Tomorrow is Holocaust Remembrance Day. In his column today, Roger Cohen is saying, Jews need to get "closure" on the victimization narrative in order for Israel to avoid apartheid. In his response to that column, Leonard Fein basically agrees, but says, We've got PTSD. And here is Rob Browne's preparation for the day (he's the great rbguy at dailykos):
At the end of Passover, I noticed that it was Charlie Chaplin's birthday. Turner Classic Movies was having a day long tribute, but since I didn't get a chance to see it, I went and rented "The Great Dictator". This was the first time I actually watched this incredible movie.
more than anything else. As I have become more religious, the
Holocaust has become less influential in my beliefs in God and
Judaism. As a parent and uncle of synagogue and day school children,
I have seen how the memory of the Holocaust has been used by the Jewish
establishment as, not only a true remembrance, but as an
exploitive tool to bind young people to Judaism and Israel.
With the questionable actions of the Government and Military of the
State of Israel, I feel that these remembrance and teaching moments
seem to have increased. From my readings, it seems that my feelings are shared by Avraham Burg (author of "The Holocaust Is Over; We Must Rise From its Ashes") and Jerry Haber at The Magnes Zionist.
the more exploitive Holocaust remembrance events. Since I felt that
"The Great Dictator" was a genuine expression of empathy for a
persecuted people and insightful look at a horrible time in the world,
I decided that would be my way for me and my family to observe Yom HaShoah.
you. I did, however, want to bring the final monologue to your
attention. In this scene, Chaplin, as the Jewish barber, is mistaken for the Dictator
of Tomania, Adenoid Hynkel. He is asked to give a speech to the world
concerning his nation's newest conquest. What follows is an incredilby
powerful speech in praise of people and against the forces of greed,
governments, and military control. I thought it was very appropriate
for those of us (especially Jewish people) who seek true justice for
the peoples caught up in the Israel/Palestine conflict. An excerpt:
Soldiers: Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel; who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate; only the unloved hate, the unloved and the unnatural.
