Remember the victims of the Nazi Holocaust
JVL Introduction
In the run up to Holocaust Memorial Day 2024 we will be publishing a few relevant pieces. David Rosenberg, from Jewish Socialist Group spoke at a meeting on this issue on Sunday 21st January and here is his speech. As well as providing information about Auschwitz-Biekenau, he reminds us that the victims came from many communities. David also asks questions relating to the failures of Britain and its allies to do more to protect those under the Nazi jackboot. David ends by talking about the Jewish Resistance and the importance of resistance.
This year’s theme is “The Fragility of Freedom”. As we write we are aware that there are peoples in the world who have not known freedom in their lives. We remember the Nazi genocide both to honour the victims of the atrocities and to learn the lessons. In this context David’s questions are especially important since we must now ask what are Britain and its allies doing to protect those under threat of genocide today? We can see what is happening in Palestine and know that it is not only in Palestine where human lives are considered so easily expendable we can look to the Congo, Sudan and far, far too many other countries where life is treated as cheap when, as humanitarians, we know that it is the most precious thing. Never Again – for anybody!
LL
This article was originally published by Rebel Notes Blog on Sun 21 Jan 2024. Read the original here.
Humanising the lives of the 6 million
Talk by David Rosenberg at National/Waltham Forest Stand Up To Racism event for Holocaust Memorial Day 2024
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My father came from Torún , a city close to Warsaw . He described how helpless many felt , as they saw cattle trucks coming into the station filled with innocent souls . The inability to do anything stayed with him for the rest of his life . He was taken at 14 . He lived through that terrible time , and along with another boy , escaped and made it to France , travelling by night , and sleeping by day . He joined the Polish free army at 17 . He had depression , nightmares and mood swings for the rest of his life . His depression would last for months . My DNA is just under five percent Ashkenazi Jew , but a huge amount Sephardi , tracing back through the time when the Jews were driven out of Iberia . A day to remember the holocaust is exactly that , one day . I know that the survivors lived every day remembering it . I cannot understand why it should be done to another people . Never again should mean , NEVER AGAIN .
Thank you for this message that spreads the sanctity of human life to all whose lives have been and are considered less worthy of compassion. It is true we have much to learn regarding how we collectively recognise the threat of racism plus fascism.