I’d like to say that this year I have come up with an incredibly moving and meaningful post for Yom Hashoah. I haven’t come up with anything that really grabs me, but I do have a few comments.
If you look at my Yom Hashoah post from 2006 you will see that I mentioned Iranian President Ahmadinejad and the threat he presented. Sadly we see that not much has changed. Iran continues to present a very real threat to the west. It is only a short time ago that they took the British sailors hostage.. Though they were released the message Iran sent and continues to send is clear.
Sooner or later we must deal with Ahmadinejad. Any leader that continues to promote that the Holocaust was a myth is dangerous to all people, not just Jews. And sadly we see that the lessons of the past are quickly ignored and or forgotten.
The British educational system is teetering on the edge. Look at this story from the Telegraph headlined:
“Schools are dropping controversial subjects from history lessons – such as the Holocaust and the Crusades – because teachers do not want to cause offence, Government research has discovered.
The way the slave trade is taught can lead white children as well as black pupils to feel alienated, according to a study by the Historical Association.
A lack of knowledge among teachers, particularly in primary schools, is also leading to “shallow” lessons on emotive and difficult subjects.
Some teachers dropped the Holocaust completely from lessons because of fears that Muslim pupils might express anti-semitic reactions. One school avoided teaching the Crusades because its “balanced” handling of the topic would directly contradict what was taught in local mosques.”
We cannot afford to ignore the past for fear of hurting feelings. We cannot pretend that bad things happened because it might ruffle some feathers. To ignore the past is a risk that we cannot and must not take. This risk is not limited to any one race, religion or creed. We remember the horror so that we can see that it never happens again.
In case you think otherwise I offer the following videos as proof that people are capable of evil.
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Quite the contrary, talking disarms the enemy by taking away its most important international bargaining chip.
Which is?
Jacob,
It is quite painful, but so very important to remember.
Jack, that video really hit me hard. The images of our people blown up on the buses, with all the details, no censorship…
I started to cry.
HaShem Yekom Damam.
I barely made it through the clip.
Since you asked I looked. My reaction is as follows: There is no doubt that Palestinians under the flag of Hamas have committed unspeakable horrors. There is also no doubt that Jews, especially Israelis, have suffered greatly at the hands of Hamas. That much we can all agree upon. My point is simply this, one talks with one’s enemy but one talks with great care. Extract small concessions, agree to others and wait and see what happens. Talking doesn’t mean agreement, an end to conflict, peace. All talking means is that WE are willing to make a bold start. Talking is not about making nice. Talking is not about giving in to unreasonable demands. Talking is not giving up. Quite the contrary, talking disarms the enemy by taking away its most important international bargaining chip. Talking does not mean let down one’s guard, easing off building the separation fence, or letting up on issues of security. Talking is talking and if that talking leads to a reasonable negotiated settlement so much the better. But no talking can never, ever, lead to peace.
Thank you.
Well said, Jack.