Opinion
Hollow remembrance day
Noah Klieger
Published: 28.01.09, 01:45
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28 Talkbacks for this article
1. there is a huge difference between Spain and Israel!
Rudi ,   NC USA   (01.28.09)
Not any catholic can get a Spanish citizenship. Not any muslim can get a Saudi citizenship. That's why Spain is not "the catholic state" and Saudi is not "the muslim state". Israel is however "the jewish state", and it's to the Israelis' liking.
2. the Christian West will always hate the jews!
Rudi ,   NC USA   (01.28.09)
Just like the jews hate the christians back, and the muslims hate and are hated by both christians and jews. keep it up! make your "Gods" proud of you.
3. BUENOS AIRES
tomas ,   bsas,argentina   (01.28.09)
IN THE STREETS SINCE THE ISRAELI GAZA OP, SOME ANTISEMITISM RALLYS WERE HELD IN THE CITY. IT IS DISTURBING. SEEING LEFTITST WITH ARAB COMMUNITY LEADERS... SAYING THAT ISRAEL IS NAZI.. AND ALL THAT SHIT. ITS WORRY... LONG LIVE ISRAEL
4. u think holocaust gives u cart blanc 2 kill people?
rami   (01.28.09)
5. The author has learned nothing
Grif ,   SF, CA, USA   (01.28.09)
He objects to those comparisons because his most basic premise is that the Holocaust gave Israel carte blanche to commit any crime it chooses. Any objection is ipso facto Antisemitism. He shares this crazed notion with most Israelis and all Zionists.
6. "never again" a shallow slogan
Asaf Golan ,   Sugar Land   (01.28.09)
the Jewish leadership will say never again over and over every year but rarely will they actually take on the anti-Semites. And that is what never again should mean. Resistance to anti-semitism should be at the forefront of Jewish existence. As my mother once told me, if someone hits you hit them back twice as hard so next time they'll think twice.
7. I don't know about the content
GUH   (01.28.09)
But the article summary is spot on: it hasn't changed a thing.
8. The UN should remind people of what inspired Adolf Hitler to
Rivkah   (01.28.09)
slaughter people in genocides: he was copying the Islamic slaughter of Armenians on a grander scale. He felt that since the Armenian genocide by the Turks was all but forgotten, the same would be true of his killing Jews. He must not be allowed to be right in thinking the world would forget.
9. they were part of it
eliezer ,   jerusalem   (01.28.09)
Europe was part of the holocaust; they caused it with their anti-Semitism, their giving Hitler the options to do what ever he desired (ie Chamberlain) and they did little to help Jews be rescued. Why on earth should they want to remember it?
10. International Holocaust Day is a photo opportunity for Gaza
Sheila ,   Jerusalem,Israel   (01.28.09)
Moslems over the world resent the Jews for having a worse disaster than they. Whereas we thrive on survival and proving our ability to overcome all odds, they thrive upon suffering and being unable to rise above it. The fact that we suffered the worst human disaster in history and still rose above it proves them wrong!
11. Soooo true, good article
Boaz ,   Haifa   (01.28.09)
12. #5 The author objects to the comparison because it is
Roman ,   Lod, Israel   (01.28.09)
relativist and erroneous, belittles the crimes of the Nazis before and during WWII, masks the actual facts at hand in the Middle-East, and pretty much does what you accuse the author and "Zionists" of - makes use of one of humanity's greatest crimes for political ends. The Holocaust was about systematic racism, on all levels of society. The Holocaust was about treating a specific sub-group of society as sub-human, anti-human even, and work for its total eradication. The Holocaust was about separating said sub-human group from the mainstream by force, bar not a single man, woman or child, and the systematic annihilation of millions of people in a span of scant years. So when did it become comparable to Gaza? Do millions of people in Gaza now lie dead? Do even hundreds of thousands? Are they being forcibly separated from a society they were once a part of based on the fact that they are inferior and must be destroyed? Well? Are they? If they are, then kindly make your argument. Or look the truth in the face - to compare the two situations and events belittles the sufferings and history of ethnic and religious minorities that lived, in the Thirties and Forties of the 20th century, in a society bent on genocide, and bends to the breaking point the facts in the Middle-East, with regards to Israelis and Palestinians.
13. #1 Do you what "Judaism" is? Open a dictionary.
Roman ,   Lod, Israel   (01.28.09)
Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. We Jews are a distinctive group with our own set of traditions, customs, and beliefs - we are not merely adherents to a faith, nor do we Jews define ourselves as such. We are a nation. We were a united nation in a single land 2000 years ago, and we were a scattered nation-in-exile since the Roman Empire crushed our old nation under its hob-nailed sandal. And now we are a united nation again. Get it yet?
14. Not up to the goyim
AJ ,   Tel Aviv   (01.28.09)
It is not up to the goyim to remember. They want to forget... so let them. We are the ones who said, "Never again!" and it is upon Jews in general, and the State of Israel in particular, to ensure that this slogan is not mere rhetoric. Let the goyim think what they want, remember or forget what they want, and sink back into their natural cesspools of anti-semitism, hatred and jealousy. Jews and Israel should boycott any non-Jewish "commemoration" ceremonies where the goyim cry crocodile tears and try to expunge their guilt by propogating lies and libel against Jews. We are the ones who have to remember, who have to educate coming generations. And Europe of today is providing a better pedagogical tool than any Holocaust museum or educational programme: a re-run of their deep-seated, genetic anti-Semitism that led to Auschwitz. But now we mean it when we say, "Never again!" AM YISRAEL CHAI!
15. Muslim cleric on the Holocaust.
Terry ,   Eilat, Israel   (01.28.09)
Watch this clip. http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1999.htm
16. "never again"
ari ,   haifa   (01.28.09)
always such ironic words. for a long time i thought that this was a motto to remind us all that we can never let this again happen to anybody else in the world and that as soon as genocide is seen to be done, that we would act or at least tirelessly urge the rest of the world (or worldpowers)to act. the older and more cynical i get, the more i see that these words just mean "never again (for jews)", which is fair enough, but we should remember these silent words at the end apply de facto. because the amount of genocides that have passed us by where we said and did nothing, like those we love to bash, shame us all. and by the way, im sick of reading about "goyim" shedding crocodile tears. although we were by far the most killed in the holocaust, we weren't the only people to be gassed in the chambers. so yes, never again, but this extends to everybody who may be a victim if this despicable brutality.
17. to #4 No self defense allows us to kill back
jason white ,   afula,israel   (01.28.09)
However we should have killed a hundred thousand in gaza. Let you enemies of Israel know we will destroy you.
18. Genetic ?
Yair   (01.28.09)
#14 "a re-run of their deep-seated, genetic anti-Semitism" (AJ , Tel Aviv). Same racist ideas in AJ's head as in Goebels's head. As I see, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day is of no use against that. AJ doesn't even imagine his own racism is the real target of such a Holocaust Remembrance Day.
19. the world believes jews take care of their own people
(01.28.09)
pupils in classrooms are barely interested in their own history, let alone the jewish history. unless we want the muslims to rule in israel, we have to be what the world thinks of us anyway: people who take care of their own
20. # 18 - Yair
AJ ,   Tel Aviv   (01.28.09)
What are you on about?! Where is my comment racist? Equivalent to Goebbels? Come on, you deluded twit! Europeans have proven over generations and generations (hence, yes, GENETIC) that they don't much like the Jews. Any European / international Holocaust commemorations are hypocritical, cynical and at best revisionist history. Perhaps you should educate yourself. Idiot!
21. #20
ari   (01.28.09)
telling yair to educate himself is laughable. start with finding out the definition of the word "genetic". i know what you think it means, but you are miles off. a lot of steam and no so substance AJ, but then again, talkback never was the most intellectally enlightened place. and like i said, we arent the only ones to have lost loved ones in the holocaust, although we had more than anybody else. think about 2.5 million ethnic poles (to name but one other group). these are europeans, not jews. are their commemorations "hypocritical, cynical and at best revisionist history"?
22. # 18, Yair and # 20, Ari
AJ ,   Tel Aviv   (01.28.09)
I would enter into a battle of wits with both of you, but it appears you come unarmed - so in order to avoid accusations of disproportionality I will leave you two to your own devices.
23. #22
ari   (01.28.09)
haha, way to shy out AJ. probably the wisest thing you have posted. save your "battling" strength young padwan.
24. no. 3 we think about our brothers in s. america
uk jew   (01.28.09)
25. holocaust celebrated on egypt tv
L   (01.28.09)
aired on the 26th http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=322_1233073285
26. People can't handle criticism
Dan ,   Boston   (02.01.09)
In this case those people happen to be Jewish..IE not a Jewish character but a human character. This article,and many subsequent comments,are RIFE with every Judeo-centrist platitude out there...with a religious like fervor. AS IF Jewish suffering is unparalleled,AS IF the endless Holocaust education programs,movies,references,a push for MANDATORY *international* education etc...etc wouldn't result in Holocaust fatigue.It doesn't help the lawsuits continue unabated and with no end in sight imposed on people who had NOTHING to do with the event.Nor do draconian thought crime laws to just debate the event help.Nor does the fact that the lobby has sucked the US into Israel's battles with monetary,weaponry and diplomatic aid.The crimes against the native population of modern Israel,more than anything perhaps,has polarized the world and NOT in your favor. In fact this writer has declared anybody not inline with popular Jewish dogma is their de facto enemy. You see?YOU DON'T WANT AND FIGHT HAVING A DIALOG OR ANY CRITICISM and your abuses are straining world opinion.NOT just European but WORLD opinion. Top think you are disliked for being Jewish is naive and ethnocentrist.Wake up already.
27. #26 Dan- well said- finally
Rita ,   Canada   (02.03.09)
thank you Dan- well said. also, the Holocaust memorial ceremonies are for ALL people and ethnic groups murdered- we all KNOW there were more Jews than any other group, you don't have to hammer it home all the time- but to single out JEWS ONLY for the ceremony is not right. You can do your own ceremonies for the Jews only if you want- nobody is stopping you- give people in Europe a break. They lost their own country men, loved ones, their neighbors...why are they not allowed to remember those people? because you say so? You do not have an exclusive on feelings- . There are few people 'hating' the Jews- believe me- most people want peace and a good life--- and really- outside israel there is not a whole lot of news- you are reading too many Ynet articles.....much as you would like to have it: the world does NOT revolve around Israel- it is NOT the centre of the world.
28. Just a veil
Chuck A ,   Franklin USA   (02.04.09)
HRD is merely a veil so that countries can say "See we remember" while they criticize and condemn Israel. It's like all those who say "Israel has the right to defend itself". But they loudly object when Israel ACTUALLY defends itself.
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