SHAME

Tonight on Yad Vashem's wall the inscription in Hebrew appeared saying "Hitler thank you for the Holocaust".
The police has been notified and among the gloomy (as always) news around the world many probably won't even hear about it - another hateful graffitti.

But that is not true. It is not "another one", this one is very special!
Shoah, the extermination of 98% of European Jewry, is probably the best documented genocide in history, certainly among the most horrifying ever (if not THE most horrifying as I personally believe) thanks to it's merciless biurocracy, good-organisation, cool calculation and complete inhumanity. The perpetrators not only dehumanized their victims, they firstly and most importantly dehumanized themselves (acts of rage and cruelty are, sadly, as old as humanity, acts of calculated, economically counted to cost the least, efficiently and publicly conducted genocide are something very different and much more horrifying) and unveiled dehumanization of all onlookers (and there were many).

Holocaust is also one of the most abused words on the planet during last few years. Without going back to those horrible days - still vividly remembered by not-so-few - I want to concentrate on what we see and experience today and why this inscription on Yad Vashem's wall is THE SHAME today to all who do not clearly express their lack of acceptance for such acts.

Let me start with what Yad Vashem means: it is the name and the place. Usually if some kind of catastrophe befalls on people killing some of them there are family members, neighbours, offices, hospitals, mortuaries, army officials to identify those who perished, let know their near and dear, give witness. If the catastrophe is big enough there are those who remain unrecognised - unknown soldiers, victims of purges, massacres, somebody's nears and dears who won't come back. We create memorials, burial places for unknown soldiers, exhumate and try to identify bodies. If the catastrophe is total there are no people to identify those who perished, there are no neighbours, no family neighbours, no communities, nothing..... That was Shoah. 6 million people - nearly all who lived in Europe and were Jewish. It took (and still takes) years of painful research to identify some - to preserve names of the victims and places of their origin.

When the Shoah was taking place the world was watching. Many (everyday people) didn't know. More still didn't want to know, many (and among them most of those who were making decisions) did know but have chosen to turn blind eye. PM Churchill and president Roosevelt knew - they were afraid that Hitler might offer them chance to take survivors and they will have to face the dilemma if to take so many refugees or let them be killed (no worry, Hitler never did, but his being aware of those thoughts, and nowadays we know he was, presumably encouraged him to many acts). It is bringing guilt on oneself to watch others being killed and do nothing even when we can't really do anything, how much more if we could? Bomb tracks to Auschwitz, shorten the war (it could have finished in the fall of 1944 but The Big Three were too preoccupied with deciding about future shape of the world and beginnings of the Cold War)?

But it is not only history that we are guilty of. Israel was many a time accused in media about "doing the same Nazi did" - there is now 6 time more Palestinians than in 1948, all being Israeli citizens have the same rights (vote, are educated, cared for), all from the PA, without Israeli citizenship, have chance to use Israeli medical facilities why in need, the energy, water and necessities are supplied paid for with Israeli taxpayers money (not only of course but in most part). In Gaza people are the 6th in the risk of obesity - worldwide. Yet there are accusations about Israel acting like Nazis and they are hardly protested against in some places. On the contrary - "Mein Kampf", "Protocols of Elders of Zion" (Russian XIX century antisemitic forgery) or articles like straight from "Sturmer" can be found in every European country. It is not considered dangerous or even important except by few who are named "overreacting" (few were "overreacting" to Hitler when in 1933 it would have taken few steps to finish his rule and Pilsudski - Polish marshall - was proposing France preemptive strike on Germany; few were "overreacting" to persecution leading to boycotts, depravation of rights by Nurnberg laws and Cristal Night; few were "overreacting" during Shoah - we have less than 70.000 who gained "Righteous Among Nations" medal). 

It is not "others" it is us who like to turn blind eye and thus we are guilty unless we try to do something, to prevent evil (with regards to all the world, far from only anti-semitism, but it is and always in history has been very good indicator). What can be more evil than thanking somebody who started the war that consumed 60 million people, 10% of them Jewish, who wanted to murder all Jews, who considered all Eastern Europeans "subhuman" and Jews not human at all?

Here is the link to Shoah victims pictures. Look at them and think about this "thanksgiving" (sardonic sounds in this instance). And if keeping silence about this horrendous act makes you feel uncomfortable and guilty as it does myself - share it or write to the media or alarm your priest/ pastor or your MP - act. It only takes good people to keep silent to make evil prevail!!!!!

* "Shoah" in Hebrew means "calamity", "Holocaust" - an English word - means "burnt offering" or "sacrifice to God". European Jews were not sacrificed, they were murdered!!! Thus I try to use the Hebrew word "Shoah" rather than more known English "Holocaust", it fits better.