Sunday 21 March 2010

Is It Time To Draw A Line Under The Holocaust?



Hello Darlings,

Thanks for your wonderful responses to my last post. I don't want to be a meanie, really I don't. I just want to be able spend time with people who take time out of their busy lives to spend time with me.

I don't really have many friends in my life. Although I do have some really great friends, they tend to be scattered around the Globe. So having other friends around the Globe is almost perfectly natural to me. As you all know I speak to Nutty on a daily basis, but she is 150 miles up the motorway and a 2 1/2 hour drive. If we lived nearer we would see each other all the time. Friendships can easily be formed regardless of time and distance and the inter-net is fantastic for that, but I don't think we should ever lose sight of the basic rules of friendship and one of those is about putting in the effort, which you all do in abundance and have made an impact on my life. I am very grateful and thankful for that and have become fond of you all.

On Sundays I often watch a show call "The Big Questions" it's on BBC 1, one of todays questions was "Is it time to draw a line under the holocaust?". For obvious reasons I do have an interest in a question about the holocaust. Not just because I am Jewish, but also just on a very human level. I am aware that there are people out there who either totally disbelieve that the holocaust took place or who believe that it is over exaggerated, but that's not what the question was about and I don't want to get too bogged down in the details of that. People are entitled in my humble opinion to believe in what they wish to believe in. Life as I always say is about choices and I am no-one to remove choice or freedom of speech. I may not believe in what you or they believe in, however I would defend your right to believe as you wish, so long as you are not about to murder innocent peoples or oppress them and make them bend to your will. None of us are Gods, to play so mercilessly with peoples lives.

The premiss of the question was that now that the perpetrators of the atrocities are in their dotage years, being around about 80 to 90 yrs old should we still be trying to track them down and bring them to justice. Many seemed to think that enough time has passed that it is time for us to stop looking for them and bringing them to justice. That in fact no-one wants to see someone that age in the dock.

I disagree and had to ask myself why!!
Is it because I am Jewish?
Would I feel the same way if it was a Catholic or a Muslim?
Is it because I have a vengeful nature?
Is it my natural instinct and sense of justice?
Or indeed all of the above!!!!!!!!

Having worked it through my brain I have come to the conclusion that it is right to bring these people to justice. They committed crimes against humanity and if we do not bring them all to justice by tracking them down, what ever their age, we ourselves are guilty of crimes against humanity.

It is indeed a crime against humanity, to not do anything. When we sit on our collective hands and do nothing we send a message that says, go out and commit the worst atrocities you can think of, it's okay, lay low, disappear, we won't trouble you. Get married raise a family, become respectable, a pillar of your community. Even enjoy your old age and dotage. Play with the children you have, the grandchildren they give you and even the great grandchildren What ever it is you wish to do, even grow old, all the joys of life you denied others with your crimes.

Since time began there have been many many crimes against humanity and in the last century
Bosnia and Rwanda were but two of them. Then there are the crimes that the likes of Saddam Hussain committed. I could go on for hours naming them all, but that's not my point.
I seriously believe that we must bring all perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice. We owe it to the victims, to their families and to ourselves. You never know when you will be next on some crazy lunatics list.


"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

-- by Martin Niemöller, prominent German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor, best known as the author of the poem First they came....


Oh and please don't think that I am against ordinary service personnel, far from it. They do an amazing job protecting us against the mad men , a job I wouldn't want to do. I am talking about the heavy weights in all this.

To let the serious perpetrators of some of the most serious crimes against humanity, to forgive the likes of Hitler is to shame all of humanity.

13 comments:

  1. What a great and wise post, Lia.

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  2. I am not Jewish or Catholic, but I totally agree that every Nazi perpetrator should be brought to justice as well as every Catholic priest who molested children. For every survivor who still continues to suffer, those offenders deserve every punishment allowed by law.

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  3. As a firm believer of forgiveness, I'm also a firm believer of personal responsibility. You don't find one without the other--leastwise I'm unclear as to how that would work.
    That no one has come forward to say 'I did this'-- tells me something.....

    ((((((( Lia ))))))))
    And as for the other piece...you do what's best for Lia to do. Folks who care about you know it's the best thing for you--and will endorse it.
    See how simple that is?! ;-)

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  4. Dear Lia,
    These 'animals' must be brought to justice. Age has nothing to do with it. Just because the years have past, survivors, friends and relatives will suffer all of their lives and age wont stop their suffering. A crime must be punished. XXXX

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  5. As usual I am in total agreement with you Lia. When people don't have to be accountable for what they do, well, let's just say it infuriates me.

    And THIS? THIS is huge. YES, they should be brought to justice for this horrific crime against humanity no matter what their age and situation is now! OMG! Bringing them to justice would bring at least a little bit of closure, hopefully, to victims' families and some sort of peace of mind to the world. This entire thing makes me shake with anger and I would LOVE to see them be punished for the horrible, despicable things they've done in their lives.

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  6. If we don't prosecute people who commit atrocities then we are coluding with them that their behaviour was acceptable, and it isn't.
    We do not have the right to kill others in the name of religion or differing beliefs.
    What the internet has done for me has enabled me an Anglo/Irish woman to be friends with a German woman. I have visited with her and we spent a long time talking about our respective countries and families behaviour in WWII. And important way forward in understanding and getting rid of ignorance about each other and I feel priveleged to call her my friend now.
    xx

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  7. Hi Lia,
    the title of your post just caught my attention..
    I agree too that one must be responsible for acts of atrocities. The Holocaust must not be forgotten..never...
    Great post, Lia....

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  8. If we forget it we are condemed to relive it. So famous person said it and I believe it. May we never forget.

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  9. Same here..., time past or age does not matter!

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  10. I am not Jewish, but I feel the same as you, Lia. It is tragic to think that there may have been some people in the Nazi army who followed what they were asked to do for fear of their own life, but too many people followed willingly, and it is because of them that the whole thing happened. So to say that they don't need to be punished just because 60 years have gone by is wrong. Especially now, many years later, catching and prosecuting them would send a loud, clear message to the whole world that if you do something like that, you can NEVER get away with it. You will always be caught and punished.

    I think anyone who says we should draw a line under the Holocaust or stop seeking punishment for those involved is someone who didn't lose anyone in that war and for whom this issue is just a date on a piece of paper. And people like that should not be making the decisions!

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  11. First, you deserve all the friends you can get because you give so much. I cherish all the comments I get to my blog posts from you and feel the warmth that your personality emits.

    Some might say that the perpetrators of the Holocaust who haven't been caught have probably suffered much quietly. I believe that if they felt the guilt as deeply as they should, they would give themselves up and endure whatever the system chooses to do with them. If they can go on with their lives as they are obviously doing, they are definitely getting away with murder, a disgusting state of affairs.

    I respect you for taking the time to speak your mind and for inspiring us to do the same.

    Love,
    Shaddy

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  12. Well, what I believe, according to my religion, is that not everybody gets punished for certain things in this life, but they will have to deal with it in the afterlife. Everybody is going to be accountable sooner or later. I think they deserve to be punished even after the time passed, but I think if they dont get whats coming to them now, they will still get it later.
    My new blog went up today and I am so excited. Stop by and check out my brand new and improved site daaaahling. I want to know what you think. I'm also doing a fab give away.
    *kisses* HH

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  13. You doin' ok dear?

    Thinkin' of ya
    xoxo

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