Thursday, May 05, 2005

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2005 began at sunset last night and will continue until sunset tonight. Regular readers know of my interest in Holocaust history and my efforts (paltry as they are compared to those of others) to combat Holocaust denial. However, newer readers may not be aware, which gave me the idea for what to post today. In commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day, I will simply provide links to everything I can find that I've written about the Holocaust since starting this weblog:


And, in remembrance of the victims, take the time to do a little reading and learning a little more about the Holocaust and how Holocaust deniers try to minimize or deny what happened, almost always out of anti-Semitism and/or fascist beliefs. Good places to start are the Holocaust History Project and Nizkor, the two premiere sites dedicated to fighting Holocaust denial. Other sites dedicated to education about the history of the Holocaust worth checking out include (in alphabetical order):


That ought to do it for now. Please take a moment to contemplate the enormity of Hitler's crime and vow, "Never again!"

posted by Orac @ 6:30 AM

8 example(s) of insolence returned:


At 5/05/2005 9:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a very good and helpful post.

 

At 5/05/2005 12:08 PM, Blogger Rexroth's Daughter said...

I did a personal post of remembrance that I thought you might be interested in:
http://tinyurl.com/artnn
Thank you for all of the work you do on the Holocaust. Your efforts are remarkable, exhaustive, and compelling. I am utterly grateful that you give your time and energy to it.

 

At 5/05/2005 9:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it would also be illustrative to highlight those who did not go along with the Holocaust. Denmark comes to mind -in some of the history I read back in the 1970s, I recall that none of the Danes sent to concentration camps were in the death camps because of the intense interest the Danish government maintained. I really do think people united in doing the right thing can stare down those who have evil intentions. But we have to be united.

 

At 5/06/2005 1:46 AM, Anonymous Kristjan Wager said...

In every story about Denmark during WWII, it is important to remember that Germany wanted Denmark to stand out as a good example for other occupied countries. The Nazis believed, with good reason, that Denmark was willing to take a subservient role as long as the Nazis didn't oppress them too obviously.

Denmark did exactly one good thing during WWII, they helped the Danish Jews flee to Sweden, risking lives and property doing that (the Nazis didn't try to stop it too badly, as they just wanted the Jews out of the country, but the Danes involved didn't know that).

In Denmark, there is now a movement towards looking with a critical light upon the role of Denmark during WWII, and especially the role of the Danish government.
A couple of years ago, it was found out that German Jews were turned back at the German border, back to certain death, even before the Nazi occupation (which started Arpil 9th, 1940). Already then, it was known that something bad was going on in Germany, but Denmark didn't want more Jews into the country.

While there was some resistance, it was nearly unheard of before 1942, and it wasn't before Germany seemed to be loosing that the Danish resistance really started.
There were more Danes volunteering to Frikorps Danmark, which fought for the Germans at the Eastern Front, than Danes in the resistance.

As I said, in general, the only good things Denmark did during WWII, was helping the Danish Jews escape to Sweden.

 

At 5/06/2005 4:11 AM, Anonymous firefall said...

I don't wish to diminish the work you and others do to keep this remembrance alive, but I'm afraid "Never Again" rings very hollow in the light of Pol Pot, and of the Tutsi massacres of 10 years ago.

Not that I've got any better idea how to stop these horrors recurring

 

At 5/06/2005 8:54 AM, Blogger Orac said...

Actually, you guys do have a point. In fact, popularization of the hugely inflated estimates of the death toll from the Dresden bombing came, in large part, from Irving's book. Perhaps Dr. Shermer (and/or I) was too soft on Irving.

 

At 5/07/2005 10:36 AM, Blogger Carmi said...

Gina from "Just Another Day" sent me your URL, and I'm glad she did. Holocaust-related themes have helped shape much of my professional writing career.

I write an op-ed column here in London, Ontario, Canada, and although it is a secular audience, I regularly write about my background as the basis for spreading the message beyond a limited audience.

This post, and your ongoing dedication to keeping the message alive, serves as an example to anyone interested in doing more. Looks like I've got lots of new reading to do.

 

At 5/07/2005 2:20 PM, Anonymous Kristjan Wager said...

Orac, I think your comment belongs in the post below - at least, it would make more sense in that content.

 

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