Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.
It is something that I did not see covered in the news media. The stories in the media were lamenting our state government’s total inability to function, the Secret Service’s total insanity/lechery, and a few mentions of the tornado warning system tests scheduled for today.
My question, then-How likely is it that it will be remembered if it is not discussed? Some of the recent political and social events have made me wonder if we are getting closer to a society in which such a thing might be able to be repeated. The rabid rantings of some ultraconservatives today sound a lot like the rantings of the Nazis. The divide and conquer, “us vs. them” mentality is very concerning to me as I read of the years leading up to World War II.
Are we not dealing with this because some nutcases are still denying that it happened?
Is it being purposely ignored, or is there a lack of knowledge within the media about the subject?
One study found that a majority of high school students and a third of adults did not know about the major concentration camps or what the word “Holocaust” referred to.
In other words, as time moves ahead and the generation that lived through that time dies, our world needs more, not less information about this horrific event.
Please stop for a few moments and remember. Discuss it with those you see today.
It must never be repeated.
Just My Life 
It’s so difficult for many people to acknowledge that this happened, that it could happen again, and that it could happen here. And that is exactly why we must remember and discuss.
By: Life in the Boomer Lane on April 19, 2012
at 6:38 pm
I totally agree. So many times in history the following generations make the same mistake.
By: chlost on April 21, 2012
at 10:46 am
C, thanks for the reminder. My British aunt is a survivor of the death camps and still has the tatoo on her forearm. She survived because some of the older victims gave her their inadeqaute rations so that the little girl might have a chance to live knowing that they would not.
By: Jon on April 19, 2012
at 6:55 pm
Wow. What a story. Has anyone recorded it or written it down from her telling of this?
By: chlost on April 21, 2012
at 10:47 am
My son will be visiting Poland this summer to learn about a lost Jewish world. He’ll see Auschwitz before he heads out to spend the rest of the summer in Israel. Next year he’ll be visiting Germany and Dachau. In Poland he’ll be with all Jewish kids, but in Germany he will probably be the only Jewish kid there. I will be curious to hear about his experiences with both groups.
By: Yael on April 20, 2012
at 3:24 pm
When we visited Europe, I knew that I could not handle seeing the camps personally. It is so overwhelming for me to even consider what the people went through. But I am impressed that the young people will visit them. I am sure that it can be a life-changing experience. I would also be curious to know the “kids'” thoughts on this experience.
By: chlost on April 21, 2012
at 10:49 am
Yesterday I talked with a woman who was a German Jew living unde the Nazi occupation in Amsterdam. She managed to survive the war, but when she arrived in the United States and went to a grocery store, she burst into tears because of all the food available. In Amsterdam during the war she was she was living on 200 calories a day.
Yes, it could happen again. In my opinion it is already happening in the sense that our freedom and self determination are being taken away. When corporations are declared to be citizens who can give money to political nominees, when people are declared liable to strip search when picked up for the most minor of offenses, one has to conclude that power is being concentrated in the hands of a few.
By: Nancy W on April 20, 2012
at 3:34 pm
This possibility of a repeat is what I fear. How many of us will stand up and fight it? There are so many who are very complacent…and if the youngest of us do not realize the possibilities, they will not know what is coming. Just like personal privacy, which we have all given up just by being here on the web, the younger generation does not appreciate the consequences of many of the current events. That woman and those who meet her may be able to keep the history alive to avoid such a repeat. But I am not hopeful.
By: chlost on April 21, 2012
at 10:53 am
Yes, I saw nothing on it anywhere today either. Not good stats on this at all.
By: mageb on April 20, 2012
at 5:28 pm
Exactly.
By: chlost on April 21, 2012
at 10:53 am
I’m glad that you are talking about it because genocide is still happening and the world is still ignoring it. Sudan is one example.
Although many Americans don’t know about the Holocaust, I bet they know intimate details of whoever is this year’s favorite celebrity. How sad is that.
By: yearstricken on April 21, 2012
at 6:19 am
Our society is very sad, indeed. I worry about it. I suppose my grandparents thought the same thing about us. But somehow, I think it is more worrisome now. How is it that we have all of this world-wide communication capability, and yet, we are so removed from what is happening outside our own little bubble?
By: chlost on April 21, 2012
at 11:06 am
I asked my younger if he knew what the Holocaust was and he started laughing hard and said, “No, Mom, I’m completely unaware.” Mine know – we’ve seen several movies about it and they’ve studied it in school.
By: Secret Agent Woman on April 22, 2012
at 6:28 pm
It is reassuring that some young people are aware. They are the hope. You have done well. But so many don’t know, don’t care or don’t understand.
By: chlost on April 22, 2012
at 6:33 pm