Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

Anti-Semitisms lengthy history is built on ignorance and the perpetuation of lies by people who hate Jews. Its a disease far more incurable than a pandemic.

Over the centuries, despots disliked a people whose theology introduced a code of morality and justice that flipped civilizations. From pharaohs to Hitler and too many others to name, rulers responded with force and power, mostly sentencing Jews to slavery, ghettos and death.

Today, people continue to foment hate fueled by ignorance and lies, and still targeting Jews. The weapon of choice for ignorance and lies is a platform of recklessness called social media. Oh sure, when used responsibly, social media is a very productive tool. Such responsible behavior is not common these days.

But on Oct. 12, Facebook, with its users representing one-third of the worlds 7.8 billion people, decided to do something really bold about this recklessness by simply acting responsibly the social media platform decided not to allow people to lie about the Holocaust.

Days later, Twitter announced its hateful conduct policy issued its own prohibition of attempts to deny or diminish violent events, including the Holocaust. Twitter has taken aim primarily at white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Facebooks Monika Bickert announced in a blog a hate speech policy update, specifically to prohibit any content that denies or distorts the Holocaust.

The companys decision was prompted by the recent rise in anti-Semitism, not just vandalism or insults, but shootings and physical attacks, and an alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust. Bickert noted a recent survey that showed that one in four American adults between ages 18 and 39 believed the Holocaust is a myth.

One might wonder how on earth is this ignorance possible in the United States?

For decades, survivors have made presentations. Newsreel footage starkly shows the horrifying, shocking images. Books on the subject fill libraries. Two-thirds (34) of the states in the U.S. mandate some form of Holocaust or genocide education.

About the same number of states have impressive museums, mostly in major population centers, or monuments seen by many others. The 16 U.S. states without such mandates have less population cumulatively than California.

There are 43 countries in the world with Holocaust museums or memorials. In Europe, Germany boasts 22 memorials and museums. France has 13 Holocaust memorials or museums. Greece has 10 museums and monuments. Those numbers dont include memorials and displays in synagogues and temples.

Yad Vashem The World Holocaust Remembrance Center makes available ready to print exhibitions. Auschwitz-Birkenau is widely visited, but the solemnity of this hallowed earth is lost with eye-catching signage that welcomes tour buses.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has exhibitions ready for travel. Steven Spielbergs Shoah Foundation has created captivating holographic interviews of survivors that will give life to eyewitness accounts long after survivors take their final breaths.

The United Nations and its agencies, notably UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization), with all of its flaws, embraces Holocaust education with permanent displays of art and various publications.

In May, the latest Holocaust-related legislation passed in Congress was the Never Again Education Act. More than 30 countries have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.

Despite all of the access to information, what has the world learned? It has learned that ancient hate thrives in the modern world.

So, Facebooks banning of Holocaust denial is an important, courageous act of media leadership.

Its been a long time coming and Bnai Brith International has long advocated such a move. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is to be commended, though the company admits that enforcing the policy, policing the platform, will be quite a challenge.

Twitters announcement is equally welcome. But if the bright Facebook and Twitter coders can write algorithms and direct users with hashtags and other tools, they should be able to identify keywords that will curb the volume of hate posts before they hit the digital universe.

Germans worked hard to keep the Holocaust secret.

Rumors swirled as work camps becoming death camps Dachau, Chelmo, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, Auschwitz were shockingly real. But the Nazis own record-keeping carefully lays out the horrific truth of the Holocaust.

Nazis even documented mass shootings, starvations, experimental surgeries, the crematoria, the piles of skeletal bodies. Thousands of camps dotted Nazi-controlled European countries. Eleven million people, more than six million Jews, were systematically murdered.

Of course anti-Semitism didnt begin, or end, with the Holocaust, and rulers have been complicit in Jew hatred for thousands of years.

With the modern Jewish State of Israel maturing nicely at 72, the lies that generated anti-Semitism continue today from across the political spectrum, from extreme Islamists and with U.N. resolutions denying any ancient Jewish connection to the Western Wall, not to mention any Jewish roots there in general.

The United Nations could and should learn from the example of Facebook. Resolutions that deny undeniable Jewish history insult the U.N. mission. As for other media all media they should learn from the Facebook and Twitter examples.

For a media platform that could never police itself adequately from lies, rage baiting and hate all things wrong Facebook got this one right.

And Twitter followed.

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Facebook, Twitter on the Right Side of History With Bans on Holocaust Denial - InsideSources

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

Twitter announced last week that it will remove posts that deny the Holocaust.

Bloomberg first reported the move on Oct. 14.

Our Hateful Conduct Policy prohibits a wide range of behavior, including making references to violent events or types of violence where protected categories were the primary victims, or attempts to deny or diminish such events, a Twitter spokesperson told the outlet.

Twitters mission is to serve the public conversation and ensure the service is a place where people can express themselves safely, added the spokesperson. We strongly condemn anti-Semitism, and hateful conduct has absolutely no place on our service. We also have a robust glorification of violence policy in place and take action against content that glorifies or praises historical acts of violence and genocide, including the Holocaust.

Twitters move came just days after Facebook announced that it is banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust.

Despite the decision, along with Google, the social-media site has declined to participate in a virtual event this week hosted by the U.S. State Department on combating anti-Semitism online.

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Twitter intends to remove posts denying the Holocaust - Cleveland Jewish News

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

Twitter CEO and Co Founder, Jack Dorsey addresses students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), on November 12, 2018 in New Delhi, India.

Amal KS | Hindustan Times | Getty Images

Twitter confirmed it is going to start removing posts that deny the Holocaust just two days after Facebook implemented the same policy.

"We strongly condemn anti-Semitism, and hateful conduct has absolutely no place on our service," said a Twitter spokesperson in a statement Wednesday.

"We also have a robust 'glorification of violence' policy in place and take action against content that glorifies or praises historical acts of violence and genocide, including the Holocaust."

The news was first reported by Bloomberg. Twitter's Hateful Conduct Policy prohibits making references to violent events or attempts to deny or diminish such events.

Around 6 million Jews were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, which started in 1941 and ended in 1945.

British rapper Wiley was banned from Twitter in July after he posted a series of anti-Semitic tweets. Tweets from Wiley's account asserted that Jews have systematically exploited Black musicians. In one tweet, which has now been deleted, he compared Jews to the Ku Klux Klan.

On Monday, Facebook announced that it will ban content that "denies or distorts the Holocaust," reversing its earlier policy. The company said it introduced the change after noticing a rise in anti-Semitism.

In a 2018 podcast interview, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook didn't remove Holocaust-denying content because it must allow for the possibility that users are making unintentional mistakes. "I don't think that they're intentionally getting it wrong," Zuckerberg said of users who shared that type of content.

In announcing the change, Facebook said: "Our decision is supported by the well-documented rise in anti-Semitism globally and the alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially among young people."

On Monday, actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen wrote on Twitter that "Facebook should have banned Holocaust denial long ago, but better late than never."

He called on Twitter, YouTube, Reddit and Google to do the same, saying it was "not a hard call."

CNBC's Michelle Gao contributed to this article.

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Twitter follows Facebook on removing posts that deny the Holocaust - CNBC

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

Saul Dreier didnt pick up the drumsticks until he was 89 years old, but he is motivated by a dream: to perform and share the klezmer music that sustained him during his time in concentration camps. Only a few years later, he and his friend, 87-year-old accordionist/keyboardist Ruby Sosnowicz, form the Holocaust Survivor Band.

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The duo are on a mission to share their lust for life and spread peace to the world. Their pursuit takes a new direction as they read about the rise of antisemitism and prejudice: The bands new goal is to return to Poland, where they were born, and perform in tribute to their families and so many others who perished.

Join director Tod Lending and film subjects Saul Dreier and Ruby Sosnowicz for a live Q&A and musical performance.This live program is included with the purchase of the corresponding film ticket or a Boston Jewish Film Festival pass.

Tod Lending is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer, director and cinematographer whose work has been broadcast on television, played at national and international festivals, screened theatrically and inspired the passing of federal legislation. He is the president and founder of Nomadic Pictures in Chicago.

Saul Dreier is the founder of the Holocaust Survivor Band and survivor of several years of concentration camps. After liberation, Dreier moved to the U.S., where he met his wife and started his business. Ruby Sosnowicz is the co-founder and musical director of the Holocaust Survivor Band who survived Nazi persecution and later became a historian, archivist and performer of Jewish music with numerous orchestras and bands.

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Saul & Ruby's Holocaust Survivor Band Performance and Q&A - jewishboston.com

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

Germany plans to pay more than half a billion dollars to Holocaust survivors who are struggling to get by during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), the organization that negotiates compensation with the German government, said Wednesday that $662 million in COVID-19 relief aid will be divided among about 240,000 of the poorest Holocaust survivors. The survivors are located primarily in Israel, North America, the former Soviet Union and Western Europe.

"These increased benefits achieved by the hard work of our negotiation's delegation during these unprecedented times, will help our efforts to ensure dignity and stability in survivors' final years," said Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference. "We must meet the challenges of the increasing needs of survivors as they age, coupled with the new and urgent necessities caused by the global pandemic. It will always remain our moral imperative to keep fighting for every survivor."

Eligible survivors will receive two supplemental payments of $1,400 each over the next two years. This is in addition to $4.3 million in emergency funds distributed by the Claims Conference in the spring.

According to the Claims Conference, a large portion of Holocaust survivors, especially those in the former Soviet Union, are living in poverty, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Survivors, who are all elderly, face increased health, emotional and financial barriers due to the pandemic, which disproportionally affects older populations.

"In the face of a devastating global pandemic, it was vital to secure larger increases for survivors while also seeking immediate funds to help them through these extremely challenging times," said Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat, Claims Conference Special Negotiator.

Negotiators emphasized the need for extra funds to cover the cost of groceries, medicine, personal protective equipment, transportation to doctors and other pandemic-related expenses.

The organization said that the most recent negotiations with Germany also resulted in a $36 million increase in funding for social welfare services for survivors compared to last year, for a total of $651 million. Additionally, it classified certain regions in Bulgaria and Romania as "open ghettos," which allows survivors living there to receive compensation payments from the Claims Conference.

The organization said the funding is used for in-home care for more than 83,000 survivors and other vital services for more than 70,000 others.

According to the Claims Conference, negotiations since 1952 have led to the German government paying more than $70 billion in Holocaust reparations to over 800,000 survivors.

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Germany to give $662 million to Holocaust survivors struggling during the coronavirus pandemic - CBS News

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

EUGENE, Ore. -- In 1944, Loulke Wilders was just 8 years-old when he was taken off the streets of Germany.

"We were picked up by the SS and Kostovo," Wilders said. "My camp was Buchenwalde."

For two years, Wilders and several other young boys served as experimental subjects for medical procedures at Nazi concentration camps.

"They were very sadistic," Wilders said.

And at 84 years-old, he can still remember some of the horrific experiments.

"They brought me in the lab and they had a kind of light, ultra violet," he said. "They burned the hell out of my face. I cried, I screamed, I kicked."

The torture Wilders experienced continues to impact his health, especially his hearing.

He recalled a time when he heard loud, bomb sounds for three days straight.

"From that time on, they probably damaged my nerves," Wilders said. "I cannot hear very well anymore."

He said he was given injections of mysterious serums. He said he was beaten to the point of broken bones. However, Wilder believes the starvation was even worse than the torture.

"The most terrible thing that I can remember is that we were so hungry," Wilders said.

Lolke Wilders endured and lived through some of the darkest horrors of the Holocaust. With the world being in such an uncertain time, he feels the last thing we need is hate.

Last week, he and some friends held a small rally in West Eugene. The goal was to urge unity, not division.

"We can make things so much better and that is my wish."

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Holocaust survivor shares story to promote change and unity - KEZI TV

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

21 October 2020, 12:06 | Updated: 21 October 2020, 16:48

The Violins of Hope contain in their wooden forms the stories of utmost pain, loss and hope, having survived a period in history that many of their owners didnt.

The philosopher and writer George Santayana once said, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Today, the atrocities of the Holocaust are remembered in stories: told through literature, film, art and word of mouth. But knowledge also exists in artefacts that outlive the times theyre created in, or before, and endure. The Violins of Hope are such artefacts.

The Violins of Hope are a collection of violins, violas and cellos that were owned by Jewish people, and played by Jewish musicians, before and during World War Two. The project to collect these instruments and tell their stories was founded by Israeli violin maker, Amnon Weinstein.

The instruments have endured the atrocities faced by their owners during the Holocaust. They poignantly carry the memories, scars and stories of the survivors, those lost, and those family members and others who have handed them in to the collection.

All the instruments have one thing in common: not only did they endure the conflict, but they also ensured the Holocaustwill be remembered through the powerful medium of music.

Read more: This utterly inspirational pianist survived the Holocaust >

Often these instruments were played in brutal circumstances during the Holocaust, Canadian composer Jaap Nico Hamburger tells Classic FM.

Examples include the Men and Womens orchestras in Auschwitz, where prisoners were forced to play upbeat tunes as fellow prisoners were marched into the gas chambers.

A famous example is the niece of Gustav Mahler, Alma Ros, a violin prodigy who before the war gave concerts all over Europe, and during was made to be leader of the Womans Orchestra in Auschwitz. She died at Auschwitz in 1944.

Some of these instruments survived, even if the musicians did not, Hamburger says. Its about giving a voice, through these instruments, to musicians who showed resilience, dared to hope, and defied the odds by creating art in a place where art did not live.

Hamburger has written two symphonies to commemorate the lives lost during the Holocaust, and the Violins of Hope were played at the premiere of the Second Symphony, which will be released next month on a new recording on Leaf Music.

Before the Second World War, approximately 9.5 million Jews lived in Europe (1.7 percent of the total European population). By 1945, almost 60 percent had been murdered, Hamburger says.

If we just look at the demographic of children in the ages of 0-18 years old, we see that by the end of World War Two, approximately 95 percent of Jewish children in occupied Europe had been murdered.

The composer stresses the importance of memory in his work. Why is it important to remember these events? Well, in the 20th century, a highly civilised, academically and technically advanced society in the middle of Europe conceived, organised, and perpetrated mass murder on an industrial scale.

It portrayed this mass murder as a national priority and carried out the mass murder with the active participation (or at least condoning) of a majority of its population.

Hamburger adds that by remembering the past, we can look to the future. It might be preferable to think of these events as having occurred a long time ago, in a country far away.

However, there have been far too many repeat atrocities since, that put the slogan Never Again to shame: the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda, the war in the former Yugoslavia, the civil war in Syria, the internment of Uygurs in western China, just to name a few.

If we fail to learn even from the most extreme events such as the Holocaust, then indeed we are doomed to repeat them, he says, speaking exclusively to Classic FM.

Hamburger is also the son of Holocaust survivors. My parents turned their experience during the war, and the loss of their entire families, into fuel for rebuilding, infusing me with a sense of responsibility toward my fellow human beings.

The recording of Symphony No. 2 Children War Diaries featured the Violins of Hope.

It made the experience for me, and hopefully also for the audience, so much more meaningful. I remain deeply grateful to the Montreal Holocaust Museum and Concept Duo who made this possible.

Speaking about his two new symphonies, Hamburger says, Persecution of Jews is as old as the history of the Jewish people. But we are still here. Thats resilience. We build, and re-build, we create, and re-create.

In Symphony No.1, I try to give voice to those who suffered and survived, and in Symphony No.2, to those who suffered and did not.

Life and music are inconceivable in the absence of purpose. And with purpose comes hope and resilience. For me, hope and resilience are as essential as food, drink, light and air.

Hamburgers inspiring belief in hope, crucially applied to the Holocaust and Holocaust memory, can also be of comfort today.

Coronavirus has made this year challenging for music and the arts with performances coming to a halt, and unspeakably difficult for those who have been seriously ill or lost loved ones due to COVID-19. But where theres darkness, there is always hope.

The most hopeful thing for me is to see how people all over the world are demonstrating resilience and a willingness to make extraordinary efforts to protect themselves and each other from this invisible enemy, Hamburger says.

There will soon be working vaccines and even more effective antiviral treatments. Society will re-define a new normal, concert halls will reopen, and artists will reconnect with their audiences.

He adds: And hopefully, all of that will happen in a spirit of heightened appreciation for life, and the binding beauty of shared experience.

Jaap Nico Hamburgers Symphony No. 1 Remember to Forget and Symphony No. 2 Children War Diaries, featuring the Violins of Hope, are out on Leaf Music on 6 November. Visit leaf-music.ca and http://www.violins-of-hope.com to find out more.

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The Holocaust-surviving violins that endured atrocities to tell a vital story - Classic FM

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

By The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS Holocaust survivor and forgiveness advocate Eva Mozes Kor who died last year at the age of 85 will be honored with a mural in Indianapolis.

The 53-foot-tall portrait of Kor is expected to be completed by the end of November, the Indianapolis Star reported. It will be painted on the side of the 500 Festival Building in the city's downtown. Kor will take her place alongside other local legends, including Reggie Miller, Kurt Vonnegut and Mari Evans, who also have murals in the city.

She stood 49 in real life, said Ted Green, a documentary filmmaker who followed Kor for years and helped commission the mural, but she was a giant.

Earlier this month, Kors son, Alex, alongside artist Pamela Bliss, painted the first strokes of what will be an image of Kor, smiling and flashing a peace sign, with her signature message, hope, healing, and forgiveness.

This is my effort, along with so many other people, to kind of extend my moms legacy, her son said. Quite frankly, with the social unrest weve had here in the United States, particularly in downtown Indianapolis, I hope my moms mural is a beacon of light.

Kor was born in 1934 to a Jewish family in Romania, which later fell under German military occupation in World War II. In 1944, Kor and her family were deported to Auschwitz where her parents and two older sisters were killed in a gas chamber. Kor and her twin sister, Miriam, were experimented on and tortured by the Nazi Angel of Death Dr. Josef Mengele, who she forgave years later.

John Abrams, a friend of Kor who also helped commission the mural, said she spread her message like a pied piper to young people. For them to learn that theres hope and that you can heal, and that you can forgive, is a life message that is very important.

In 1984, Kor and her twin started a nonprofit called Candles (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors). That following year, she opened the Candles Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute and publicly forgave the Nazis in Auschwitz on the 50th anniversary of the liberation.

Eva has left an everlasting impact on Hoosiers, our country and our world, Gov. Eric Holcomb said. This mural will be an enduring reminder of her spirit of forgiveness and love.

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

An Auschwitz exhibit is coming to Union Station Kansas City this June, and local Holocaust survivor Judy Jacobs urges all to see it.

The exhibit is titled Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. It will feature over 1,000 artifacts and photos, making it the most comprehensive Holocaust exhibit to ever tour North America.

The exhibit will arrive at Union Station in June 2021.

Having been an inmate in Bergen-Belsen, I have been exposed to misery in the concentration camps, Jacobs said. Nevertheless, I do plan to visit the exhibit when it arrives at Union Station. I plan to attend in order to honor the memories of those who perished there, including my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and 1,100,000 of my Jewish brothers and sisters. Hopefully, I can learn something new as well.

Jacobs, who is also a UMKC alumna, said she believes it is important to take part in politics and educate oneself about the past, as this can prevent an atrocity like the Holocaust from happening again.

Hitlers enablers were millions of passive bystanders, Jacobs said. None were innocent. The bulk of German citizenry, as well as much of the world, inactively stood by as the Final Solution was methodically executed.

Jacobs also expressed how being able to view artifacts up close and in person will allow the Holocaust to feel more real to a generation who may feel less connected to it.

Artifacts from Auschwitz are tangible reminders of what happened there, Jacobs said. For those who have not been exposed to Holocaust studies, it is a poignant and shocking history lesson. There are Holocaust deniers who insist the Holocaust never happened or that it was not catastrophic. Artifacts provide further evidence of what occurred in Auschwitz.

Andrew Bergerson, a UMKC professor and historian who focuses on modern German history and the Holocaust, agrees going to the exhibit this summer and seeing these artifacts will leave a lasting impression.

We once again live in an era in which elected representatives of the people are belittling science and denying facts for political purposes, Bergerson said. Social media has become a platform for proliferating (actually quite traditional) antisemitic conspiracy theories; and violent people are responding with violent acts.

Bergerson said objects and places tied to these mass atrocities have an aura of authenticity, which encourages people to take the facts of antisemitism and genocide more seriously.

It opens our hearts and minds to the suffering of the victims, Bergerson said.

Bergerson also emphasized the importance of studying the Holocaust now, to avoid making similar mistakes involving antisemitism, racism and genocide, but he specified that while history has a lot of similarities, every situation or historical event is unique.

Trump is not Hitler, Bergerson said, But violent words do lead to violent actions. Racism kills in the United States on a daily basis, and antisemitism is on the rise. Recognizing current trends as a contemporary American version of fascism helps us to understand how to fight against it.

Bergerson, like Jacobs, strongly encourages students to view the exhibit and plans to organize a group for UMKC students to go to Union Station Kansas City when the exhibit arrives.

rgs9td@mail.umkc.edu

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Union Station to host Holocaust exhibit this summer | University News - University News

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Posted By admin on October 21, 2020

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Amazon

Sacha Baron Cohen typically films his documentaries in secret, with unsuspecting subjects taking part in his politically charged comedy stunts. The comedian rarely tells his subjects they are being set up in order to capture their genuine reactions to outrageous inquiries and requests. Its a decision that can have near-violent consequences, as Cohen almost ignited a riot after crashing a far-right rally over the summer while filming Borat 2. But even Cohen knows there are limits to who he can dupe for his movies. Deadline reports that Cohen broke with tradition while filming the upcoming Borat sequel in order to explain a scene to a Holocaust survivor in which Borat uses anti-Semitic hate speech.

The scene in question features Judith Dim Evans, who passed away between filming the scene and the Borat 2 release later this month. (The film is reportedly dedicated to her.) Per Deadline: Out of respect, [Cohen] had someone tell Evans and [her] friend who shares the scene with her that Baron Cohen was himself Jewish and playing an ignorant character as a means of Holocaust education. The scene features Borat using anti-Semitic language, as Evans challenges the character by sharing her own Holocaust story.

Despite reports that Cohen reportedly had someone tip Evans off about his Jewish identity so that she would understand the intention of the scene, Evans estate has filed a lawsuit in Georgia against the Borat team claiming she did not know she was appearing in a satire that mocks the Holocaust and Jewish culture. According to Deadlines sources close to the filmmakers, Cohens team notified Evans about the real nature of the scene after it was shot. Deadline also reports there is footage of Evans being told the context of the scene, as well as Cohens real identity.

The scene is shaping up to be one of the defining moments of Borat 2 for Cohen. In addition to dedicating the film to Evans, Deadline reports the filmmaking team worked with some members of Evans family to set up a website in her honor. Cohen has also reportedly tasked Amazon Prime to agree to create a way for viewers of the film to hear Evans tell the story of what happened to her family during WWII, separate from that of the feature.

Borat 2 begins streaming October 23 on Amazon Prime.

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Sacha Baron Cohen Broke Tradition on Borat 2 by Revealing His Identity to Holocaust Survivor - IndieWire

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