Verging on Holocaust denial

[Violet_Crumble]

The Jewish settlers in the territories who wrote their identity numbers on their arms, and the reasons they gave for doing this, testify to the necessity for the public to deal anew with the phenomenon of everyday use of the Holocaust.

With an increasing degree of sharpness, many Israelis are using motifs that they perceive as clear symbols of the Holocaust in the political debate. It seems there is no longer any point in the protests and expressions of shock that come as a conditioned response after any such incident - especially in light of the fact that they fall on deaf ears. Even the argument of hurting Holocaust survivors is no longer effective. Evidence of this can be found in the response of Ronny Bakshi, the originator of the idea of using the orange patch, to the use of the number on the arm: "I don't take into account what people think, but rather do as I feel."

There needs to be a rethinking of everything connected to the Holocaust in our national experience, on two levels: the first, a clarification of the reasons for the use made of the Holocaust in the political and ideological debate before us; the other, and the more important, national soul-searching concerning the question of the failure of our education system insofar as the Holocaust is concerned.

The story of the Holocaust has long been a key element in Israeli national identity. The story Israelis tell themselves, with a great degree of justice, depicts the Jewish people as the victim of an evil unparalleled in the history of mankind, an evil that is the fruit of German murderousness accompanied by the collaboration of the peoples of Europe or, at best, their indifference. In this story it is always the Jewish people that is in the right and is the accuser. The peoples of the world are obligated to stand before it abashed and ashamed.

In light of this, it is only natural that in the debate we are conducting among ourselves and with the world on the issue of the results of the Six-Day War, it is very convenient to invoke an event in which we were only right and the world was only guilty and wrong. The entire public gathers around the consensus of the memory of the Holocaust in this form. The discourse constantly heard about the lessons of the Holocaust and the testament of the murdered also contribute their part. Those who were murdered, as is well known, were not a uniform entity and did not leave behind any will and testament, and therefore the lessons of the Holocaust, as a huge human tragedy, must remain within the realm and sovereignty of the individual. The talk about the lessons of the Holocaust flattens the discourse on the Holocaust and leads to "herd phenomena" of mistaken and deceptive exploitations of its memory and the memory of its victims.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/603297.html

[bemildred]

1. Chirp. Fribbet. Cheep. Wickoo wickoo. Splash. ...

C'mon, it's the holocaust, where's the flame war?

FWIW, I agree with Hanna, somewhat, you use important ideas to sell soap and pursue expedient political ends, after a while the meaning becomes adulterated, vitiated, it becomes political cant. The memory of the Holocaust deserved better than to become a fund-raising tool and political theme park.