Jews, Space and Time
Tonight I had the honor of attending a special event at the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education at HUC-JIR Cincinnati. You may recall that a few years ago Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon died when the Space Shuttle Columbia burned up on its return to Earth. Col. Ramon had taken with him into space a tiny Torah that had survived the Holocaust. This year his friend Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean took a similar miniature Torah into space and brought it home. Tonight, Dr. MacLean and Rona Ramon (Ilan’s widow) formally returned the Torah (which had traveled 4.8 million miles through space) to its owner, local Holocaust survivor Dr. Henry Fenichel.
I’m proud to say that I’m personally acquainted with Professor Fenichel as he is a past president of my synagogue. Here is the Cincinnati Enquirer article and the Photo Gallery.
This is the little Dutch boy who wore the yellow star that the man he became holds above:
What’s the point? We Jews survive and keep telling our story to the world.
38 Responses to “Jews, Space and Time”
Ok. 54 Million people died in that war. There are many stories to tell and be heard. I have relatives buried in Italy, France, and, a pilot at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean some where. They were not Jews. Civlians died more than combatants even if you remove the mudered Jews. Russians died more than any, civilians and military. The German people paid the price believe me. You like respect, I like respect, if you are going to count the dead and suffering, count them all. Otherwise some one might get the wrong idea, over and over again.
Did I mention my Uncle Kenneth, a US Army bombardier who died when his B17 was shot down during the Schweinfurth Raid over Germany on August 17, 1943?
“We Jews survive and keep telling our story to the world.”
I find that statement to be somewhat haughty. The Holocaust was a terrible blot on world history, which hopefully will never be repeated. But no group has a monopoly on oppression.20 million Russians died during WW2 and the Russian Revolution. Native Americans have come the closest to genocide, among all ethnic groups in history. It would have been better if your article had ended being more inclusive – demonstrating the general importance of tolerance in a pluralistic society.
response to: (Holly in Cincinnati 12.5.2006 11:26pm)
My grandfather also fought in WW2. Krous seems to be making the same argument that I did in my previous response: oppression is oppression is oppression. I’m opposed to historical revisionists who argue that the Holocaust never happened. It did, and some Americans contributed to the problem. However, the ultra-Zionist movement has ironically become a form of fascism. You will probably label me as an anti-Semite, but the last sentence in your article was quite divisive: As I stated before, no group has a monopoly on oppression.
Also, sometimes the oppressed even become the oppressors (i.e. see Abramoff) but that’s another story.
Ya think the Jews might share some of that lobbying power with my Native American brothers and sisters sometime? You know, since it was my relatives that got a genocide almost performed on them in their home land.
And Jack Abramoff won’t cut it this time.
Holly
What do you want? Just to “tell your story”. If there was one single link made to all “Holocausts” of genecide of all peoples, others might relate more. But if its to make non Jews feel guilty, it don’t. It was the gentile that killed you and the gentile that saved you, with a few unoppressed/oppressed Jews that helped both sides. It will always be that way.
Quite unbelievable that some are actually annoyed by a wonderful post with good, interesting links like this. Goes to show that Americans have an entirely different view on all of this than Europeans. In short, some of the comments here would have resulted in a slap in the face. Perhaps it is because we know much better what the Jews went through. Sure, a lot of people suffered, but the Jews did not just ‘suffer’; they were persecuted, the only view the Nazis had regarding them was that there was only one kind of good Jew… a dead one.
They did not just die, they were (as a group, no individual left out) also constantly and greatly humiliated, etc. To all those who think that Jews did not suffer more than any other ‘group’, I’d say come to Europe and go to some of the sites, some musea, etc. You will never be the same.
Seemingly, people don’t understand what it is like to be called ‘untermenschen’. That’s not just ‘terrible’, there are no words to describe how a little boy must have felt that a nazi would cry over the death of his own dog, but could kill him without regret – better, without thinking about it twice.
Jews were rounded up, put in camps, worked without food, died because of dehydration and if they did not die because of dehydration, they were gassed. Their lives were spend in constant, constant, fear.
A little respect for what they went through.
I have to agree with MvdG, although I understand the sentiment that other groups have suffered genocide and don’t get as much mention. But why can’t we take opportunities to mention them without criticizing Jews for keeping the Holocaust in people’s minds? It’s not an either-or situation: we can remember the tragedy and suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis and also recognize that other groups have been severely persecuted as well.
Hi Holly, sounds like a great event to attend! Jewish people globally have had their trials and tribulations and have yet survived to this day. Also, space is a magical place to be, if only we humans can stop killing each other and realize the goal of colonizing the solar system (how cool would it be to go skiing on Jupiter’s moon Europa or experience self powered flight on Saturn’s moon Titan). Although when you bring back the Holocaust, I look at my adopted Great-Grandfather’s comrades in the Ukraine and Russia, among the estimated 25.5 million casualties inflicted upon them and their countrymen (among them an estimated 16.9 million casualties on the civilian side). As much as the Jewish people of Europe were persecuted by the Nazis, Slavs were also a target of their wrath, and that too, we should not forget. World War II was the bloodies conflict in modern history…let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.
I’m a space junkie myself.
Hehehe
Every time I dream about the possibilities of space, I think “man we’re just this tiny rock hurtling through space with all kind of dangers and adventures out there for mankind to experience…and yet, we’re on this rock of ours destroying it and killing ourselves and everything in the process.” That saddens me. We could accomplish so many great things in the cosmos, yet, we fail to even have that possibility due to all of our infighting with each other. Just writing all of this saddens me even more. I wish I could just sometimes leave the planet in a spaceship and spend the rest of my life exploring at least the solar system and get away from the calamity that is humanity.
Michael, I was about to say the same thing. I think its quite revealing about the character of those who are actually bothered by Holly’s post about the holocaust. And Michael, these few people don’t represent the attitudes of Americans as a whole regarding the holocaust.
Goes to show that Americans have an entirely different view on all of this than Europeans. In short, some of the comments here would have resulted in a slap in the face.
………………..
Then Michael, why is it do you think that Europeans are so indifferent to anti-Semitism coming from the muslim world today and the threats that Israel faces from her enemies?
pyst, perhaps you should ask the pro-arab lobby to share some of their lobbying power with you. Its wealth and influence is far greater, with all these former government officials on the saudi payroll, some of who are consulting the Iraq Study group, and saudi and other gulf arab money going to universities and media outlets and former presidents who write books on the Middle East etc. They have plenty of money to go around.
don key, Holly’s last sentence was not at all divisive. And whether you like to hear it or not, Jews have been more persecuted than any other group throughout history.
Laura,
Why are you extra, extra upset about it? I think those above were alluding to the fact that we’re feeling guilt tripped and seemingly coerced into feeling/believing that the Jewish Holocaust in essence supersedes all prior and future genocides and persecutions. That’s how I read it. I explained my view on it. NOT ONLY were the Jews terrorized and executed by the Nazis, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Communists, etc. were also offed by them. ALSO, the Slavs and Eastern Europeans were earmarked by the Nazis to BE THE SLAVE RACE FOR THE GREATER GERMANIC PEOPLE. What I believe the point was from those above were that it wasn’t just Jews affected by the Holocaust as the Axis Powers did LOTS MORE DIRT than that and we need to be aware of that fact also.
Whether some of you are willing to admit it or not, there is an underlining and subtle hostility toward Jews by some here. Why else would one be annoyed by a post about the holocaust? This attitude is increasing on the left, all the while they embrace islam. I would expect this attitude on the ultra-left dailykos or democratic underground.
Most people are aware of those facts prez, but read Michael’s post above about how Jews were uniquely persecuted. Obviously you didn’t pick up on the subtle or not so subtle hostility towards Jews of those commenters. They weren’t simply reminding us about other groups who have been persecuted, they were upset that Holly focused on Jews. If she had brought up the Armenian genocide, I doubt anyone’s first instinct would have been to jump down her throat saying why doesn’t she also bring up other persecuted groups.
…You’re missing the point, Laura.
What YOU’RE saying is that the Holocaust is Greater than the following:
The Rape of Nanking
The Bataan Death March
Japanese POW camps in Japan and Asia where Allied POWs suffered dearly
Japanese-American Internment in America
The other 49+ million killed during WWII
Other groups that were persecuted by the Nazi Regime
Using Russian POWs as Slave Labor by the Nazis during the war.
…I could go on and on…
What we’re saying is that what happened to those of Jewish decent by the Nazis is on par to the rest of the dirt that happened during the period of 1931-1945. That’s all we’re saying. We’re not discounting the Holocaust but lets treat all the ills that happened then with the same amount of reverence and respect. That’s it, period, end of story.
Laura, since I’m not European, but am in part Native American it matters alot more to me that my peoples genocide happened on the very continent you, and I inhabit. Yet I hear MUCH more said about a holocaust that happened across a vast ocean, on a much more regular basis. Infact my relatives are still being treated as second class citizens in their own homeland, and as a constant reminder still have tiny useless pieces of land the survivors were interred to. While I see a tiny segment of the population get the US goverment to send 14 billion dollars a year 6000 miles away to people we didn’t steal any country from, let alone the best peice of land on the planet.
So either shut up, or show some damn respect for the land your arse sits on, and whom was virtually wiped out for that privilage.
Psyt,
Notice how both our respective lineages have been thrown under the bus in this post, though. Sickening, isn’t it? It makes me sad we’re over here arguing whose group got it the worst.
So how to we keep people from killing each other?
This is a question that won’t be sufficiently answered in our great-great-great-great-great-great-
great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren’s lives…let alone our own lives
Michael
If you recognize that “these kinds” of posts are annoying people, then you have solved your own confusion and made my point. I have a question: why do you want to annoy people? A little bit of different wording and a little recognition of other people’s plight is all it takes to change everything. WWII was NOT about the Jew and the Jew was only one group victimized. With a little change, show a little concern for others and you could conceivably end the “hate”, but you really don’t want to do that do you?
“However, the ultra-Zionist movement has ironically become a form of fascism.”
What is the “ultra-Zionist movement”? Are you talking about Revisionist Zionism?
pyst,prez
When you read laura’s post her own bigotry shines through. All supporters of Jewish people are not represented by Laura so don’t let her words turn you against others.
I was glad to see the Holocaust Memorial Council distance itself from Dennis Prager. Religious tolerance is one of our cornerstones and we should NOT let anybody drag us down to another level.
I don’t let Laura’s blathering replies slant my view corvus, but it sure makes me damn angry when an american thumbs their damn nose at the suffering under that snotty nose. I WANT the amount of time the Jewish lobby gets for the NATIVE people of THIS land. The NATIVE people of THIS LAND deserve that time, and not the Arab people’s time which amounts to oil lobbying.
I know full well how the people of Europe that were viewed as sub-human by the Nazi’s were treated. My GF’s family lost family for being German Jew/Polish/Russian Jews, and then further racism after they immigrated to this country for being Slavic/Jewish/Irish. Nor do I need a reminder so often, infact those that remind us so often need to be reminded of the bones under thier feet HERE.
Pyst, the very fact that you talk about “the Jewish lobby” shows where you’re coming from.
Mr. Key, still awaiting your definition of the “ultra-Zionist movement.” Are you talking about Likud? Kach? Ahavat Israel?
???
Good Grief.
Reality is a bitch ain’t it Holly? Deflect as much as you can, but don’t act like it doesn’t exsist.
As for your sad attempt to insinuate I’m anti-semitic with your last comment shows you are without a viable argument.
I’ll stop here and throw the argument to Rabbi Bruce Warshal……
damn link didn’t work.
http://access.stljewishlight.com/content_printstory.php?
link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stljewishlight.com%2Fcommentaries%
2F286061544108230.php
response to (Michael van der Galien 12.6.2006 5:41am)
You make some valid points. That said, I found Holly’s last statement problematic:
“We Jews survive and keep telling our story to the world.”
Every ethnic group has a a story to tell. African-Americans were enslaved in America for 400 years. The U.S. government promised them 40 acres and a mule, which never materialized. Chinese Immigrants did most of the labor on the Transcontinental railroad, yet Anglos took all the credit when the job was done. Incidentally, that’s where the term “Chinaman’s chance” originated. Japanese-Americans were herded into concentration camps IN AMERICA, in a Patriot-Act-like manner. In terms of percentages, no other group in world history has been closer to becoming victims of genocide, than Native Americans in North/South America. 20 million Russians died during WW2 and the Russian Revolution. Every ethnic minority in America has been the victim of a cruel racial slur. If you can think of any word in the English word more hateful than the n-word, I’ll counter you.
The bottom line is this: America is a pluralistic society. When you make comments such as “We survived and we have a story to tell,” it seems VERY haughty and divisive. The metamessage is either: 1) We are the only group that has survived and has a story to tell, or 2) Our surviving and story are more important than any other group’s surviving and story. Both statements are false.
For the record, I was somewhat shocked at the slant of the article. Hey, ethnic pride is cool, but a site entitled “The Moderate Voice” should ultimately be more inclusive.
English word==English language
resposne to: (WEVS1:12.6.2006 4:18pm)
I was referring to the Neo-Con movement in America, PNAC, etc. PNAC was the thinktank behind Gulf War II, yet like the Republican establishment, few of its members have had the fortitude to serve in the U.S. military. Repubs and Neo-Cons talk the talk, but rarely walk the walk.
In all objectivity, Israel has too much influence on America’s foreign policy, in the same way that China has too much influence on America’s economy/trade.
response to: (Laura 12.6.2006 11:44am)
Laura:
I covered that it my 11:42pm post.
“I was referring to the Neo-Con movement in America, PNAC, etc. PNAC was the thinktank behind Gulf War II, yet like the Republican establishment…”
Oh, I see. Yes, I’m familiar with the dreaded PNAC and the various conspiracy theories that people attribute to their influence, if not “control,” of President George W. Bush. Some people choose the term “Likudniks” even though many of the most prominent neocons are not Likud partisans at all. For example, Paul Wolfowitz is often regarded as a Likud partisan (or “ultra-Zionist” in your terminology) but he actually is at variance with much of their policy, particularly in regards to the Palestinians and the establishment of a Palestinian state. I heard him speak on this at the New School for Social Research in NYC.
If anyone fits the bill of being “ultra-Zionist” it is the Zionist Revisionists first associated with Vladmir Jabotinsky and today with parties located far to the right of the Likud in Israel. Believe it or not, there are people more conservative than the Republicans or Likud in this world.
“…few of its members have had the fortitude to serve in the U.S. military. Repubs and Neo-Cons talk the talk, but rarely walk the walk.”
I’m familiar with this chickenhawk trope but think it is a bit weak. Are people who strongly believe in the need for law and order in our society obligated to become police officers? For example, when Mayor Giuliani was cracking down on crime and calling for longer sentences for criminals here in NYC nobody was saying it is hypocritical that those who supported his policy stance were not rushing to join the police force. Similarly, why are those who support a robust foreign policy and a strong military obligated to become soldiers? After all we do have a certain level of civilian leadership for the military in this country.