Uncredited and Undated Photograph
Westerbork was established by the Dutch government as a camp for Jews fleeing persecution by the Nazis. It was taken over by the Germans in 1942, at which point it became a transit point for shipping Jews to the extermination camps. Approximately 98,000 Jews were deported from Westerbork. Virtually all of them perished. Among the victims who went to their deaths through Westerbork were Anne Frank and her older sister Margo.
May I, a non-Jewish person who converted to Judaism in 1961. add his thoughts and observations to this discussion. First, let’s agree not liking Jews is a virus disease which spreads just like the Corona-Covid 19 virus everywhere and it kills, it hurts and causes enormous suffering and totally ignores the golden rules of expected behaviour towards others. Other groups have also suffered from this type of irrational hate, meaning the blacks, the Indians, the Gypsies, the early Irish and Italian settlers in New York, and the 30 million Russians who died under Stalin’s rule.
The Jewish Faith leaders have had 200 years to address this problem of anti-Semitism but have failed to do so. I agree it’s okay to be Jewish, but is it sensible to be so different and sometimes so anti-social towards Christians that they cannot become members of the orthodox Jewish faith. For instance, is it sensible for Rabbis to refuse to speak to a non-Jewish person or to shake his or her hand? Is it wise if a non-Jewish person enters a Jewish home they will be served tea or coffee in the worst condition cup in the house because it becomes TREIFE, an unclean non-kosher item and must be destroyed afterwards if they have used it? Another slight amongst many is when a non-Jewish person leaves a synagogue the Rabbi will wish every Jewish person leaving the Sabbath morning service “Good Shabbos”, “Good Shabbos”, but will turn his back on the Christian Goy (guy) and pretend he’s not there and he will never shake their hand or acknowledge their presence. Is it wise on a crowded bus or train that a Jewish person or Rabbinical student will not allow a Christian person to sit next to them and will move to another seat if they do so?
As you can gather I am an expert on Jews and what I have seen and noticed was observed by millions of others including the likes of Hitler, Himmler, Streicher, Goering, Eichmann, Mengele, Hoess and Kaltenbrunner and 6-million died with another 5-million becoming displaced homeless persons. The evil Nazis killed and robbed the Jewish Community and confiscated what they had, they, the Nazi most certainly deserved to be executed for what they organized and allowed to happen, but could the Holocaust have been prevented by changing Jewish customs, dress and habits in tje 1890 – 1933 period ? And I ask during the last 75 years since 1945, has anything changed? No, it has not. Go to Crown Heights and Brooklynn in New York to find the answer? Was the Holocaust preventable who knows, will it happen again, Yes. Am I still Jewish, No, My wife is but I’m not, I give up 20 years ago.
Beautiful pure
Menorah candle flame soul
My people their faces