming hordes of emigrants the majority of whom do come from ex European colonies systematically looted to create that same good life they worry about.
In its own way it is Pay Back period
In its own way it is Pay Back period
3
Leaving aside the undertone of vengeance, this is ahistorical. Europe had a colonial presence in the Middle East of nanoseconds compared with the Turks and the Ottoman Empire, who conquered their way from their original home in Mongolia to colonize much of Europe too. And the Turks, obviously, still control Turkey, which was historically Greek and Christian. They took Constantinople only 9 years before Columbus sailed and the Empire only lost the rest of the Middle East after it declared war on Britain and France, which had been propping it up and protecting it from Russia for the previous 100 years. Would you think a European colonization of Turkey would be "payback"? If not, I think you might want to adjust your perspective on the current mass migration the other way.
4
Actually, the colonialists were primarily the British and the French, and in minor ways the Italians and the Spanish. The rest of Europe, especially the very places where most of the refugees want to go to, had nothing to do with it.
Great column, Mr Cohen.
2
The issue is not strictly empathy, it is a battle of empathy vs reality and math. If this was a one-time unique situation, I believe the western world would rally and absorb the Syrian refugees. However, the entire Middle East is collapsing, and the 'good deed' of helping the Syrians will not go unpunished- it will be magnified ten-fold with other relatives, other economic migrants who will now assume that Europe will rescue them. Add to this the high birth rate that will be the gift that keeps on giving once the charity is extended.
65
The high birth rate will truly be a gift that keeps on giving. Have you read about the demographic problems in Italy, Germany and while we're at it, in Japan? Among the major EU nations France and the U.K. are doing better because they have substantial immigrant populations. While we do need to develop economies not dependent upon population growth, some countries have been heading straight into severe economic collapse because of the dearth of young people. Immigration is the obvious earth population neutral solution.
The irony here is that Cohen and many of the people commenting haven't learned from he Nazi crimes. They keep arguing about who suffered more, asking for more memorials, and then heaping blame on everyone else.
4
Compassion and Solidarity are two important deeds. In May 1939 900 Jews were fleeing the beginning oppression in Nazi Germany onboard SS St. Louis. When the ship arrived in Cuba they were denied. When they arrived in Florida President Franklin Rosevelt denied them entry. On their way back some of them were welcome in Belgium, France, Holland and UK, but the end result was that 254 died in Nazi camps. All these people would have been not a burden but an asset to America. Europe and America are responsible for the new victims of war.
27
Though he claims otherwise, the author seeks to conflate Europe's WWII treatment of Jews to Europe's current treatment of Syrian refugees. There are currently 57 Muslim countries in the world. During WWII there were no Jewish countries, and the tiny Jewish part of the British colonial empire in the middle east was closed to Jewish immigrants due to the British Colonial administration bending to the demands (riots) of the Muslim middle eastern rulers who demanded an end to Jewish immigration. Millions of Jews went to their death because of the British blockade, no such equivalent exists today.
The author make no demands on the Muslim world, all 57 countries, more than a billion people, to assist the refugees from the Muslim family (Shiite vs. Sunni) family fight. He saves his umbrage exclusively for the Europeans who, having opened their countries to Muslim immigration have been rewarded with the Hebdo massacre, bombs on the London and Madrid subways and anti-semitism so severe that guards are placed at all French and British Jewish schools. I understand the European's reluctance. Let the Muslim world step up, then you can lecture Europe.
The author make no demands on the Muslim world, all 57 countries, more than a billion people, to assist the refugees from the Muslim family (Shiite vs. Sunni) family fight. He saves his umbrage exclusively for the Europeans who, having opened their countries to Muslim immigration have been rewarded with the Hebdo massacre, bombs on the London and Madrid subways and anti-semitism so severe that guards are placed at all French and British Jewish schools. I understand the European's reluctance. Let the Muslim world step up, then you can lecture Europe.
221
Does their religion really matter? They are people, they need help. They are turning to a number of countries for help- the US and parts of Europe, true, but mostly Jordan and Lebanon and Turkey, who do not have the resources to care for all the people coming to them even though they are trying.
Because other people are failing to do the right thing, this is now an excuse for you to do the right thing? Since when?
Because other people are failing to do the right thing, this is now an excuse for you to do the right thing? Since when?
5
M - of course the religion matters. Much of the Middle East's smaller and poorer countries are being used for proxies for the sectarian conflict WITHIN Islam, just like the US and Soviet Union used smaller nations like Vietnam for their proxy wars.
This is their war, and a war against a dictator who held together a country that was a number of incompatible factions. None of those ME countries that can afford to do anything are really helping. And we should put pressure on them, not on Europe to help in their regional and cultural conflict.
This is their war, and a war against a dictator who held together a country that was a number of incompatible factions. None of those ME countries that can afford to do anything are really helping. And we should put pressure on them, not on Europe to help in their regional and cultural conflict.
4
Yes, religion does matter when it is as pervasive as Islam which denies secular society such as we have developed in the West. The cause of this mass migration is Islam on Islam violence between the Sunni and Shiite - Saudi Arabia and Iran. Islam has destroyed its own homeland and now seeking to export this madness to other societies. Yes, we need to do the "right thing", but what exactly that might be is not so obvious. As they say in the flight briefing on an airplane, put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. The EU will not likely survive such uncontrolled influx of dispair and misery. Possilby doing the "right thing" is to stabilize EU borders and better fund UN relief efforts in the Middle East.
5
Nothing can come close to the systematic destruction of human beings in Nazi Germany. Nothing.
I feel a great deal of empathy for legitimate refugees. mostly women and children. The men are fending for themselves. They even know exactly where they want to go. Holocaust survivors and today's refugees are not comparable.
I feel a great deal of empathy for legitimate refugees. mostly women and children. The men are fending for themselves. They even know exactly where they want to go. Holocaust survivors and today's refugees are not comparable.
102
The refugees want to go to a safe place, and to preserve their heritage, that is something that hasn't changed.
And back than like today they didn't know here to go. There were many safe places, but also many deliberately closed doors.
Do the refugees today really know where they are going ? Never before a muslim society has lived in a diaspora.
And back than like today they didn't know here to go. There were many safe places, but also many deliberately closed doors.
Do the refugees today really know where they are going ? Never before a muslim society has lived in a diaspora.
6
This issue came up during a Fareed Zakaria interview with President Clinton and the panel for the Clinton Global Initiative, which included George Soros and the young Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi. Clinton replied by saying that it was not that long ago regarding the Holocaust and WWII. "Not that long ago." That made me pause, the same way images of the deported Jews being deported on a train out of Milan as Roger had written - with considerable pain. I was a refugee. My father was relocated to a rehabilitation camp immediately post war.
Perhaps the indifference is the current disbelief, the denial that the dark forces directing the Holocaust will not rise again. The world did pause at the Holocaust. That's a fact, but to safeguard against it, it is better to overestimate than to justify, to give reasons as to why, for any such similar future occurrences like the mass European exodus. Human's survival is instinctual for a reason, and in that sense, it is a fair comparison, not by numbers, not by inaction, but by being proactive. I don't see this latest disturbance as an action, but rather a reaction, a consequence, to an European Union that did try to open its door during the heydays of global economic enrichment. I hope it's just another economic cycle, but I fear it is not, particularly when it pertains to the Muslim ideology.
Perhaps the indifference is the current disbelief, the denial that the dark forces directing the Holocaust will not rise again. The world did pause at the Holocaust. That's a fact, but to safeguard against it, it is better to overestimate than to justify, to give reasons as to why, for any such similar future occurrences like the mass European exodus. Human's survival is instinctual for a reason, and in that sense, it is a fair comparison, not by numbers, not by inaction, but by being proactive. I don't see this latest disturbance as an action, but rather a reaction, a consequence, to an European Union that did try to open its door during the heydays of global economic enrichment. I hope it's just another economic cycle, but I fear it is not, particularly when it pertains to the Muslim ideology.
4
"Nothing can come close to the systematic destruction of human beings in Nazi Germany. Nothing."
NOT SO, Nazi Germany killed about 12 million civilians in WW II, Stalin killed at least 20 million of his own people in WW II and after while Mao killed as many as 30 million of his own people. So while the Nazis killed 12 million the Communists killed at least 50 million if not more.
NOT SO, Nazi Germany killed about 12 million civilians in WW II, Stalin killed at least 20 million of his own people in WW II and after while Mao killed as many as 30 million of his own people. So while the Nazis killed 12 million the Communists killed at least 50 million if not more.
1
Calling out Europe for a refugee crisis not of their own making and then calling them small minded is offensive. Leveraging the Jewish Holocaust to convey a guilt trip is a terrible misuse of that tragedy.
Speaking of indifference where are the countries in the ME that share ethnic and religious backgrounds with these refugees? Why isn't Saudi Arabia, which has exported Sunni extremism all over the world, picking up the tab for all of these refugees including what is coming out of Afghanistan? Why is Europe being presented with the bill? If Saudi Arabia can build a new desert city for $100 Billion then here is a ready-to-go population for that city.
It's offensive that we are so dense in the west that we cannot see the world for what it is and call out the real players who are at the root of these problems not the countries asked to perform clean up.
Speaking of indifference where are the countries in the ME that share ethnic and religious backgrounds with these refugees? Why isn't Saudi Arabia, which has exported Sunni extremism all over the world, picking up the tab for all of these refugees including what is coming out of Afghanistan? Why is Europe being presented with the bill? If Saudi Arabia can build a new desert city for $100 Billion then here is a ready-to-go population for that city.
It's offensive that we are so dense in the west that we cannot see the world for what it is and call out the real players who are at the root of these problems not the countries asked to perform clean up.
157
I agree with you, except that as Colin Powell stated when we CHOSE to invade the middle east-- "you break, you own." I believe the mid east would eventually have imploded on its own, due to over population, climate change, the power of a fanatical religion, internal wars dating back thousands of years. Sadly we in the west have to accept our responsibility our role in this premature implosion.
4
Root cause analysis is about going to the source. Iraq is not the root cause of all these problems it's an outcome of the root cause problem.
Saudi Arabia set the wheels in motion for a vast number of problems around the world, including 9/11, by exporting Sunni extremism. We would never have been in Afghanistan or Iraq without 9/11. The first World Trade Center bombing was Sunni extremists. Embassy bombings have been Sunni extremism. ISIL is an extreme Sunni movement.
The ME is not imploding it is exploding with Sunni extremism lighting the fuses for many decades and it is costing the rest of the world peace and riches. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia, which is the source of the majority of this darkness, is not held responsible so they push extremism around the world but crush it internally to stay in power.
Saudi Arabia has no reason to change given that they are never held to account. Thus far the west has been dealing with symptoms not the problem and that is pretty obtuse.
Saudi Arabia set the wheels in motion for a vast number of problems around the world, including 9/11, by exporting Sunni extremism. We would never have been in Afghanistan or Iraq without 9/11. The first World Trade Center bombing was Sunni extremists. Embassy bombings have been Sunni extremism. ISIL is an extreme Sunni movement.
The ME is not imploding it is exploding with Sunni extremism lighting the fuses for many decades and it is costing the rest of the world peace and riches. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia, which is the source of the majority of this darkness, is not held responsible so they push extremism around the world but crush it internally to stay in power.
Saudi Arabia has no reason to change given that they are never held to account. Thus far the west has been dealing with symptoms not the problem and that is pretty obtuse.
4
The U.S has been sleeping with and bank rolling the enemy. Why not take it a step forward and ask the U.S to pay for it as well?
1
When considering that today's anti-Semitism often comes largely from Muslims, the comparison of Jews murdered in concentration camps to Muslims seeking a handout from the Germans is a bad joke.
108
So we found a reason to call them scum and leave them for extinction ?
Somehow we will always find a excuse for indifference.
We can prove that we are better than that, better than those who denied help to the jews 80 years ago, better than the muslims, who think, that the justification of hate is on their side.
The real bad joke is, that we always think we are on a moral higher ground, until history proves us wrong.
Somehow we will always find a excuse for indifference.
We can prove that we are better than that, better than those who denied help to the jews 80 years ago, better than the muslims, who think, that the justification of hate is on their side.
The real bad joke is, that we always think we are on a moral higher ground, until history proves us wrong.
5
Respectfully, Syrians have safety in refugee camps in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. The Jews had nowhere to go to be safe from Germany.
8
Matthias - excellent post. So true.
1
Really Mr. Cohen, the situation is NOT analogous at all. The Jews were integral citizens of Europe, the illegal migrants and refugees (no longer refugees once they pass the first "safe" country) are not.
Criticism of Hungary is especially nasty, as that country tried and continues to try to enforce the laws of the EU regarding the illegal migrants, while Germany tried to do a disastrous PR campaign by opening its doors to them, ignoring the laws of the EU and the impact on its members nations.
There is no direct analogy, nor an indirect one. It is not indifference to protect the borders against invasion, from illegal migrants or others. It is not indifference to ask that those seeking asylum and legal status be processed, and fingerprinted, and vetted so that the countries providing asylum can know who is coming into their country.
The NYT and its writers are starting to look desperate for further analogies supporting their pro-illegal immigrant views. It's sad. And maddening.
Criticism of Hungary is especially nasty, as that country tried and continues to try to enforce the laws of the EU regarding the illegal migrants, while Germany tried to do a disastrous PR campaign by opening its doors to them, ignoring the laws of the EU and the impact on its members nations.
There is no direct analogy, nor an indirect one. It is not indifference to protect the borders against invasion, from illegal migrants or others. It is not indifference to ask that those seeking asylum and legal status be processed, and fingerprinted, and vetted so that the countries providing asylum can know who is coming into their country.
The NYT and its writers are starting to look desperate for further analogies supporting their pro-illegal immigrant views. It's sad. And maddening.
140
You miss the point which is repeatedly spelled out by Mr. Cohen: Indifference. This is the mind set that binds these tragic events.
During these crises, laws and prejudices must be set aside to make way for helping our fellow human beings.
During these crises, laws and prejudices must be set aside to make way for helping our fellow human beings.
1
I think I stated pretty clearly that it is not indifference to protect a country's borders against invasion, or that people seeking residence in a country be known to that country, with the understanding they may not be let in.
And your comment that "laws and prejudices must be set aside" could also mean that the nations invaded could take any means necessary to protect their borders, including possible wholesale slaughter of those seeking asylum. Unlike you, I value the respect of the laws, culture and responsibilities of my country to protect its borders.
And that isn't missing the point at all.
And your comment that "laws and prejudices must be set aside" could also mean that the nations invaded could take any means necessary to protect their borders, including possible wholesale slaughter of those seeking asylum. Unlike you, I value the respect of the laws, culture and responsibilities of my country to protect its borders.
And that isn't missing the point at all.
2
I am amazed that this comment received the NYT imprimatur and the salute of so many readers. The writer is clearly xenophobic, repeatedly calling the refugees "illegals" and cynically justifying his disdain by stating that refugees aren't refugees once they cross a second border. What hogwash. There are complex issues to sort out here, and rich countries of the Middle East are indeed getting a pass — from their oil dependent brethren, mainly — but injecting simple religious and ethnic hatred into the mix is not helpful.
Kudos to Mr. Jarach.
The refuges or migrants we are seeing pouring or storming Europe, take your pick, are not anything like the Jews who were hauled out of Milan. The Jews were targeted for their otherness. The refugees are running from sectarian violence of their corelgiius except for the trickle of Christian refugees who manage to escape the sectarian wars raging in the ME.
I don't think most people in Europe are indifferent. I think they are scared. Many enjoy a good life for which they have had to work hard not just economically but socially. They see an enormous influx of people coming from a region where intolerance and violence is epidemic and in many cases national policy. They have a right to be concerned. Attacks on their concerns as racist or xenophobic are wrong and counterproductive. It pushes reasonable people to look to leaders for whom they have little sympathy but who are the only ones who are considering their concerns. It generates resentment . European leaders would do well to consider the concerns of their own people about the impact of hundreds of thousands of newcomers who neither share their language or their view of the world in terms of tolerance or individual freedoms.
The refuges or migrants we are seeing pouring or storming Europe, take your pick, are not anything like the Jews who were hauled out of Milan. The Jews were targeted for their otherness. The refugees are running from sectarian violence of their corelgiius except for the trickle of Christian refugees who manage to escape the sectarian wars raging in the ME.
I don't think most people in Europe are indifferent. I think they are scared. Many enjoy a good life for which they have had to work hard not just economically but socially. They see an enormous influx of people coming from a region where intolerance and violence is epidemic and in many cases national policy. They have a right to be concerned. Attacks on their concerns as racist or xenophobic are wrong and counterproductive. It pushes reasonable people to look to leaders for whom they have little sympathy but who are the only ones who are considering their concerns. It generates resentment . European leaders would do well to consider the concerns of their own people about the impact of hundreds of thousands of newcomers who neither share their language or their view of the world in terms of tolerance or individual freedoms.
89
Let's not forget that while a quarter of Lebanon's population is now Syrian refugees, that its population already includes a large percentage of Palestinians who have been living in camps for a couple of generations. Talk about being swamped!
15
Indifference in most of Europe and the US, yes. But there are two shining examples of European countries stretching out a welcoming hand to these refugees that should have been mentioned in the article, namely Germany and Sweden.
Neither country supported or participated in the US aggression and invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan from which so many of the refugees are now coming from that are seeking asylum in Europe.
Neither country supported or participated in the US aggression and invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan from which so many of the refugees are now coming from that are seeking asylum in Europe.
20
" One quarter of Lebanon’s population is now composed of Syrian refugees; the numbers reaching the E.U. constitute less than 0.5 percent of its population."
Are you seriously suggesting that Europe should be willing to approach this number, or that Lebanon is better off because of it?
Are you seriously suggesting that Europe should be willing to approach this number, or that Lebanon is better off because of it?
46
The definition of education, being educated, is the ability to step out of ourselves, where we come from, and empathize with those who come from a very different place. We are consumed with looking at test scores, graduation rates, admission to college as measures of a successful school system. Our nation's inability to respond in any meaningful way to this crisis --- our level of indifference---would say to me, that the goals we are pursuing in our school system need to be radically changed.
5
No excuse for the European's indifference. That said, perhaps the indifference that has the harshest results is the indifference in the Muslim world to how the radicals have carte-blanche to murder those who do not follow their brand of Islam. No doubt a huge majority of Muslims deplore what is going on, but where are the boots on the ground to eliminate those who perpetuate murder, rape, kidnapping in the name of Islam? If the radicals were disarmed, there would be no refugee crisis and most refugees in Europe would return home.
91
We tried "boots on the ground" in 2003. You can see the results today. All we can do is try to help the civilians in the crossfire.
But NO Muslims--except Kurds--will do any thing to stop the crimes that cause the Migration that many Europeans don't like. Look at us with our 11 million+ illegal aliens--mostly Latin with some Asians.
1
Russia is working on it.
Moses was a refugee.
Jesus was a refugee.
Mohammed was a refugee.
Jesus was a refugee.
Mohammed was a refugee.
9
Many Europeans are showing their heartlessness and seem amneiesac
of all the help they received after WW2. Germany seems to have
the right idea. Perhaps others will awaken.
of all the help they received after WW2. Germany seems to have
the right idea. Perhaps others will awaken.
37
As an expatriate American who gave up on the United States 12 years ago, I empathize with Roger's torn psyche between his loyalties to England, America, and Judaism. His columns are often an exercise in balancing these allegiances.
America is always there as a friend when it needs you. It doesn't need Syrians. It doesn't need immigrants unless they have high tech skills and can speak English.
America didn't lift a finger to help European Jews during the Holocaust. Polish diplomat Jan Karski met with Roosevelt in 1942 to ask for American intervention to save Jewish lives but America still did nothing.
In 1948 when the UN made its final decision to create Israel, Secretary of State George Marshal pleaded with President Truman to veto the resolution, arguing that creating Israel out of Palestine would permanently destabilize the middle east (it did).
The obvious alternative was to invite all holocaust survivors and other oppressed Jews around the world to emigrate to America. Virulent antisemitism in 1948 America insured they would not be invited.
America was not there for the Jews. They were not needed or wanted!
America is always there as a friend when it needs you. It doesn't need Syrians. It doesn't need immigrants unless they have high tech skills and can speak English.
America didn't lift a finger to help European Jews during the Holocaust. Polish diplomat Jan Karski met with Roosevelt in 1942 to ask for American intervention to save Jewish lives but America still did nothing.
In 1948 when the UN made its final decision to create Israel, Secretary of State George Marshal pleaded with President Truman to veto the resolution, arguing that creating Israel out of Palestine would permanently destabilize the middle east (it did).
The obvious alternative was to invite all holocaust survivors and other oppressed Jews around the world to emigrate to America. Virulent antisemitism in 1948 America insured they would not be invited.
America was not there for the Jews. They were not needed or wanted!
25
America was indeed late and FDR was clearly not in favor of taking in Jews, but 1.031 million US soldiers gave their lives fighting to free Europe from Germany's genocide. That's not nothing.
9
America has the largest population of Jews other than Israel, and I doubt you can name a single case of antisemitism in 20 or so hears in the US>
3
Sw...407,000 American soldiers died in ww2.
4
On the contrary Roger no one is being indifferent to the Syrian refugee crisis. The Syrian refugees fleeing their country's civil war has been Page One news for months. Pundits have written endless gut wrenching columns documenting their wretched plight again and again. By stark contrast, the tragic fate of Jews threatened with annihilation all over Europe was ignored by the media. However these refugees at least have a fighting chance to start over. As Roger Cohen reports kids are being given toys and crayons and adults are given a new pair of shoes. The Jews had everything taken away from them. The Syrian refugees enjoy the luxury of a shower in the washrooms. The doomed Jews of Auschwitz were shoved naked en masse into a fake shower room where lethal Zyklon gas spewed from the shower heads. Instead of "indifference" how about substituting "who cares" over Milan's Holocaust Memorial?
16
I guess it's all right then, as long as the refugees are making the front pages of our papers, right? And as long as they get a shower in the washroom instead of being led into fake shower rooms, it's hard to see what they have to complain about, right? Right?
6
If there is any country that should realize what is happening it is Israel. But no. The official position from Netanyahu is: there is no such thing as a Syrian refugee who might find shelter in Israel; instead, there are infiltrators, work migrants and terrorists. All of those words are meant to scare the average Israeli into rejecting the possibility of taking in refugees. Hard to understand.
21
Israel built the wall as a means of combating a prolonged terror campaign targeting civilians in buses and pizza places, it had nothing to do with the current (or any other) refugee crisis. your comment is staggeringly disingenuous. actually, it is a right out lie. shame on you.
6
Israel has accepted many thousands of Syrians who fled for their lives with only the shirts on their backs. Syrian Jews. Now these Syrians should welcome their tormentors raised on anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel. Would be niceI suppose but it seems a lot to expect not to mention I don't think it would be too helpful for any family members left behind.
2
@Bob, what nonsense! Do you understand that Syria and Israel have been in a state of war since 1948? That Syrians for decades have been raised being fed the most vile anti-semitic propaganda against Jews (not Zionists, not Israels)?
And where in the world did you get the notion that any Syrians want to go to Israel?
And where in the world did you get the notion that any Syrians want to go to Israel?
3
Europe has never been sensitive to the problem of refugees, except for some countries accepting some refugees when it suited them. The Jews exiled from England and France in the 14th century; from Spain in 1492; many seeking refuge in South America where the Inquisition was not as strong as in Europe; the Huguenots in the 17th century after abolition of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV; all the Russians and Spaniards fleeing the civil wars in their countries in the 20th century; and now the great waves of refugees engulfing Europe.
Is it an inherent natural right of humans to seek refuge? YES, but it is not an obligation of another country to accept them.
Europe does not talk about it, but its atavistic fears are rooted in the differences of language, religion, cultural habits, and -- last but not least -- the ethnicity of the migrants..
Is it an inherent natural right of humans to seek refuge? YES, but it is not an obligation of another country to accept them.
Europe does not talk about it, but its atavistic fears are rooted in the differences of language, religion, cultural habits, and -- last but not least -- the ethnicity of the migrants..
3
Roger is making it harder, to look away.
5
It is extremely disingenuous in such an article not to mention the safe and virtually 100% effective barriers that Israel has erected against any entry by any of these refugees. Isn't that extremely relevant? It is the elephant in the room, which destroys this one-sided parable.
37
How about talking about the indifference of the Saudi Arabians, who have yet to take in a single one of their co-religionists, or pay for any of the refugees, before you attack Israel?
10
With the enormous number of countries in the area, Israel is the elephant in the room????
Leave aside that Israeli hospitals have treated Syrian victims of violence and, in contrast to every other country in the world, Israel has had 'stray' rockets and munitions fired from Syria into its country, the Grand Mufti's solution to Jewish refugees during WWII was to enter into a Jew-free zone pact with Hitler.
The only thing more ludicrous than the comment is the number of likes it received.
On second thought, you may actually be right. Most Arabs who live in Israel prefer to live there over any other Arab or Muslim country as they enjoy more rights and freedom in Israel.
Sorry, great post!!!
Leave aside that Israeli hospitals have treated Syrian victims of violence and, in contrast to every other country in the world, Israel has had 'stray' rockets and munitions fired from Syria into its country, the Grand Mufti's solution to Jewish refugees during WWII was to enter into a Jew-free zone pact with Hitler.
The only thing more ludicrous than the comment is the number of likes it received.
On second thought, you may actually be right. Most Arabs who live in Israel prefer to live there over any other Arab or Muslim country as they enjoy more rights and freedom in Israel.
Sorry, great post!!!
7
Except that a large majority of those Syrian refugees dream of Israel's annihilation!
4
You say, Mr. Cohen, that “Europe is awash in small-mindedness, prejudice and amnesia.”
The Hungarians and other Eastern Europeans are not suffering from amnesia. Their country was enslaved by Islam for several hundred years. They are not indifferent to the immigrants, they are terrified. The Austrians are not suffering from amnesia…their country was invaded numerous times by Islam with thousands killed and many captured and enslaved.
Europeans are not irrationally prejudiced against Islam. They see that Islam is an exclusionary, misogynistic, and anti-humanitarian religion. They have prejudged the threat and reason supports their conclusions…no more Muslims.
Europeans are not small minded about the genuine threat to Humanism, Reason, Science, and, yes, Diversity posed by Islam…a religion that is antagonistic to all of these. “Small-minded” better defines those who are incapable of distinguishing between belief systems. Some are much better than others. Some are more dangerous than others. Take a look at any country ruled by Islam. Would YOU like to live there?
The Hungarians and other Eastern Europeans are not suffering from amnesia. Their country was enslaved by Islam for several hundred years. They are not indifferent to the immigrants, they are terrified. The Austrians are not suffering from amnesia…their country was invaded numerous times by Islam with thousands killed and many captured and enslaved.
Europeans are not irrationally prejudiced against Islam. They see that Islam is an exclusionary, misogynistic, and anti-humanitarian religion. They have prejudged the threat and reason supports their conclusions…no more Muslims.
Europeans are not small minded about the genuine threat to Humanism, Reason, Science, and, yes, Diversity posed by Islam…a religion that is antagonistic to all of these. “Small-minded” better defines those who are incapable of distinguishing between belief systems. Some are much better than others. Some are more dangerous than others. Take a look at any country ruled by Islam. Would YOU like to live there?
121
Ah - you go so far back in history. But using those rules, the most dangerous culture is Germany - and by extension Austrian. WW1, WW2, all the Russian millions that died, and the holocaust - the most sickening barbarism in the last 100 years if possibly ever, given it's intentional planning. If any culture is horrid by the standard of living history, it is the Germanic culture. Less than 80 years ago they were proudly starving Europe and gassing Jews. Thus Cohen's piece today - just to keep us all accountable in case we want to judge a billion people with a keystroke while claiming we are free from prejudice.
2
No, I would not. Never.
2
In 1956 200,000 Hungarian refugees fled the Russian occupation. One might think their was a memory of their need...
6
The current crop of migrants are not "fleeing" anyone. Only 30% are even Syrian by nationality. Others are lying to get refugee status! Even the actual Syrians are mostly not from Syria itself, but have been living peacefully in Turkey, which is safe. They don't care about safety. They want MONEY. They want "a free house". They want welfare. They state this openly.
Why are people like the posters here and Mr. Cohen NOT LISTENING to the actual words of the migrants themselves?????
Why are people like the posters here and Mr. Cohen NOT LISTENING to the actual words of the migrants themselves?????
1
When the news about Volkswagen's cheating came out, Mr. Cohen wrote an awful column about what it meant about Germany. There he said, among other unjustified generalizations, "There is something peculiarly German about the chasm between professed moral rectitude and reckless wrongdoing." So I was eagerly awaiting the column from Mr. Cohen on the American razing of an MSF hospital, when the same line seemed even more appropriate: "But there is something peculiarly American about the chasm between professed moral rectitude and reckless wrongdoing." But of course we didn't get that column. Maybe another day.
71
It sounds as though you have some column in mind, that Roger Cohen must write to smooth your ruffled feelings, and as long as you don't get that (why should you?) you will continue writing aggrieved comments. And today's poignant piece falls on deaf ears.
4
Ah, but we should really revisit the holocost shouldn't we? I mean, WW1, WW2, the crazy amount of damage done by one culture - the German culture - to the world. Shame we didn't just destory Germany and divide it up - that would have been deserving given the horrors that they inflicted upon humanity. So really, Germany should just be thankful that they still exist.
1
Agree. That line is also in place when we talk about the financial crisis and Wall Street. Was that maybe not peculiarly American too?
There is plenty of indifference. The indifference is what causes the people of Syria and other Middle Eastern countries to have become collateral damage of our policies there. Why not talk about why we are there? Why are there so many wars? It is not because of their religions. They were getting along in much more secular societies before we started in bombing Iraq. But we support the Saudi's and their desire for hegemony. We support Israel and its need to sell weaponry. We sell our own weaponry. The fossil fuel companies sell oil that get burned more quickly in wars. The banks make money lending to buy and sell both oil and weapons. Yes, there is indifference when it comes to money and power! Call a spade a spade, Roger Cohen! I agree, we should let in more Syrians. And both Europe and the US, whose populations needs a boost, should let them in too. Let the world become a mixing bowl. We are all human beings if I remember well. As long as powerful greedy forces are controlling us with fear, that is hard to remember.
54
The US population needs a boost? Cite please. We are out of water for existing residents here in California.
9
Carolyn--you have got to stop this obsession with fossil fuels. Syria is not an oil producing country. Enough already. I'm sure you have to pull into that nasty gas station from time to put more fossil fuels into the old war wagon. Donald Trump has already threatened to deport Syrian refugees should he become president.
2
Sharon5101, Syria had oil and gas off shore. Israel and Cyprus helped themselves while Assad defended himself. Plus, the Saudi's wanted pipelines through Syria. Assad refused.
I have just heard Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden give us the latest reality check. In the past 7 days 8,800 refugees have applied for asylum in Sweden. Never before have so many come in such a short time.
I wish I could persuade all the commenters who so far have had comments published that reveal an appalling ignorance consider the importance of expressing opinions based on facts.
The refugees have arrived in a country with the same population as MA-RI-VT-NH 9.6 million. I have lived in 3 of those 4. The Swedish Migrationsverket will have data on all 8,800 and with that data at hand I expect it will not be difficult to show that the claims by certain commenters that those arriving here are just "economic opportunists" are false.
Sweden has a chronic housing problem so the Prime Minister has just been forced to state that it may be necessary to house many of these new arrivals in tents. If you are reading this in New England with climate matching the Swedish then perhaps you can begin to grasp a bit of reality affecting both the receiving country and those being received.
Please New York Times, publish samples of facts like those I offer, as an antidote to the non-facts of commenters. And tell your readers how many Syrian refugees entered the USA in the past 7 days.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com