Rapid reawakening
I wish to congratulate Gila and Adam Milstein on their important article, “From Auschwitz to America: Lessons from Europe’s killing fields,” Observations, June 29.
All too often, Holocaust discussions center on the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis, and neglect mentioning what the other countries were doing while the Nazis were slaughtering the Jews.
As the Milsteins point out, “Antisemitism had long been present across Europe. Nazi Germany harnessed that hatred... to unleash the largest genocide in history.”
So-called civilized countries looked on silently and all-too-often actually aided the Nazis in rounding up the Jews. In Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland, the populace actively collaborated with the Nazis. Hungary had their home-grown Arrow Cross Party, which even outdid the Nazis in the slaughter of Hungarian Jewry.
In Germany, Hitler was democratically elected to office, on an election campaign that included outspoken hatred of the Jews. Vichy France completely cooperated with the Nazis.
Dutch citizens betrayed Anne Frank to the Nazis, among many other similar Dutch acts. England closed the doors of Palestine when Jews were fleeing for their lives. US President Franklin Roosevelt did nothing to help the Jews, insisting that it was more important to win the war.
This deep-seated, widespread antisemitism lay dormant for half a century after the Holocaust, but now, antisemitism is rapidly re-awakening. Everywhere in Europe, poll after poll indicates that Jews and Israel are viewed as akin to the Nazis.
UN agencies, including UNESCO, the Human Rights Council, and the General Assembly, regularly display their hatred for Israel.
The EU and the British Labour Party are not much better, and the International Criminal Court ranks Israel among the world’s leading criminal nations. The spirit of the 1930s has been brought back by the radical Right, the radical Left and the radical Muslims.
Those who nonchalantly preach “Never Again” live in a utopian dream. It can and will happen again, unless we recognize the dangers and exert all our efforts to protect our threatened people.
The Amaleks of the 21st century are waiting for us lower our guard before striking again at “the tired and the weak.” NATHAN AVIEZER Petah Tikva