Anti Semitism: Alive and Well 65 Years after the Liberation of Auschwitz

In a special session of the United Nations Security Council in 2005, January 27 was designated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, to commemorate the slaughter of 6 million Jews. The date, January 27, is symbolic. That is the day in 1945 that Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by Soviet troops.

Here we are 65 years later, and still fighting the ravages of anti-semitism. The "Work Will Set You Free" sign at the Auschwitz Museum is stolen by right wing thugs, a priest in Poland claims that the Holocaust was "a Jewish invention, a Jewish cemetary in France is defiled with swastikas; these are just a few of the incidents highlighted in a report issued recently by the Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism an Israeli organization that tracks anti-semitic events. The Huffington Post ran the story and the comments that followed were mind-boggling to say the very least. If I didn't read them for myself, I would not have known the visceral hatred and ignorance that exists. (For those not familiar, the Huffington Post was founded by Arianna Huffington in 1995 to provide a liberal alternative to conservative bloggers as Matt Drudge and his Drudge Report.) Comments ranged from "You reap what you sow," to "well, how can you prove it was an anti-semitic event; maybe it was just anti-Israel?" Certainly, that would not have been the response had the story been "Muslims attacked worldwide." In that instance, the response would have overwhelmingly spoken to the injustice of collective punishment.

How ironic that this "collective" punishment is used by the left to attack Israel, claiming that Israel engaged in "collective punishment" during Operation Cast Lead in 2008.(Never mind that Israel has incontrovertible proof that certain key aspects of the Goldstone Report are patently false.) I looked up the word "liberal." One of its meanings is to be "open minded and tolerant." Yet, the so-called liberal agenda seems destined to believe that anything Israel does is wrong. And to believe the Hamas-controlled Palestinian media. Is that open minded and tolerant?

Any attempt to "reason" with those wanting to demonize Israel is fruitless. I was fascinated by the posters' rationale that "jews are so sensitive," or "you can be against Israel's policies and not be anti-semitic." Well, no, you really can't. To read a story about the rise of anti-semitism and not show pure revulsion is counter any logic I know, and certainly counter to what I believe a "liberal" should believe. Where is the tolerance? Tolerance seems only to exist for a group of people who continue to threaten Israel's survival, who continually call for her destruction, and refuses to acknowledge her existence, hides amongst civilians, and routinely fires unguided missiles into southern Israel.

Sure, one can take issue with Israel's policies -- and even people within Israel do so, but to show glee at anti-Semitic behavior is unfathomable. If one can truly separate "anti-Israel" from "anti-Jews," how in the world can one justify this well-documented anti-semitic behavior? Then, there's my favorite, "well, you know, not all victims of the Holocaust were Jews." That is correct, but to quote Elie Wiesel, "not all victims were Jews, but all Jews were victims."

Of greater concern is the belief that the Huffington Post is unbiased in its coverage. One poster suggested that proof of a non-bias was that no comments were censored, and that anyone supporting Israel, or supporting the validity of the story about Anti-Semitism, were simply being too sensitive. Sins of omission are equally as problematic. Where, for instance, were the stories about the amazing Israeli response to the disaster in Haiti? They were one of the very first countries on the ground, built a state-of-the-art medical facility, treated over 1100 patients, performed over 800 surgeries, delivered almost 2 dozen babies, ensured the airlift of a 5 year old child to Miami for treatment for leukemia, and brought a 5 year old back to Israel with them for life-saving open heart surgery. (And this doesn't even include the tents, sleeping bags, and medicine left behind.)

Earlier today, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the Gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Invoking the memories of those who perished at the hands of the Nazi Amalek, the Prime Minister cautioned Jews of the perils of the new Amaleks. The Prime Minister promised, "as head of the Jewish state, that never again will we allow the hand of evil to sever the life of our people and our state... Am Yisrael Chai, we have returned to our homeland, to the land of our forefathers, to Jerusalem, our capital. We have converged from all corners of the world, Holocaust survivors, Arab Jews, Jews from former Soviet Union states, Ethiopian Jews." He concluded his remarks be by saying, “We bow our heads in memory [of Holocaust victims] and raise our heads as our flag waves with its two blue stripes and the Star of David at its center. We still haven't lost our hope."

On this day, the 65th Anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Death Camp, I will leave with a quote from Civil Rights hero and martyr Martin Luther King:

"And what is anti-Zionism? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my friends, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism...Let my words echo in the depths of your soul: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews -- make no mistake about it."

"In Unity there is Strength"

"Unity is Strength:" Haiti's motto that appears on her flag. Today, we are all Haitians. My heart cries for the people of Haiti. I believe there is a G'd. I believe IN G'd, and I believe s/he is a loving G'd. But I'm struggling. As the images come forth, and estimates of the dead continue to rise, I'm at a loss for words as to why G'd would bring such misery to an island nation that has known nothing civil unrest, devastation, and political corruption in and civil unrest in recent years.

Today's NY Daily News shows an iconic image on its front page of a man, probably in his forties, with a lifeless baby in his arms. You cannot tell whether the baby is just sleeping, though the man's tears are likely because the baby is dead. The images, seen on CNN, are more horrific than anything I have ever experienced. The dead bodies strewn along the street, legs or arms protruding from rubble. Bodies of babies, children, and adults. Knowing that many are probably still trapped in the rubble and may die before help arrives is heartbreaking. There is a shortage of medicines, there is a shortage of doctors. Doctors Without Borders facilities are destroyed. That means no antibiotics, no painkillers I can't image. The images of the injured children are the most heartbreaking and will be seared into my memory forever.

Disputes Over Israeli Territory Must End

Disputes Over Israeli Territory Must End

Amen, Sister!

Hamas to deliver "final Shalit offer."

Hamas promises to deliver final Shalit offer within days http://tinyurl.com/yzxg7m6

There's something just a little disingenuous about this headline. Almost sounds like Hamas thinks it negotiating on a used car. But of course that's always been the way that the terrorists have negotiated for prisoners. Which such little regard for human life, they demand the release of known murderers and those who plot to murder innocent men, women, and children -- terrorists to anyone with any sense of objectivity, but "militants" or "activists" to the mainstream media and Arab media.

Who can forget the images of the return of Samir Kuntar being cheered by the Lebanese President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament, and so-called religious clerics in Lebanon? Kuntar had been responsible for the "death of an Israeli father and his two children in 1979." But even that description in the mainstream media is not entirely accurate. Truth be told, Kuntar helped to carry out one of the most heinous and brutal crimes in Israel's history, admitting to murdering an Israeli policeman, another man, and the man's 4-year old daughter, who died after her head was smashed against a rock. Kuntar was also convicted of the smothering death of the child's baby - smothered when the mother tried to keep the infant from crying which would have revealed their hiding location.

But, Israel went so far as to release this monster just for the remains of the two soldiers -- Ehud Regev and Ehud Goldwasser -- whose kidnapping sparked the 2006 Lebanese War. For nearly two years, Hezbollah led the families of these two missing soldiers to believe that they were still alive. Really, what kind of monsters continue to inflict such emotional pain?

And now here we are, on the cusp of a deal to return a soldier whose kidnapping was in violation of all sorts of international law and whose whereabouts are unknown to anybody including the Red Cross/Red Crescent, suffice it to say any humanitarian agency. Once again, Hamas flaunts international law, and continues to demand more. And at the end of the day, Israel will have offered up a number of criminals that no civilized society would want on the street, will be either vilified in the media for being the reason that Gilad is not released, or seen as caving if he is.

Egypt and Hamas

http://www.israellycool.com/2010/01/09/israel-needs-to-learn-how-to-talk-like-an-egyptian/

Hey ... did you hear? There's a Wall being built in the Middle East to keep a sovereign nation safe from a Palestinian onslaught. Old news? Not so fast. This wall is being erected on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza and is intended to minimize travel between Gaza and Egypt. You probably haven't heard about THAT Wall, because only when Israel tries to protect ITself does the world media try to make them out to be the bad guys.

But wait, it doesn't stop there.

There's been quite a bit written lately in the Israeli media and Israel-centric websites concerning Egypt's wise decision to expel George Galloway, a known left wing anti-semitic Member of British Parliament. Galloway, along with other "humanitarian" activists were protesting against the Gaza Blockade. What made this a little different than other protests is that his was aimed at Egypt, but Egypt would have none of it, choosing to block the protesters and expel Mr. Galloway. But somehow that's just not sexy enough to make the mainstream media, nor does it make such bastions of the blogosphere as the Huffington Post. It seems that only similar actions by Israel are newsworthy. Can you IMAGINE the hue and cry that would ensue if Israel had taken similar actions? Front page of the NY Times, no doubt.

The attached article speaks to Egypt's strong stance against Gaza protests -- one of which killed an Egyptian border guard -- and disdain for Hamas, the terror organization that was elected into power in Gaza several years ago - "Heckuva job, W," but then again, that's a subject for another day.

Those Wacky Iranians

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/02/iran.nuclear/

There they are again demanding that the West bow to THEIR demands? Puh-lease!

It's a Wonderful Day at Arbonne

I signed my first consultant today with Arbonne! This business opportunity is really starting to pay dividends ... literally! Visit my website at www.ibkent.myarbonne.com!

I've been posting news stories to my Facebook page to the great dismay of many of my friends. So, after multiple admonishments by more than one friend, \ I've taken the plunge and will now be Blogging my way through life n this blog setting. My blogging will include musings on everything from living in New York City as a middle aged single woman to Politics to the Middle East, and anything in between. Topics will sometimes be funny, sometimes morose, sometimes ironic, and sometimes angry. But all topics covered represent something that is passionate to me.

So, for my first entry, let me talk about my hopes for the New Year, which will likely give you a sense of where my future blogs might take me:

a) Gilad Shalit will be returned to Israel safe and sound, both mentally and physically, and Nasrallah will be disemboweled, oops, I mean disempowered.

b) President Obama will get the health care initiative through Congress and the Teabaggers will FINALLY realize they are just one paycheck away from needing a public option themselves.

c) Women who use public restrooms will learn to WIPE THE FREAKING SEAT before they move on (I know, doesn't quite reach the level of importance and urgency as a and b but it's been on my mind for, like, forever!

d) The American public will come to its senses and understand we are in a financial war here at home -- a classic David and Goliath -- Main Street vs. Wall Street. This will start with Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland will rule against the Bankruptcy Trustee in the Madoff fraud, and rule for investors with respect to "net equity."If you agree, join us at www.investoraction.org

d) I will actually have a date for New Year's Eve 2010/11.

So, good night and good luck -- for now.