Quote by Erin Gruwell, American teacher
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| Photo by Brandi Redd on Unsplash. |
History repeats itself. Over and over. Onstage, the actors change roles, their wardrobe switches, and the conflicts and weaponry are revised. Yet the underlying script remains the same. It is a story of diminishment, scorn, and persecution.
As domineering corporate and governmental leaders write a narrative of hate, they entrench their power by manipulating masses. This is done with propaganda, fear, and cloaked science.
I see this happening before my eyes every day here in Israel. The noose of persecution is pulled tighter as the leadership desperately fights for authority over the impertinent “children” who won’t listen to their stringent rules.
And yes, this is a replay of another atrocity, and as a Jew living in Israel, I feel that I am able to draw a parallel. Aspects of life in Israel in 2021 can be compared to Germany in the 1930s. Many who survived the horrific Holocaust, and now their offspring, become incensed when such a comparison is made. Yet, these Jews must allow the world to learn from this dark history so it does not repeat itself. The players, the costumes, and the weapons are different, but the plot is the same.
My husband’s parents were Holocaust survivors. On both his mother’s and father’s sides, siblings, parents, and most relatives perished. The tragedy did not end in 1945 with Germany’s surrender; although my husband’s father survived, he then died of a massive heart attack at the age of 49 from the typhoid he contracted in the Bergen Belson concentration camp. Many distant relatives in my family also perished.
So, yes, I can write about this subject, especially in the light of current events, and more so because now the perpetrator is the Jewish state subjugating its own people. Some of these Israelis survived the Holocaust, only to now witness another one looming in their own so-called free Jewish state.
There are a few child survivors like Vera Sharav who are calling a spade a spade. She said in an interview, “I can’t believe I have to bear witness again.” Her prophetic words and wisdom can be heard in this YouTube video.
A new version of the Holocaust is beginning, yet there are those Jews who take offense to any comparisons being made. In the Netherlands, Dutch politician, Thierry Baudet was forced to remove social media posts calling the new underclass the “new Jews,” as reported by MSN. The judge ruled that Baudet “pointlessly” offended Holocaust survivors and their families. Is this judge effectively ruling that history is pointless?
This ruling, in effect, forbids others to learn important lessons from history. If we do not see the daily brainwashing of the masses and the subsequent demonization against these new second class citizens, we are sleepwalking.
If we do not fight against the unfair persecution of a people who simply want to preserve their bodily rights and defend their power of choice which are protected by the Nuremberg Code from 1947, we are complicit.
If we continue turning our backs on this authoritarianism and discrimination, it could get worse, with every single person losing rights, dignity, and freedom. No, we are not going back to what people call normal any time soon–just look at the history books.
If we not show solidarity and acceptance of the other, we are missing out on what it is to be human and to have a soul. Our humanity is our compassion, our empathy, and our ability to think for ourselves.
If we remain compliant and tribal and stiff-necked, we are nothing more than animals, and that is exactly where the authorities want us; coralled and fearful like sheep in a pen.
When a survivor told of his own experience in the Holocaust, he explained that at first the Jews weren’t allowed to sit on certain park benches, so they thought, fine, there are places on the grass to sit. And then they were not allowed in public pools. Fine, the Jews thought, we can swim in the lakes and the rivers. Over time, the rules became more stringent and the public accepted them, allowing this to become a new normal. Slowly, slowly, freedom eroded into authoritarianism and totalitarianism.
Today, in Israel, a large part of the population cannot go to public pools. They cannot go into shopping malls, large stores, theaters, restaurants and more. Those who care about bodily freedom cannot learn at school or university without submitting to unreliable medical tests every few days. And even these “freedoms” are being eroded. Slowly, slowly, it drips its torpid poison.
This is not a localized phenomenon in Israel; it is happening around the world right now. Australians are being forcibly detained in so-called hotels (internment camps). Freedom of expression is curtailed, with learned experts being ridiculed and their words erased. The list goes on and on, yet most people are oblivious, blinded, and paralyzed.
So please open your eyes and see the other. Take time to investigate and try to respect others' opinions. Do not take the narrative you are fed in the media at face value. Do not believe that governments have our backs: they do not. This is an insidious war abut power, not health.
Instead, look back at history, think for yourself, and compare today to the past. History is your most valuable teacher while your individuality, conscience, and soul are your precious humanity. Do not remain silent; listen and cry out, for history is trying to repeat itself.
