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“We know what happened as a consequence in the countries the Nazis conquered, it being clear the world did not care about the fate of the Jews. Which brings us to today.” (Photo: Samidoun.net)
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It is never a good idea to start out sharing one’s thoughts when one is seething with rage. But that’s just the way it is. Here we are seventy-five years after the horrors of the Holocaust were fully revealed and we are talking about a rising tide of antisemitism.
We thought at that time, with the world recoiling at the pictures of piles of bodies, the wreckage of crematoria, the scenes showing the living skeletons liberated from the Camps, that we had banished that credo from the minds of humans. But it is not just that, that enrages me when we review our more recent history among the more “civilized” nations of the world.
I have had to steel myself for days to tell this story again. When the persecution of the Jews in Germany began in 1933, with the accession of Hitler to the chancellorship, it became common knowledge around the world that many Jews would desire to emigrate to other countries. As the situation became worse, (the Nuremberg laws deprived Jews of all their civil rights in 1933,) there were increasing demands by those concerned that countries should open their borders to allow fleeing Jews sanctuary. For example, in the U.S, there was an annual quota of 27000, and by 1939, 306,000 Jews had applied to immigrate to that country.)
In 1938, Roosevelt called together 32 nations for a conference in Evian, France, on expanding Jewish immigration to meet the obvious need. Without the leadership of the U.S. in this effort, none of the countries, (with the exception of the Dominican Republic,) agreed to allow an expansion of their immigration quotas. Facing this unprecedented threat to the lives and well-being of Jews, the civilized world was found wanting.
Even under the British mandate in Palestine, granted to Britain by the League of Nations to prepare the country to be a Jewish Homeland, quotas were manipulated to permit no entry for Jews, while at the same time the borders were open to the uncontrolled immigration of Arabs from surrounding countries.
In 1933 there were about 600,000 Jews in Germany, and more than 200,000 in Austria. By September, 1939, 282,000 had left Germany, and 117,000 had left Austria. Some of these were later entrapped by advancing German armies in neighboring countries.
It is estimated that some 65,000 Austrian Jews were murdered in that country, and 160,000 to 180,000 German Jews were killed in Germany and in other countries. The figures alone cannot hope to tell the story of humiliation, degradation and death.
The bottom line is that when a life and death threat for Jews appeared, and world governments needed to step up to avert a genocide, the world was found wanting. We know what happened as a consequence in the countries the Nazis conquered, it being clear the world did not care about the fate of the Jews.
Which brings us to today. What we are facing around the world is a rising incidence of antisemitic events. We have seen rising numbers reported in nearly all countries, begging the question as to what the unreported numbers are. And we have seen a rise in violent personal attacks on Jews in the diaspora. In France, when a Jewish woman was thrown out of a window to her death by an assailant shouting “Allehu akbar”, he was released from retention by the Court. The same occurs in Western courts for defendants defacing and damaging the properties of Jewish institutions.
In many of our institutions of higher learning Jewish students are being prevented from freely expressing their views. Left-leaning parties everywhere have members who are expressing views that are antisemitic and anti-Israel invested in their party policies.
Jews in America face the irony, where they have been so active in advancing civil rights, (and some Jews have given their lives as part of this struggle,) that spokesman in the Black Lives Matter movement express anti-Semitic attitudes and favor the BDS movement against Israel.
And what of the rise of neo-Nazis we are witnessing? Our hopes and dreams of an end to all this after the Holocaust have disappeared into thin air.
Jews are fleeing the diaspora in a steady stream because of the increasingly active racism we are seeing on a world basis.
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And we see that when Israel is subject to violent attacks by the terrorist regime of Hamas, it is denied even the legitimate right to defend itself by many in the international community.
Even when Arab governments in Gaza and the West Bank mistreat their populations, Israel is held responsible for tragedies in the ”occupied territories” which it does not occupy and where it has no authority. Although twenty per cent of its population is Arab and have elected representatives in Parliament, it is accused of “apartheid”.
When Israel acts so as to bring such attacks to an end, it is condemned on all sides. Those who seek an end to the Jewish people, obviously wish to eliminate Israel as well. There are very few places today where Israel can get a fair hearing. Current events illustrate the general bias in the media and by spokesmen from many countries. Actions that terrorize Israelis are ignored while defensive actions by Israel are condemned.
We have seen that Jews can count only on the Jewish state when they are “in extremis”. It is all the more precious to us for that reason.
But too often we see only lukewarm support from diaspora Jews who fail to appreciate this. Perhaps they fear being accused of “double loyalties”. Which other county do we know of that will stand up for us in a pinch?
And, too often, we do not speak out in face of antisemitic, anti-Israel incidents, jibes, insults, when we should not let them pass. Almost all of us have done that to our shame.
We, each of us stand taller today because of Israel. But these things must be called out if we are ever to stem the tide we are facing. We cannot afford to be silent. Swim against the tide!
Am Yisroel Chai!
Max Roytenberg is an author, poet and blogger, with many published articles in Jewish periodicals in Dublin, New York, Winnipeg and Vancouver. After a career as an Economist and Executive in the Food Industry, in Canada and abroad, he writes, and lives with his Bride, in Vancouver. He has children and grandchildren in the US, Canada, China and Israel. His last book, “Hero In My Own Eyes”, is available through major booksellers and on Amazon.
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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
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