Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is the day set aside to remember the victims of one of history's greatest tragedies, the massacre of over 6,000,000 European Jews by the Nazis and their allies for the "crime" of being born Jewish. In Poland, over 11,000 marched from Auschwitz to Birkenau to commemorate the dead. Here are a few links you should follow:

• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a good place to start.
• Yad Vashem is the Israeli Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority.
• The Simon Wiesenthal Center dedicates itself to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and fighting bigotry in all its forms. Its museum here in Los Angeles is well-worth visiting.
• Fausta has posted several interesting links to videos and written reflections.

And lest you think such nightmares are in the past, look here, here, and here. That's just the merest tip of the of the anti-Semitic iceberg.

And no, I'm not ignoring the terrible things that have happened to other people who've fallen victim to maniacs: Ukrainians, Armenians, Cambodians, Chinese, Kurds, and others have experienced genocide or ethnic cleansing. But the Shoah stands out for me as the most chillingly systematic effort ever to eradicate an entire people from existence. That there are fools and idiots who can minimize it, deny it, or even claim the Jews themselves organized it, is appalling.

The reason we must not forget such things is not just to remember the victims, but to recognize that it can happen again and to guard against it. The last time wasn't that long ago.

Technorati tags: Holocaust Remembrance Day, Shoah, anti-Semitism, genocide, ethnic cleansing

Comments

[John H. (Shikoku)]

Let's not forget the other 6 million victims of ethnic cleansing such as Slavic people, homosexuals, gypsies, disabled, and political dissidents.

Although they were not part of the Final Solution for the "Jewish problem" they still lost their lives due to a barbaric psychopath.

[John H. (Shikoku)]

Haha, sorry, I really should read the entry more carefully before posting. I noticed that you had said that you DIDN'T forget such groups. My apologies.

[Anthony (Los Angeles)]

Too late. The arigami are on their way. :)