‘No Room for Indifference’: Leaders Issue Warning at Holocaust Commemoration

@bluewombat and @kiwi Large numbers of the Palestinians of whom you speak engaged in, and continue to engage in, directly and indirectly, the murder of Israelis (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, etc.) and namely civilian Israelis. Some also murdered or otherwise severely traumatized both civilians and soldiers of other countries — and in other countries — Jew and Gentile alike, as violent publicity stunts and way to extort support for their hostilities against both Israel and Jordan. The Jewish people of Europe had no such history of committing terrorism/other violence against their neighbors. Nor, prior to Nazism, were they aligned with other countries surrounding Germany and hostile to it. Quite the contrary: substantial numbers of Jewish Germans fought for the fatherland during WW-I (just as substantial numbers of Jewish citizens of Allied countries fought the Germans). And there was never amongst German or other European Jewish people a central, guiding document declaring the utter obliteration of (non-Jewish) Germany/Europe or all (non-Jewish) German/European people. The same cannot be said of the leadership and mass following of the duly-elected by Palestinians in their 1st independent and Juden-Frei (Jew-free) land and in its very first election. Read the Hamas Charter — it’s founding document akin the U.S. Declaration of Independence or the British North America (Constitution) Act of 1867. Comparing the murdered in the Holocaust to the likes of Hamas is atrocious.

Look at that picture of innocents being forced onto trains taking them to their deaths, consider the agonizing death that those little children will suffer, and reach the same conclusion I have: Israel is the secure homeland of the Jewish people. Jerusalem is its capital. Only the Israeli Defence Force can be counted upon to keep Jews alive. Thank you, Donald Trump, and I wonder how many of your political problems are caused by your defence of American Jews and the survival of America's only reliable democratic ally in the Middle East.

“As the memory of World War II, the Holocaust and the Gulag fades, so too does the antipathy to the illiberal ideologies that spawned Europe’s past horrors. This is evidenced in the rising electoral success of populist authoritarian parties of the extreme left and right, none of which have anything new to say, yet claim the mantle of ideological innovation and moral virtue.” James Kirchick, “The End of Europe”

I cannot put into words how sad and heart broken I feel with this article reporting the events so well. I am a child of Holocaust survivors. It is a total shame how some leaders are acting.

‘So there are, my friends, 29 million reasons for you to fight anti-Semitism. Not because of the Jews, but to protect your societies from a deadly cancer.’ What a mystifying remark. I always that Anti-Sémitism was vile and morally flawed in itself - just like discrimination and hatred of any community. Now I hear this odd argument that anti-Semitism is to be feared because of its collateral damage. I’m not sure what was meant by this remark. If the 29 million had been avoided would the slaughter of 5 million have been less horrendous. We should be careful about such eddied thinking being articulated.

A few words about Poland. About 3,500,000 Jews lived in Poland prior to World War II; only about 25,00-30,000 currently reside there. Large numbers of Poles were enthusiastic murderers and robbers of Jews during the Hitler-time and its aftermath, and many remain proud and active anti-Semites today. Hitler lusted after a Europe that was entirely devoid of Jews and, with a great deal of assistance from Polish helpers, he came very close to achieving this. Yes -- as Yad Vashem and the Holocaust Museum in Washington have amply documented -- there were a considerable number of brave and honorable exceptions, but they were vastly outnumbered by the gangsters, murderers and common criminals among them. Virtually alone among European nations, Poland has done virtually nothing to return private property stolen from Jews by Poles during and after the war. Poland today remains a backward country when it comes to Jews, with some of its people still digging around for buried treasure in old Jewish cemeteries, and large numbers of its people still blaming Jews for what was done to them. https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/confronting-anti-semitism-in-poland-today-memoir

There were two (2) Nazi-occupied nations that did NOT turn their Jewish citizens over to the Nazis or otherwise participate in the Holocaust: Denmark & Bulgaria.

It is good that such a conclave is being held, but Israel's brutal and illegal treatment of the Palestinians should also be discussed -- and remedied. I say this as an American Jew who has traditionally been supportive of Israel.

All that glitz and attention to red carpets suggests to me there is more than a little escapism in the Jerusalem air these days. Entertainment values are turning this so-called "solemn" gathering into a march for the cameras. Not for the first time, an Israeli's comment from decades ago about Uses of the Holocaust deserves review: "There's no business like Shoah business." That cartoon nails it.

Where is the “thank you Palestine” for providing us refuge and invitiation to build peace from hereon? Looks like wars / conflict have a much higher benefit to nations than true peace.

The images, such as the photo accompanying this article, are more shocking with passage of time, not less. Not sure why. Maybe because one senses how thin the protective veneer of civilization is. I believe the Poles are always getting bit of an unfair treatment. There is big difference between individual acts of cruelty, savagery and ignorance by those already brutalized and state ideology of mass killings be they by the Nazis or the Bolshevik Revolution. The former is an organic and spontaneous action the latter is unleashed by the state for a purpose and to a specific and calculated degree. The difference between re-education and extermination is far less than we want to believe.

Perhaps someone could ask Mr. Putin about the raw materiel which was sent for 22 months from the USSR to supply Germany - the most significant of which was petroleum. How else were the German airplanes and tanks supplied with petroleum? The attack on Britain - the Battle of Britain - saw German planes fueled with Soviet petroleum almost wiping out Britain - had it not been for the Polish pilots of Division 303. Seems strange that Prince Charles will be cheering on the actions of the USSR which almost liquidated his grandparents and mother.

And not one mention of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and denial of basic rights to Palestinians in their own country. Israel cannot have it all their own way.

This article gives a sanitized view of history and present, perhaps an unwilling bow to Mr Putin. 1) Russia (Soviet Union at the time) not only signed a non agression with Hitler in 1939, but itself invaded Poland 2 weeks after the Germans. The Soviets seized and retained half of the territory of Poland and participated in some German celebrations to commemorate their victory. Their moment of sorrow was to come only in 1941 when Hitler changed his mind on his erstwhile ally and started a war with Russia. But it did not much change the fate of Poland which stayed under the Soviet rule until 1989. 2) The event in Jerusalem will allow not just Putin to speak but others were given their slots too , including Germany and France. Leaving out Poland does seem like an unfortunate ommission.

The most telling is to look at which world leaders are not in attendance. Then look at their countries. This is why antisemitism is now so wide spread and virulent.

As far as the Polish-Russian debate goes, historians in the West do agree more with Putin’s position than Duda’s. It’s not simply Soviet propaganda to suggest that the Soviet Army defeated the Nazis. What’s more, Poland’s position on Holocaust history these days (it’s censoring and persecution of Polish historians who acknowledge Polish collaboration) might be why Duda did not receive a speaking slot.

It's nice to see that making a show of support for victims of the Holocaust is still good politics even when some of these leaders have less than stellar records of acting against fascism or antisemitism in their own countries. Words are nothing but vibrating air. Yad Vashem honors those who acted against one of the greatest crimes of the 20th century. Will any of these leaders return home to act in accordance with their words?

I am glad that some Israelis see this event as problematic as some of it resembles a circus unworthy of the victims' sacrifice too few have been invited. Gladly, Trump isn't there to do his disgusting self-emulation as he did in Davos. Greg (Lyon, France) pointed to the rightwing Israel that the Jewish sate has become under Netanyahu who hopefully will be defeated in court and in the next election. He was also very successful in turning critique of Israel into anti-semitic slander. But, anti0semitism is on the rise globally, even in Trump-USA while Trump sides with Jews and Israel for crucial support of his crooked presidency at the same time supporting white (anti-Semitic) White Supremacy. We live in a disgusting world of "fake" leaders and dumb followers.

Meanwhile five million human beings are penned up nearby on the land of their birth awaiting an emancipation which never comes because they’re the wrong religion and ethnicity.

75 years on, why cannot Poland and Russia stop feuding about the war, and the Holocaust? Both countries were then very different versions from the current models, both came to their own accommodations with Nazi Germany before reaching their breaking point, both suffered heavily during the invasion and occupation of their countries in the following war, and both had citizens who were complicit in the worst atrocities of the invaders, including the Holocaust. With those well documented truths, what is the point to debating historical veracity?

In reply: Considering that many death camps were in Poland, one can see the reasoning even if it was a Nazi choice to place them there. There was much anti Jewish feeling throughout eastern Europe - western too, but more so in the east. Local populations were compelled to assist the Nazis - perhaps some were more than willing. The brave actions of occupied Scandinavian nations and their people were more protective of the Jews living there. My father was a Polish born Jew. He came to US in 1950. He fought in the Russian army after the Nazi invasion of Russian half of Poland which had been divided by Hitler and Stalin. All his family was killed. He spoke of constant anti Jewish harassment when he was growing up in Poland. I think it was a prevailing sentiment with notable exceptions. The Polish resistance is a laudable example of great bravery and hopefully mentioned at the ceremonies. Nations still feel wounds of the past. Maybe someday healed. And, to be accurate, Poland fought the Nazis because they were attacked on September 1, 1939. The start of WW2. Poles defended their nation but could not withstand the massive German forces for long. Meanwhile, our own president, with the biggest mouth we've ever seen can't seem to open it with a forceful, sustained condemnation of anti Jewish feelings which plague us right here. Where is his yapping mouth on this topic? Oh, it would entail sincere empathy for others. OK, got it.

Really good summary of today. Look forward to keeping up with it more

My thoughts on the larger subjects are too much for a newspaper comment. So I will only point out the typical dysfunction of an American government that is too disorganized to book its vice-president a decent hotel room.

This is of the greatest importance and we need to be paying attention. Shalom!

A very helpful and informative article.

I guess better late than never.

There is a real need to stop the rise in anti-Semitism. To do this, it does little good to get together and condemn anti-Semitism, sitting around making politicized speeches and wringing hands. There needs to be a serious effort directed at understanding "why"? Why the rise in anti-Semitism? What has happened in the recent past that caused the recent rise? It makes no sense to ignore the role of the extremist right wing government of Israel. The immoral and illegal activities of this government and its oppression of the Palestinian people has had a direct effect on the Jewish community world wide.

75 years. There are still survivors living. And seeing the revival of fascism in the very countries that defeated it in WW2.

"Mr. Putin has sought to portray the Soviet Union as having saved the world from Nazism, and ignore its own 1939 nonaggression pact with Germany, framing Poland as more a perpetrator than a victim of the Holocaust." The Soviet Union paid a horrendous price in terms of casualties of Soviet soldiers and citizens. 3/4 of the losses of the German army were at the hands of the Red Army. Soviet citizens had to fight the totalitarianism of both invader and of their own country. As for the Poles, my late father-in-law (whom I never met) spent World War Two in Buchenwald (in Germany) and in Auschwitz 3 (Buna) in Poland. He was born in Poland but lived for a long time in Germany before World War Two. When asked, after the war, if he would ever return to Poland to visit his answer was: "when the last Pole is dust". Perhaps this was not polite or politically correct, but his view was and is shared by many who experienced Poland at that time. Be all that as it may, Mr. Shaalev, director of Yad Vashem answered that no slight was intended re Poland and there was a limit to the number of speakers.