It Started With DIVISION, Not Gas Chambers- 'Us vs. Them'...

[appalachiablue]

- On The Anniversary Of The Liberation Of Auschwitz. Remembering and Honoring Those That Were Lost. Daily Kos, Jan. 27, 2022.

This is a republication, for the most part, from a diary that i post here every International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Much of the content was first published in 1997, in a gender friendly Siddur in which i was a member of, and contributor to, the editing team.

There is no coincidence that January 27th was specifically picked because that was the day, in 1945, that the Soviet army entered Auschwitz-Birkenau and liberated more than 7,000 remaining prisoners. That was followed by the Americans liberating Dachau and Buchenwald, England liberating Bergen-Belsen and on and on until all the 20 major and over 1,200 camps and sub-camps were liberated.

Today is the 76th anniversary of that event in Auschwitz. On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Personally, i can trace the deaths of my ancestors to four separate camps. Auschwitz is but one. In 1941, a Polish couple, he a postmaster and his wife a seamstress... Catholics… were neighbors to my distant cousins and their two families. They tried to hide them… to protect them.

And were successful in doing so for 4 months…. until another neighbor discovered this and turned them in. My ancestors, and this couple… and their children... were sent to Auschwitz and disappeared into the horrors of the Shoah. In just the short time of my tenure here, there are now many in roles of great importance that are trying to normalize those that are goose-stepping over the rights and very lives of our brethren...

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/1/27/2077194/-On-The-Anniversary-Of-The-Liberation-Of-Auschwitz-Remembering-And-Honoring-Those-That-Were-Lost



L 'Chaim! To Life!!

[wnylib]

1. How many of us have wondered

what we would have done if we had lived then? Would we have had the courage and integrity to speak out when the divisions began?

Well, we now are called upon to answer that question, right here, right now.

What are we currently doing to stop the RW hate propaganda and actions?

What will we do if the Trump fascists gain control of the Congress and WH?

I suggest massive protests across the country and in DC at the first sign of divisions into us and them. Also, civil disobedience.

The targets in the US would be: Blacks, Jews, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, political leaders on the left, celebrities on the left, LGBTQ people, the poorest and neediest among us, and women.

Right now we should take public stands against schools that disallow teaching accurate US history of race relations and genocides.

Do not wait until it is too late

[appalachiablue]

2. You cover all critical points, well said. There's no time to wait..

[kimbutgar]

3. Never has a president so divided a country as assolini

You could still talk and associate with Bush supporters. The way assolini divided us, families breaking up, friendships lost and hostile work environments. I’ve lost several friends and on my husbands side we tiptoe each other at family events avoiding politics because luckily my 90 year old mother in law is a liberal but we can’t talk politics around her while she’s still alive.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. I agree!

While there are few who support, mostly those who supported, him to which a descent conversation can take place, most of the time, even a discussion about paper towels can turn into an all-out brawl.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. It's how it ALWAYS begins; dehumanization of the "other".

Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia are two of the most modern examples of this and the genocide that follows. One thing many still seem to miss, is they (the ones doing this evil) never stop with just ONE group...NEVER! In pre-war Germany, the open hostility to Jews was ignored on the world stage and was even "rationalized" by a few "thinkers" on the left, that came back to bit them in the ass! Of course, while all of the outward hostility was happening against the Jews, those with mental and physical disabilities were being systematically murdered behind the scenes. People really didn't know what was happening with the T-4 sites; even some of the nurses and doctors weren't "in the know". I read, years ago, of a few nurses and a doctor (or two) who quit because they couldn't take the stress of losing so many patients, especially on the children's ward. A decision was reached to only bring in those who knew what was happening or have special wards, in larger hospitals, which were heavily restricted. It was the blueprint for "The Final Solution to the Jewish Question".

It means we have to be able to open our eyes to our blind spots. Anti-Semitism wasn't just a problem then, it is STILL a problem, but sadly, many don't see it as a "real" problem and don't see Jews as "real" minorities; and this, is also a form of dehumanization, and it is happening in our midst!

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread appalachiablue.