- A letter, bearing the signatures of 40 survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants, condemning the ‘massacre of the Palestinians reads: ‘….we are disgusted and outraged by Elle Wiesels abuse of our history in other media to promote blatant falsehoods used to justify the unjustifiable. wholesale effort to destroy Gaza and the murder of nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including many hundreds of children. Nothing can justify bombing UN shelters, homes, hospitals and universities. Nothing can justify depriving people of electricity and water.
- Holocaust survivors draw parallels between their own experiences and the ongoing events in Palestine today.
During our GCSE history lessons, we delved into the atrocities perpetrated by the bloodthirsty, xenophobic dictator, Adolf Hitler, and the abhorrent crimes of the Nazi party. We examined the pivotal role of Joseph Goebbels in the Nazis’ adept use of propaganda, blending modern media avenues such as films and radio with traditional campaigning tools like posters and newspapers to disseminate their message to the widest possible audience.
In our academic pursuits, we examined the roles played by the SA and the SS in the dissemination of propaganda in Nazi Germany. As adolescents, seated in our classrooms, we harboured the belief that our visiting of Nazi Germany through our educational journey, was a solemn endeavour designed to ensure that the errors of history would not be revisited.
Some of our History teachers even arranged for us to watch ‘Schindler’s List,’ a film that vividly depicted the horrors of the Holocaust, leaving an indelible mark on our young minds.
However, in the past decade, we have borne witness to an unsettling sense of history’s repetition, with the Zionist propaganda apparatus employing analogous tactics, for instance, the propagation of disinformation and fear-mongering strategies. The very same strategies we learnt about with Mrs Bartlett in Year 10.
Educators are always taught to teach holistically, to teach ‘beyond the exam paper.’ However, for those who were in authority, perhaps those lessons were merely about an exam paper, given Britain’s involvement in Gaza. Or perhaps the Palestinians are not as European and white as the Ukrainians to be worthy of any care and concern.
As the future rushes towards us, we see how Year 10 students will no longer be asked to write essays about the Führer. They will instead be enlightened about the tragic realities faced by the people of Gaza and Palestine. However, as Muslims, we hold steadfast to the belief that ultimate triumph is destined for those who believe.
Regarding the Israeli regime, one would anticipate a more enlightened approach, especially in light of the historical lessons imparted by their own heritage, marked by the pain and adversity endured by their ancestors.
Holocaust survivors, individuals who have endured one of the darkest chapters in human history, often possess a unique perspective on the world’s injustices. Recently, a growing number of survivors have drawn poignant parallels between their own experiences and the ongoing plight of Palestinians in the occupied territories. These individuals, marked by the indelible scars of their past, have become outspoken advocates for justice, recognizing the common thread of suffering that connects the horrors of the Holocaust to the struggles faced by the Palestinian people. Their voices, resonating with the echoes of history, serve as a testament to the enduring importance of truth and justice, for those who are oppressed and are facing persecution.
Hajo Meyer (Auschwitz survivor)
‘The various forms of collective punishment visited upon the Palestinian people – coerced ghettoization behind a ‘security wall’; the bulldozing of homes and destruction of fields; the bombing of schools, mosques, and government buildings; an economic blockade that deprives people of the water, food, medicine, education and the basic necessities for dignified survival – force me to recall the deprivations and humiliations that I experienced in my youth’
Mr Meyer’s full statement reads:
I am pained by the parallels I observe between my experiences in Germany prior to 1939 and those suffered by Palestinians today. I cannot help but hear echoes of the Nazi mythos of 'blood and soil' in the rhetoric of settler fundamentalism which claims a sacred right to all the lands of biblical Judea and Samaria. The various forms of collective punishment visited upon the Palestinian people - coerced ghettoization behind a ‘security wall'; the bulldozing of homes and destruction of fields; the bombing of schools, mosques, and government buildings; an economic blockade that deprives people of the water, food, medicine, education and the basic necessities for dignified survival - force me to recall the deprivations and humiliations that I experienced in my youth. This century-long process of oppression means unimaginable suffering for Palestinians.
Reuben Muscovitz (survivor of the Holocaust in Romania)
‘I compare what I went through during the Holocaust to what the besieged Palestinian children are going through’
The declaration provided by Mr. Muscovitz is as follows:
I as a Holocaust survivor cannot live with the fact that the State of Israel is imprisoning an entire people behind fences. ... It's just immoral. What happened to me in the Holocaust wakes me up every night and I hope we don't do the same thing to our neighbours. . [I compare] what I went through during the Holocaust to what the besieged Palestinian children are going through.
Dr.Gabor Mate (survivor of Budapest Ghetto)
‘The Palestinians use tunnels? So did my heroes, the poorly armed fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto. Unlike Israel, Palestinians lack Apache helicopters, guided drones, jet fighters with bombs, laser-guided artillery’
Dr.Gabor Mate‘s full statement:
The Palestinians use tunnels? So did my heroes, the poorly armed fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto. Unlike Israel, Palestinians lack Apache helicopters, guided drones, jet fighters with bombs, laser-guided artillery. Out of impotent defiance, they fire inept rockets, causing terror for innocent Israelis but rarely physical harm. With such a gross imbalance of power, there is no equivalence of culpability.... And what shall we do, we ordinary people? I pray we can listen to our hearts. My heart tells me that 'never again' is not a tribal slogan, that the murder of my grandparents in Auschwitz does not justify the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians, that justice, truth, peace are not tribal prerogatives. That Israel's 'right to defend itself,' unarguable in principle, does not validate mass killing.
Norman Finkelstein- political scientist and activist (descendant of a family wiped out in the Holocaust)
‘If you had any heart you would be crying for the Palestinians’
During a public lecture at the University of Waterloo, Finkelstein engaged with a Jewish student who expressed offence at his remarks comparing “Jews to Nazis,” leading the student to tears. Being a Jew himself, Finkelstein was in fact comparing Zionists to Nazi’s.
Finkelstein responded with the following:
I don’t respect that any more, I really don't. I don't like and I don't respect the crocodile tears. I don't like to play to a foreign audience the Holocaust part but since now I feel compelled to - my late father was in Auschwitz, my late mother ... please shut-up (applause) my late father was in Auschwitz my late mother was in Mgdonevice concentration camp - every single member of my family on both sides were exterminated, both my parents were in the Warsaw Ghetto. They taught me and my two siblings that I will not be silenced by Israel over their crimes against Palestinians. I consider nothing more despicable than to use their suffering and their martyrdom to try to justify the torture the brutalization and the demolition of homes commits against the Palestinians. I refuse any more to be intimidated to be browbeaten by the tears, if you had any heart in you, you would be crying for the Palestinians.
Dr. Marika Sherwood (survivor of Budapest ghetto)
I will not remain silent in the face of the attempted annihilation of the Palestinian people.
Dr. Marika Sherwood’s full statement:
I have to say to the Israeli government, which claims to speak in the name of all Jews, that it is not speaking in my name. I will not remain silent in the face of the attempted annihilation of the Palestinians; the sale of arms to repressive regimes around the world; the attempt to stifle criticism of Israel in the media worldwide; or the twisting of the knife labelled 'guilt' in order to gain economic concessions from Western countries. Of course, Israel's geo-political position has a greater bearing on this, at the moment. I will not allow the confounding of the terms 'anti-Semitic' and 'anti-Zionist' to go unchallenged."
A letter, bearing the signatures of 40 survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants, condemning the ‘massacre of the Palestinians’
The letter is articulated in its entirety as follows:
As Jewish survivors and descendents of survivors of the Nazi genocide we unequivocally condemn the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and the ongoing occupation and colonisation of historic Palestine. We further condemn the United States for providing Israel with the funding to carry out the attack and Western states more general for using their diplomatic muscle to protect Israel from condemnation. Genocide begins with the silence of the world. We are alarmed by the extreme, racist, dehumanisation of Palestinians in Israeli society which has reached a fever-pitch. In Israel, politicians, politicians and pundits in the The Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post have called openly for genocide of Palestinians and right-wing Israelis are adopting Neo-Nazi insignia. Furthermore, we are disgusted and outraged by Elle Wiesels abuse of our history in other media to promote blatant falsehoods used to justify the unjustifiable. wholesale effort to destroy Gaza and the murder of nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including many hundreds of children. Nothing can justify bombing UN shelters, homes, hospitals and universities. Nothing can justify depriving people of electricity and water. We must raise our collective voices and use our collective power to bring about an end to all forms of racism, including the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people.We call for an immediate end to the siege of and blockade of Gaza. We call for the full economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel. "Never again" must mean NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE!
The entire ummah is in mourning, yet we must remain steadfast, persist in our efforts to raise awareness by disseminating the truth, provide aid, and never stop making dua for the safety of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. May Allah shield the Muslims from harm….Ameen.
