Idiocy
You know, I've been reading some posts from other blogs by "orthodox" Jews that have been claiming that they don't see the need for Yom HaShoa or that it should be on Tisha B'Av since "The Final Solution" was signed that day, and that Tish B'Av is the day that for remembrance of Jewish suffering and persecution. I just don't understand that kind of thinking. Here, let me give you some excerpts, and you decide:
"Some people don’t understand why Yom HaShoah is celebrated at all. I am one of them....First of all, the Holocaust can be looked at as one of the causes of the Jewish State. To a completely non-traditional Jew, with no religious attachment to Israel, the Holocaust is needed to justify the Jewish homeland. We need a day that can be celebrated by religious and non-religious Jew alike, to keep that belief alive, and that precludes Tish’a B’Av which would have been rejected by the secular. So that's why we have Yom HaShoah.Why specifically on this day? The date the secular Zionists wanted was the 15th of Nissan, the first day of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt. Unfortunately, this date somewhat with Pesach and all, so what we have now, like pretty much everything else in Israel, is a compromise where nobody is happy. The 27th of Pesach is a date that falls somewhere in the middle of the uprising, displeasing the secular Zionists, while still managing to piss off the chareidim by declaring a day of mourning during Nissan (Even though there’s already Sfirat HaOmer, but whatever.). Only the National Zionists were happy, because they’re always eager to compromise religious beliefs in favor of Zionism, lest the chilonim think chareidi of them." Read The Rest Here
"I'm from the MTV generation. Generation Y bother. What does it mean to me? I don't feel. I don't want to remember. If I feel something, then I do. But if I don't, then no amount of memorials or Claude Lanzmann films will evoke feelings in me. They don't come on demand. Like a tap. I could imitate Joe in friends and stick a tweezer into my leg to make myself cry. But I don't want to cry. What is left to cry about? Who are we fooling?
In Israel it's called Yom Hashoah Vehagevurah. Day of remeberance for the Holocaust and Heroism. HEROISM? A lot of the focus in Israel is on Mordechai Anieliwicz and the Warsaw ghetto uprising. One story of heroism in an era of lambs to the slaughter. Kivney Maron. Only themselves and their kids. HEROISM! Trying to find the Israeli angle, the big strong modern Jew who isn't afraid of the big bad anti-semites. Holocaust revisionism at its finest. Who are those Israelis fooling?" Read The Rest Here
Ok, first of all, a rhetorical question, would any of these people have the nerve and gall to go up to a holocaust survivor and tell them, "Hi, I don't relate to Yom Hashoa. I don't think there should be a special day for you guys. Why do you just get over it already?" Yeah, I don't think so. Also, yes, there was a time in Israel when the Warsaw ghetto uprising was seen as the only force of heroism in the holocaust to the National Zionist Movement, but it was correctly changed. Every person, man, woman, and child, that managed to live through and survive the holocaust, start a new family, start a new life, and create a world of light outside of the darkness and horror that they lived through is a hero. Every mother that didn't cry and said Shema when her child was taken away from her to the gas chambers is a hero. Every Rabbi that allowed himself to be beaten, so his Teffillin wouldn't be taken away from him without a fight is a hero. Every group of people that sang in happiness on their way to the gas chambers is a hero. My grand-mother, who risked death and torture, by sneaking onto a train, leaving her ghetto, dying her hair blond, and walking in public, so she could say good-bye to her parents, she's a hero. My grand-father, who proudly dug his own grave and kneeled down waiting to be shot, only to be saved by Oskar Schindler; he is a hero. To say that the Warsaw Uprising was a blimp on the radar in era of lambs to the slaughter is a gross misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the holocaust. We, in Israel, call it a day of remembrance and heroism because, at the same time that we are sad and outraged that centuries of anti-semitism culminated in the near extermination of the Jewish people, and the silence of a world that did nothing to stop it, we celebrate that we still have a Jewish people, a Jewish nation that is growing and expanding out of the horror and ashes. To say that one must feel only sadness, that if it's a day to also celebrate heroes, then we shouldn't have the day at all, is to also grossly misunderstand the complete picture of what the holocaust teaches us. When the March of the Living groups stand on Auschwitz ground and cry while holding an Israeli flag and wearing their Magen Davids, can they not also feel pride b/c they're also saying a big FU to the Nazis that they were unsuccessful in getting rid of us? Can one not feel pride and sadness at the same time? Is it so wrong to get more than messages of despair and horror out of the depths of the holocaust? Is it wrong for me to see the miracle and pride that we're still here? HEROSIM, Rabbi's Kid? You don't know the meaning of the word? If lambs to the slaughter is all that you get out of the holocaust, then you should take another look and talk to more people. If it's a big Israeli Revisionist conspiracy, tell your theory to holocaust survivors and see what they think, and how long it'll take before you're knocked on the ground for your disgusting misconceptions. Maybe, they'll be ready to accept your theory that the extermination of 6 MILLION Jews, 1 MILLION children, doesn't equal deserving their own day of remembrance and reflection. Tell them that their horror should be relegated to Tisha B'Av. Let me ask you a couple of questions on that:
First of all, it's no coincidence that "The Final Solution" was signed on Tisha B'Av. The Nazis did it on purpose. (Did you learn that little tidbit of information when your Shiur lecturer told you of this fact?) Now, if that's the day it should be remembered for because that's the day when Jewish suffering is remembered, that's it's the end and all and be all days for recalling Jewish suffering, why do we have more than 2 fast days a year? If your theory is correct, days like Tzom Gedalya, Tanis Esther, and the like should only changed to be commemorated on Tisha B'Av. When we read the Hagadah on Pesach, it should start with the Jews being taken out of Egypt. The part where we discuss the Jews' suffering should be taken out and only mentioned on Tisha B'Av. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Could it be b/c there are certain instances and people in history, in Jewish history, that are so significant, on such a huge scale, that they deserve their own day seperate from Tisha B'Av?
Secondly, if you really believe that Tisha B'Av is the day to remember the holocaust, and you really go by that, how much time during Tisha B'Av do you actually give the holocaust thought during those 27 hours? How much separate time do you take away from from learning about the Churbin Bait to actually sit and contemplate about every other event in history where there has been Jewish affliction, especially the holocaust?
Listen, I don't know if I made a good argument, or that what I said made a lot of sense. This is a subject that I'm very passionate about. The Rabbi's Kid said that we're part of Generation Y bother, so why bother? It's thoughts like that make it much more important for us to really bother and really know what's going. If we don't bother, who else will? Sound familiar? "If not me, who? If not now, when?" I really wonder some times where some people get their education from. Even though, these two people are religious, their views are shared by other religious Jews, I put them in the same group as 60% of the British population under 36 who don't know what Auschwitz refers to. For Jews of our generation to not think that remembering the holocaust is important or that it's part of some Zionist conspiracy is just as scary and bad as that kind of statistic. I urge all of you to respond and let me know what you think and to read what these 2 gentlemen have to say and respond to them. Thanks for listening.
-Later
"Some people don’t understand why Yom HaShoah is celebrated at all. I am one of them....First of all, the Holocaust can be looked at as one of the causes of the Jewish State. To a completely non-traditional Jew, with no religious attachment to Israel, the Holocaust is needed to justify the Jewish homeland. We need a day that can be celebrated by religious and non-religious Jew alike, to keep that belief alive, and that precludes Tish’a B’Av which would have been rejected by the secular. So that's why we have Yom HaShoah.Why specifically on this day? The date the secular Zionists wanted was the 15th of Nissan, the first day of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt. Unfortunately, this date somewhat with Pesach and all, so what we have now, like pretty much everything else in Israel, is a compromise where nobody is happy. The 27th of Pesach is a date that falls somewhere in the middle of the uprising, displeasing the secular Zionists, while still managing to piss off the chareidim by declaring a day of mourning during Nissan (Even though there’s already Sfirat HaOmer, but whatever.). Only the National Zionists were happy, because they’re always eager to compromise religious beliefs in favor of Zionism, lest the chilonim think chareidi of them." Read The Rest Here
"I'm from the MTV generation. Generation Y bother. What does it mean to me? I don't feel. I don't want to remember. If I feel something, then I do. But if I don't, then no amount of memorials or Claude Lanzmann films will evoke feelings in me. They don't come on demand. Like a tap. I could imitate Joe in friends and stick a tweezer into my leg to make myself cry. But I don't want to cry. What is left to cry about? Who are we fooling?
In Israel it's called Yom Hashoah Vehagevurah. Day of remeberance for the Holocaust and Heroism. HEROISM? A lot of the focus in Israel is on Mordechai Anieliwicz and the Warsaw ghetto uprising. One story of heroism in an era of lambs to the slaughter. Kivney Maron. Only themselves and their kids. HEROISM! Trying to find the Israeli angle, the big strong modern Jew who isn't afraid of the big bad anti-semites. Holocaust revisionism at its finest. Who are those Israelis fooling?" Read The Rest Here
Ok, first of all, a rhetorical question, would any of these people have the nerve and gall to go up to a holocaust survivor and tell them, "Hi, I don't relate to Yom Hashoa. I don't think there should be a special day for you guys. Why do you just get over it already?" Yeah, I don't think so. Also, yes, there was a time in Israel when the Warsaw ghetto uprising was seen as the only force of heroism in the holocaust to the National Zionist Movement, but it was correctly changed. Every person, man, woman, and child, that managed to live through and survive the holocaust, start a new family, start a new life, and create a world of light outside of the darkness and horror that they lived through is a hero. Every mother that didn't cry and said Shema when her child was taken away from her to the gas chambers is a hero. Every Rabbi that allowed himself to be beaten, so his Teffillin wouldn't be taken away from him without a fight is a hero. Every group of people that sang in happiness on their way to the gas chambers is a hero. My grand-mother, who risked death and torture, by sneaking onto a train, leaving her ghetto, dying her hair blond, and walking in public, so she could say good-bye to her parents, she's a hero. My grand-father, who proudly dug his own grave and kneeled down waiting to be shot, only to be saved by Oskar Schindler; he is a hero. To say that the Warsaw Uprising was a blimp on the radar in era of lambs to the slaughter is a gross misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the holocaust. We, in Israel, call it a day of remembrance and heroism because, at the same time that we are sad and outraged that centuries of anti-semitism culminated in the near extermination of the Jewish people, and the silence of a world that did nothing to stop it, we celebrate that we still have a Jewish people, a Jewish nation that is growing and expanding out of the horror and ashes. To say that one must feel only sadness, that if it's a day to also celebrate heroes, then we shouldn't have the day at all, is to also grossly misunderstand the complete picture of what the holocaust teaches us. When the March of the Living groups stand on Auschwitz ground and cry while holding an Israeli flag and wearing their Magen Davids, can they not also feel pride b/c they're also saying a big FU to the Nazis that they were unsuccessful in getting rid of us? Can one not feel pride and sadness at the same time? Is it so wrong to get more than messages of despair and horror out of the depths of the holocaust? Is it wrong for me to see the miracle and pride that we're still here? HEROSIM, Rabbi's Kid? You don't know the meaning of the word? If lambs to the slaughter is all that you get out of the holocaust, then you should take another look and talk to more people. If it's a big Israeli Revisionist conspiracy, tell your theory to holocaust survivors and see what they think, and how long it'll take before you're knocked on the ground for your disgusting misconceptions. Maybe, they'll be ready to accept your theory that the extermination of 6 MILLION Jews, 1 MILLION children, doesn't equal deserving their own day of remembrance and reflection. Tell them that their horror should be relegated to Tisha B'Av. Let me ask you a couple of questions on that:
First of all, it's no coincidence that "The Final Solution" was signed on Tisha B'Av. The Nazis did it on purpose. (Did you learn that little tidbit of information when your Shiur lecturer told you of this fact?) Now, if that's the day it should be remembered for because that's the day when Jewish suffering is remembered, that's it's the end and all and be all days for recalling Jewish suffering, why do we have more than 2 fast days a year? If your theory is correct, days like Tzom Gedalya, Tanis Esther, and the like should only changed to be commemorated on Tisha B'Av. When we read the Hagadah on Pesach, it should start with the Jews being taken out of Egypt. The part where we discuss the Jews' suffering should be taken out and only mentioned on Tisha B'Av. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Could it be b/c there are certain instances and people in history, in Jewish history, that are so significant, on such a huge scale, that they deserve their own day seperate from Tisha B'Av?
Secondly, if you really believe that Tisha B'Av is the day to remember the holocaust, and you really go by that, how much time during Tisha B'Av do you actually give the holocaust thought during those 27 hours? How much separate time do you take away from from learning about the Churbin Bait to actually sit and contemplate about every other event in history where there has been Jewish affliction, especially the holocaust?
Listen, I don't know if I made a good argument, or that what I said made a lot of sense. This is a subject that I'm very passionate about. The Rabbi's Kid said that we're part of Generation Y bother, so why bother? It's thoughts like that make it much more important for us to really bother and really know what's going. If we don't bother, who else will? Sound familiar? "If not me, who? If not now, when?" I really wonder some times where some people get their education from. Even though, these two people are religious, their views are shared by other religious Jews, I put them in the same group as 60% of the British population under 36 who don't know what Auschwitz refers to. For Jews of our generation to not think that remembering the holocaust is important or that it's part of some Zionist conspiracy is just as scary and bad as that kind of statistic. I urge all of you to respond and let me know what you think and to read what these 2 gentlemen have to say and respond to them. Thanks for listening.
-Later
posted by Olah Chadasha @ 5/07/2005 08:36:00 PM
Read Me By E-Mail
1 Comments:
Thanks for the tsitut OC.
I agree with much of what you say. Showing we are still here is a huge middle finger to AH. I believe in that 100%. I thinkthat is more relevant to YH than to YS.
There were stories of heroism during the Shoah and that is important, but the large majority of Jews were heroic in the sense they accepted what was happening - which I don't blame them for.
I don't believe YS should be relegated to Tisha Be'av (I posted on that).
The Y bother was a sardonic look at my generation and contempories. (whoooosh!).
Thanks for the treatment. Feel free to gmail me for further discussion.
Mazeltov on your Aliyah.
TRK
Post a Comment
<< Home