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Plans made locally to observe Holocaust Remembrance Day
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While any religion is about love, some choose to make it about hatred.
So it has been in South Florida recently and during the Jewish Passover holiday, leading up to Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday.
A Chabad Lubavitcher Jewish Center in Miami Beach was burned to the ground on April 22. On Thursday, a Chabad synagogue in Parkland -- a Fort Lauderdale suburb -- was vandalized with a swastika.
Thankfully, no one was injured, said Rabbi Fishel Zaklos, of Chabad Lubavitcher of Naples, who lost family in the Holocaust.
Crimes of hate are crimes of ignorance, Zaklos said, noting one remedy: “We just have to go out there and educate, and enlighten, and spread goodness. It’s all about goodness.”
That’s the message of the Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida. While the building was vandalized two months ago, Collier sheriff’s deputies classified it as vandalism, not a hate crime, but also acknowledged it wasn’t random.
With several organizations and synagogues commemorating Holocaust victims this weekend, the issue of security has been raised.
This week, museum executive director Miriam Ross said one has to look at the big picture.
Whether hatred is expressed toward Jews, African-Americans, or any religion, race or culture, “hatred is a big problem in our society,” Ross said.
That fact “elevates what we have to do (at the museum) and why it’s so important to go out into the community and teach the children,” Ross said.
Since its unveiling earlier this year, an authentic Nazi boxcar -- which transported hundreds of thousands of victims -- has been on display in Naples, and travels from school to school to teach children about the dangers of hatred and the benefits of tolerance.
Holocaust survivor and museum president emeritus Jack Nortman, who located, purchased, restored and dedicated the boxcar to the museum, also stresses tolerance.
While Nortman’s parents were boxcar prisoners for six weeks, and Nortman was born in a displaced persons camp, the message applies to any group promoting homicidal hatred against another group of people, Nortman said.
But Nortman isn’t unaware of the terror evoked when one sees a swastika.
Nortman grew up in the Chicago suburb of Skokie. In 1977, a court battle ensued when neo-Nazis announced they would parade through Skokie, bearing the swastika. At the time, Skokie was largely an immigrant Jewish community, with many Holocaust survivors.
“My dad was a Holocaust survivor. When he (and his business partner) saw the Nazi flags, they went berserk. All the memories came right back up,” Nortman said.
A number of Holocaust survivors had emotional breakdowns and began attacking the neo-Nazis.
Since the U.S. is a nation that endorses freedom of speech, the neo-Nazis’ right to parade was protected by Illinois courts, police and it was some of the Holocaust survivors who were arrested for attacking those carrying the swastika.
When asked if area law enforcement would be stepping up protection so Holocaust Remembrance Day could be commemorated without violence, Collier sheriff spokeswoman Karie Partington said there is a heightened awareness.
“We are going to be super vigilant. We always keep our ear to the ground,” Partington said.
Asked if he was concerned, since Temple Shalom in North Naples is hosting a Holocaust survivor on Sunday evening, Rabbi Brad Bloom said one can’t live in terror.
“I draw on inspiration from a great rabbi who once said the world is a narrow bridge, and when you walk upon it, do not be afraid,” Bloom said.
“We will not be deterred by any threat, and we always take into consideration security in whatever we do,” said Bloom, who was a rabbi in Sacramento in 1999 when three synagogues were attacked.
“There’s always hatred. It’s not just us, but anyone who does not fit the mold,” Bloom said. “You cannot live a life being defined by someone else’s hatred.”
Temple Shalom’s Yom HaShoah service is set for 4 p.m. Sunday.
“The purpose of this service is to provide a spiritual context for Jews to mourn,” Bloom said.
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I find it interesting that while we, the United States, have build museums to show and remember the struggles and sorrows of those who survived the Holocaust other nations have taking a different approach. Through the desire to be political correct the Brittish and other EU countries have removed all references of the Holocaust from school history books. It seems that the immigrant Muslim community finds it to be offensive. It’s sad when a government refuses to acknowledge world history and teach it as it was because one group fines the material offensive. This argument would have made more sense coming from German immigrants not Muslims. If you don’t teach history the way it was recorded through the years there is a good chance future generations will repeat the same mistakes of the past. This nation is headed the same direction with it’s desire to be politically correct. Our government and society are so afraid to offend someone inadvertently that we have remove Christmas from advertising just to name one. History is neither good or bad, its history, teach it, learn from it, but don’t fear it, and please don’t try to re-write or deny it to suit a political agenda.
#1 Posted by dragonfire on May 3, 2008 at 6:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For every country that denies what happened, another country steps up to tell the story; albeit a tragic and horrific tale.
Enduring a unique opportunity to walk through Camp Dachau in Germany, there were candles lit in memory of the horrific acts that transpired there.
I recall that I cried and yelled out in utter shock at the horrible acts at the hands of Nazi's. They were brainwashed into beliefs that were so utterly untrue, and downright twisted by Hitler and his group of extremists.
The most important goal that can be learned from this.... don't let history repeat itself.
First, let us fully understand why this horrific Holocaust took place, and never allow it to happen again.
Future generations must know about this tragedy, and come to terms with how this happened in the first place.
The Holocaust Museum accomplishes this task perfectly well in Collier County. My children, and hopefully grandchildren may not have a chance to visit a concentration camp, but they can at least visit this museum to fully understand what happened.
We must never, ever, ever, allow this to happen again.
The Holocaust Museum and the new box car accomplishes this task in a way that shows youth of Collier County how horrible the conditions of the Holocaust were for the many surivors, and thier families who also lost thier lives in the camps.
Meanwhile, God-speed to the U.S. Marshals who find the laid-back Nazi's in retirement, who are still lounging around, knowing that they were once involved in these horrific acts of human cruelty.
My favorite catch was the old ex-Nazi on Marco about six years ago.
Well-done U.S Marshalls....keep looking for the suspects, and they'll be found eventually.
#2 Posted by beetlejuice on May 4, 2008 at 12:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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