Holocaust Memorial Day: The 61st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz
Today, the 61st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the most notorious of Nazi camps, by the Red Army, is also Holocaust Remembrance Day in the U.K. The theme this year is the celebration of the courage of rescuers who helped the persecuted:
It occurs to me that I've never written about rescuers, and perhaps I should do so sometime. In the meantime, for those of you who weren't regulars or never saw this article, I thought I'd direct you to what I wrote a year ago on this occasion. Given that back then I only got at most a few dozen visits to this blog per day, it's unlikely that the vast majority of my present readership has seen or read it. On this particular day, I think it's worth checking out and hope that you will do so and perhaps comment here. (Because the article is a year old, I closed comments on it long ago.) Perhaps it will explain some of the reasons for my interest in Holocaust denial.
Finally, I present a list of links to relevant posts that I have written over the past year or so. Hopefully, it will acquaint newcomers with my previous writings on the subject and remind longtime readers of why we should never forget.
The stories of the rescuers show everyone how even small actions can make a difference to the persecuted and hunted. It also highlights the dangers of indifference to the plight of those in danger. As last year we hope that learning about the courage of the rescuers will enable everyone of us, young and old, of whatever faith or no faith, to change our attitudes to our fellow man. We must be aware that each individual is responsible for his/her own actions and we must not be indifferent to our neighbour’s pain. We will then have learnt one of the most valuable lessons of the Holocaust – that ‘One Person Can Make a Difference’.
Finally, I present a list of links to relevant posts that I have written over the past year or so. Hopefully, it will acquaint newcomers with my previous writings on the subject and remind longtime readers of why we should never forget.
Holocaust:60 years ago today: The evacuation of Auschwitz and start of the death march 60 years ago today: The liberation of Buchenwald Sunday afternoon history lesson 60 years ago today: The liberation of Bergen-Belsen 60 years ago today: The liberation of Dachau Eugenics and involuntary euthanasia 67 years ago tonight: Kristallnacht Oprah goes to Auschwitz You can't make stuff like this up: Mel Gibson is planning a TV miniseries about the Holocaust
Holocaust denial:The 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: How I discovered Holocaust denial How David Irving became a Holocaust denier A truly offensive use of Halloween Taboos of Holocaust deniers Schadenfreude More schadenfreude: Irving now admitting there were gas chambers? David Irving to stand trial in Austria) The President of Iran: Holocaust denier and anti-Semite An unexpected analogy The loon running Iran
The first interview I ever did for the Visual History Project was a gentleman who was at Auschwitz on Liberation Day. He told me the story of a Red Army captain who entered the cam on a tank and immediately jumped off. His first question what this place was. When he learned of the extermination, he cried. His men cried. The apologized for not being better soldiers and getting there sooner.
ReplyDeleteYears later, on a trip to the USSR, he found this captain living just outside of Moscow and had a bittersweet reunion. Two days after they left the camp, the Germans hit his tank and killed everyone except him. He was in the hatch on the turret and blown free. However, he lost both legs.
So today we both celebrate the liberation of Auchwitz and the courage of those who liberated it, and we mourn that the Holocaust ever happened. I hope we never forget the Holocaust. It is a dark blot on history that needs to be remembered, if for no other reason than to prevent an atrocity like that from happening again.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a couple of days to get to it, but your post from a year ago is tremendous - it should be posted more prominently on your site. Not only is the writing excellent, but it gives great insight to your overall quest in pursuing rationalism and skepticism in all things.
ReplyDeleteI really hadn't known how pervasive the Holocaust deniers are and it shocks me that such well-documented human horrors can still be subject to revisionists.
Thank you for remembering the liberation in such an eloquent manner.