I am sharing this free post that I originally published on October 18 because this clearly demonstrates that Kanye West’s antisemitism is impactful and inspiring.
I can’t believe this is where we are in America. The country that beat back the fascists during WWII. How have we allowed so many Americans forget? I watched the Ken Burns documentary and did my best to encourage others to do so as well. But people don’t seem to understand that short memory and selective amnesia is what gets us right where we are.
As we get closer to the midterm elections the knot in my stomach gets bigger. I’m afraid for us. Afraid that we have allowed social media and the delusional people you speak of Steve to take hold. I’m afraid that we are too distracted by the superficial and the trivial to be interested enough to even care enough to vote and best back this wave of hatred. I pray that this important election proves me wrong.
I can't tell if my shoulders and hands are shaking because of the videos too horrible to describe or my thoughts that if we don't stop people in my own country in their tracks a different generation will have to witness the horrors again. I have never understood how one person can be inhumane to another person but to recognize millions commit unspeakable perversions against millions
Steve, for I’ve been the Senior Rabbi of a Reform synagogue in Austin, Texas for 31 years. I never thought I’d be discussing contemporary, violent, American anti-semitism with my high school students, particularly because Austin is known as “a bright blue dot in the middle of a very red state.“ But then, on Halloween night almost exactly a year ago, after a series of antisemitic demonstrations and vandalism incidents (some perpetrated by an out-of-state group, some homegrown) an 18 year old arsonist, a college freshman, drove onto our campus with a 5 gallon can of flammable liquid, and set our synagogue sanctuary on fire. The FBI found white supremacist and anti-Semitic literature in his home. He is now facing federal arson and hate crime charges. Because of a passerby who saw the flames and called 911, as well as a quick response by firefighters and law-enforcement, our sanctuary building still stands. But the smoke and fire damage will take years to repair. Many people of goodwill have reached out in the aftermath of this attack, including people who made and continue to make monetary donations to help with the repairs, as well as a local episcopal church that gave us a place to pray on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But I cannot help but lay a good portion of this at the feet of our 45th president, who gave up the bigots and extremists political and sociological cover for hate speech and hate crimes. I pray that we make wise choices at the ballot box next month!
Steve, just for the record, this same hate group (the name is loathsome and I won’t repeat it here) was demonstrating here in Austin approximately three weeks before the arson at our synagogue.
So many in our country are brainwashed and I agree that Trump opened the door to hate. Tucker, Hannity, Ye, Nick Fuentes and countless others are stoking the flame. I really think these people should pay for your damages since they rallied their hate groups to act.
When I saw Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl being banned from school bookshelves, along with Maus by Art Spiegelman, I could see the anti-Semitic pattern emerging. Those books were deliberately selected: their removal deadens their historical witness.
Anti-Semitisim has always been "background noise" in the US. I was raised in a middle-class suburb, where there were two "local" Country Clubs: one that would accept Jews, and one that did not. It was never said out loud, just "known".
It was not until the Charlottesville march in 2017, and a the claim "there were good people on both sides" that this could come into the open.
We have to be loud, direct and clear. It will not be tolerated. It is evil, and it is our responsibility to stand and say Stop and Enough.
As soon as these book bannings were in the news, I bought a new copy of Anne Frank's Diary and a new boxed set of Maus (a masterpiece in the graphic novel genre) even though I already had them.
We are forgetting. Many are being made to forget this, and other racist and sexist acts that must be faced to be reconciled. This is what progressive, civilized peoples do. What does it say about these times? What you are writing and calling out are important Steve. Elie Wiesel would be proud of your work here.
With each passing day, there are fewer people who directly witnessed the Holocaust, both as intended victims and as camp liberators. Someday soon, none will be left. The further away the horror becomes, the easier it is for the racists and conspiracy theorists to deny. And without functioning media to push back against the lies, the easier it becomes for the liars to convince both the gullible and the willing that it never happened.
Steve, how fortunate you are to have been there with Elie Wiesel. We must all stand up and bear witness for those who are no longer here to do so.
I was privileged to be able to work on “War and Remembrance”, as good as it was, and it was good for TV in the 80’s, it doesn’t come close to being more informative than Ken Burns “Holocaust”, I too like his work and believe it is his best to date. The 3 part series that Ken put together, taught me much that I didn’t know about that shameful period of our history. The grotesque slaughtering of over 6 million people was known to me, what I found revealing was the way our government worked to prevent the US form becoming more of a sanctuary, how the State Department conspired to prevent innocent people who were desperately trying to escape the killing zone, that almost all of Europe had become, worked to undermine the efforts of FDR to offer help. No one could get a visa to enter the US without first visiting a US Embassy which was populated by antisemites, who could see what was going on and refused to help. The parallels to what we are witnessing today on behalf of repugnantins has it’s echoes in our recent past. Fear of immigrants, in a nation wholly comprised of immigrants or their descendants, is what drove our response to the slaughter taking place in Europe then, as well as today. It was and continues to be profoundly disturbing, that so many of our fellow citizens could embrace such an anti democratic view of our nation, it’s enough to make me sick. The idea that the “Christian” right is ok with that, demonstrates clearly that they have no clue what their faith admonishes them to do, we could just start with the “golden rule”. If you haven’t seen the Burns series on PBS or Amazon Prime, take the time to watch it, it’s profoundly disturbing, not that we need to be more disturbed than we already are by what we are witnessing every day.
Beautifully articulated, Steve. For the first time in my 69 years on this planet, I genuinely fear for our nation and all people living in it.
I watch the MSM continuously report on the ill nature and dishonesty of MAGA Republicans. But it is meaningless because the reporting is not making it to the ears of the Right wing MAGA cult followers. At what point will MSM combine their forces and start reporting about FOX and to a lesser degree the subsidiary MAGA media sources? They are not reporting that, had FOX not embraced and amplified the Trump absurdity train, we would not be at the precipice we stand at now. They and their rotted souls play a primary hand in the existential threat we now face.
Until that fountain of lies and venom is dealt with, we don’t stand a chance.
I’m a daughter of a Holocaust survivor and never knew my grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins. I always felt “it” could never happen here because we had the Establishment Clause and 14th Amendment. I would never have believed that those would be eroded by those proclaiming that the US is a Christian nation. Add to that the Tree of Life massacre and the multiplying voices of antisemitism that go unchallenged, and I’m feeling dread.
Aside from Ken Burns' documentary, I strongly encourage watching the nine-and-a-half hour documentary "Shoah" by Claude Lanzmann. Filmed over the course of ten years (1974-1984), it contains chilling interviews with victims and perpetrators. He tracks down some of those "Little Eichmanns" that Steve refers to. There is not one second of archival footage, and the word "Hitler" is referenced only a few times in the entire epic. Instead, it is the personal experiences, expertly drawn out of witnesses by the filmmaker. It is the heaviest thing I've ever watched, and it changed me. The filmmaker never sought to answer the question of "why" the Shoah happened, just "how" it happened. Many filmmakers consider it the greatest documentary ever made. There are about four and a half hours of follow-up interviews that he released years later. The lessons I learned in that film are that, just like Steve says, there are Little Eichmanns among us, including of our own political stripes. Also, that while the collapse into authoritarianism may begin slow, its final thrust will be quick, and brutal.
Like others in this group I am sickened, fearful and angry about the rise in antisemitism. It's always been there.. Ask any Jew to give an example of a anti semetic comment said to them or in their presence. You'll get an earful.
My father was a survivor. He passed last year at 89. When i was 15 he spoke 'to my classmates in my US history class. He spoke about his experience running from country to country trying to stay one step ahead of the Nazi's. He spoke about coming to the USA without his parents at age 11. He spoke about never giving up. My classmates were mesmerized by his first hand experiences, as was my teacher Mrs DePalma. Afterwards she said to me "it must be like sitting with a monument at the dinner table." It was.
I have always thought that the holocaust could never happen here in this country. However, after experiencing the last several years I realize how wrong I was in my assumption. The seeds of hate have not only been sown they have taken root and indifference has allowed them to flourish and spread like weeds in an unattended garden. These weeds of antisemitism, racism and the polarization of us politically have choked the life out of normally good citizens. We have devolved as society and rational thought has taken a back seat to crazy and crazy is driving the bus.
I have faith in a Higher Power but my faith in humanity is not as certain. Normal people do things in moments of rage that boggles the mind. Rage and anger are contagious and have infected citizens and turned them into a mob. Mass delusion is also dangerous and easily passes from one individual to another by contact. So yes, the holocaust can happen here and hate should never be permitted to go unchecked. It needs to be dealt with immediately and discussed so it doesn't happen again. A national discussion is needed to solve our problems of hate and indifference. It needs to happen in the home, in schools, the workplace and places of worship. Indifference is just as deadly as hate in a society.
They are not only antisemites but celebrate and spread pure evil in their wake affecting the whole human race. It is so sad and frustrating to see how many people are enamored with their message. Any empathy we might have spurs us to abhor their message. And even the narcissist in us can appreciate Martin Niemöller’s thought (they came for *me*) rejecting it. And yet the human affinity to pervert good into evil seems to somehow attract enough people to embrace and spread this sickness. The only solution can be for the rest of the people, all of us, to never tire of denouncing and speaking out against it.
I recently came across the scale of Auschwitz concentration camp on Google Earth map and I am haunted by how terribly the seemingly ingenious human beings can bring malicious intentions to the extreme. Power in the hands of deranged individuals whether Hitler or a twitter star, is very dangerous and deeply troubling.
My mother was half Jewish and a history teacher. I was brought up steeped in the knowledge of the Holocaust. When I tried to share this knowledge with friends in high school no one cared then and that was 40 years ago. It is sadly frightening to see anti-semitism so blatant now in America. I wonder how many Americans really care now. I imagine we are soon to find out.
What does Trump know about Jewish pluralism? Nothing. Jews are not a voting block like evangelicals. We enter the secular arena with different views about our understanding of God, observances, traditions, customs and views of Israel. If his social media post cared about Israel--as if he were the savior of the Jews--then he would have called attention to BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) Israel, a Palestinian movement sweeping college campuses. But this isn’t about Israel. His message again is about him and what Jewish voters owe him. I love and support Israel. Trump is foolish to think my only hope is through him. Dangerously in his folly, he is sending a message to the far Christian Right that they are doing more for Israel than the American Jews. Not true. His message sows seeds of lies and twisted logic to absurdly complicated to unpack: all American Jews don’t support Israel because they do not support me and they are going to be sorry. The fallacious reasoning is menacing.
Thank you for posting the videos. Pictures really are worth 1000 words. While I am not Jewish I have family members who are. However, when “they” come for us I do not believe it will only be the Jews. When they control the elections they will have many Democrats names and they will come for us too.
"The senior Nazis toured the Camp without apparent emotion. They claimed not to know what had taken place at the Camp." What General Eisenhower did, in filming the bodies of the innocents who were tortured, murdered, and burned -- knowing that no one who didn't witness this would be able to believe what actually happened -- was brilliant. I wish I could hear what Republican President Eisenhower would say about the current actions by "Republican" leaders in this country. It is important to note that not all of those slaughtered were Jews. 50% of those who were tortured, murdered, and burned were not Jews. Those numbers included members of the Resistance movement. Don't think "it couldn't happen to me." No one is safe in an environment like the one that the Nazis created -- and that the Orange Sadist and his tens of millions of followers, here in the United States, are in the process of creating. People: WE MUST FACE OUR CURRENT REALITY. As Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller said in words that are emblazoned in the minds of many of us, and enshrined in the Holocaust Museum: "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
I can’t believe this is where we are in America. The country that beat back the fascists during WWII. How have we allowed so many Americans forget? I watched the Ken Burns documentary and did my best to encourage others to do so as well. But people don’t seem to understand that short memory and selective amnesia is what gets us right where we are.
As we get closer to the midterm elections the knot in my stomach gets bigger. I’m afraid for us. Afraid that we have allowed social media and the delusional people you speak of Steve to take hold. I’m afraid that we are too distracted by the superficial and the trivial to be interested enough to even care enough to vote and best back this wave of hatred. I pray that this important election proves me wrong.
God help us.
I can't tell if my shoulders and hands are shaking because of the videos too horrible to describe or my thoughts that if we don't stop people in my own country in their tracks a different generation will have to witness the horrors again. I have never understood how one person can be inhumane to another person but to recognize millions commit unspeakable perversions against millions
So good Kathy. This touched exactly how I am feeling. Sometimes words just don’t come to describe the turmoil I feel. Your words struck a note.
Americans are so worried about The Bachelor and The Voice to be bothered with such trivial things like caring about democracy.
Steve, for I’ve been the Senior Rabbi of a Reform synagogue in Austin, Texas for 31 years. I never thought I’d be discussing contemporary, violent, American anti-semitism with my high school students, particularly because Austin is known as “a bright blue dot in the middle of a very red state.“ But then, on Halloween night almost exactly a year ago, after a series of antisemitic demonstrations and vandalism incidents (some perpetrated by an out-of-state group, some homegrown) an 18 year old arsonist, a college freshman, drove onto our campus with a 5 gallon can of flammable liquid, and set our synagogue sanctuary on fire. The FBI found white supremacist and anti-Semitic literature in his home. He is now facing federal arson and hate crime charges. Because of a passerby who saw the flames and called 911, as well as a quick response by firefighters and law-enforcement, our sanctuary building still stands. But the smoke and fire damage will take years to repair. Many people of goodwill have reached out in the aftermath of this attack, including people who made and continue to make monetary donations to help with the repairs, as well as a local episcopal church that gave us a place to pray on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But I cannot help but lay a good portion of this at the feet of our 45th president, who gave up the bigots and extremists political and sociological cover for hate speech and hate crimes. I pray that we make wise choices at the ballot box next month!
Thank you for leading in this and speaking out and acting.
Steve, just for the record, this same hate group (the name is loathsome and I won’t repeat it here) was demonstrating here in Austin approximately three weeks before the arson at our synagogue.
So many in our country are brainwashed and I agree that Trump opened the door to hate. Tucker, Hannity, Ye, Nick Fuentes and countless others are stoking the flame. I really think these people should pay for your damages since they rallied their hate groups to act.
When I saw Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl being banned from school bookshelves, along with Maus by Art Spiegelman, I could see the anti-Semitic pattern emerging. Those books were deliberately selected: their removal deadens their historical witness.
Anti-Semitisim has always been "background noise" in the US. I was raised in a middle-class suburb, where there were two "local" Country Clubs: one that would accept Jews, and one that did not. It was never said out loud, just "known".
It was not until the Charlottesville march in 2017, and a the claim "there were good people on both sides" that this could come into the open.
We have to be loud, direct and clear. It will not be tolerated. It is evil, and it is our responsibility to stand and say Stop and Enough.
As soon as these book bannings were in the news, I bought a new copy of Anne Frank's Diary and a new boxed set of Maus (a masterpiece in the graphic novel genre) even though I already had them.
We are forgetting. Many are being made to forget this, and other racist and sexist acts that must be faced to be reconciled. This is what progressive, civilized peoples do. What does it say about these times? What you are writing and calling out are important Steve. Elie Wiesel would be proud of your work here.
With each passing day, there are fewer people who directly witnessed the Holocaust, both as intended victims and as camp liberators. Someday soon, none will be left. The further away the horror becomes, the easier it is for the racists and conspiracy theorists to deny. And without functioning media to push back against the lies, the easier it becomes for the liars to convince both the gullible and the willing that it never happened.
Steve, how fortunate you are to have been there with Elie Wiesel. We must all stand up and bear witness for those who are no longer here to do so.
I was privileged to be able to work on “War and Remembrance”, as good as it was, and it was good for TV in the 80’s, it doesn’t come close to being more informative than Ken Burns “Holocaust”, I too like his work and believe it is his best to date. The 3 part series that Ken put together, taught me much that I didn’t know about that shameful period of our history. The grotesque slaughtering of over 6 million people was known to me, what I found revealing was the way our government worked to prevent the US form becoming more of a sanctuary, how the State Department conspired to prevent innocent people who were desperately trying to escape the killing zone, that almost all of Europe had become, worked to undermine the efforts of FDR to offer help. No one could get a visa to enter the US without first visiting a US Embassy which was populated by antisemites, who could see what was going on and refused to help. The parallels to what we are witnessing today on behalf of repugnantins has it’s echoes in our recent past. Fear of immigrants, in a nation wholly comprised of immigrants or their descendants, is what drove our response to the slaughter taking place in Europe then, as well as today. It was and continues to be profoundly disturbing, that so many of our fellow citizens could embrace such an anti democratic view of our nation, it’s enough to make me sick. The idea that the “Christian” right is ok with that, demonstrates clearly that they have no clue what their faith admonishes them to do, we could just start with the “golden rule”. If you haven’t seen the Burns series on PBS or Amazon Prime, take the time to watch it, it’s profoundly disturbing, not that we need to be more disturbed than we already are by what we are witnessing every day.
Beautifully articulated, Steve. For the first time in my 69 years on this planet, I genuinely fear for our nation and all people living in it.
I watch the MSM continuously report on the ill nature and dishonesty of MAGA Republicans. But it is meaningless because the reporting is not making it to the ears of the Right wing MAGA cult followers. At what point will MSM combine their forces and start reporting about FOX and to a lesser degree the subsidiary MAGA media sources? They are not reporting that, had FOX not embraced and amplified the Trump absurdity train, we would not be at the precipice we stand at now. They and their rotted souls play a primary hand in the existential threat we now face.
Until that fountain of lies and venom is dealt with, we don’t stand a chance.
I’m a daughter of a Holocaust survivor and never knew my grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins. I always felt “it” could never happen here because we had the Establishment Clause and 14th Amendment. I would never have believed that those would be eroded by those proclaiming that the US is a Christian nation. Add to that the Tree of Life massacre and the multiplying voices of antisemitism that go unchallenged, and I’m feeling dread.
Aside from Ken Burns' documentary, I strongly encourage watching the nine-and-a-half hour documentary "Shoah" by Claude Lanzmann. Filmed over the course of ten years (1974-1984), it contains chilling interviews with victims and perpetrators. He tracks down some of those "Little Eichmanns" that Steve refers to. There is not one second of archival footage, and the word "Hitler" is referenced only a few times in the entire epic. Instead, it is the personal experiences, expertly drawn out of witnesses by the filmmaker. It is the heaviest thing I've ever watched, and it changed me. The filmmaker never sought to answer the question of "why" the Shoah happened, just "how" it happened. Many filmmakers consider it the greatest documentary ever made. There are about four and a half hours of follow-up interviews that he released years later. The lessons I learned in that film are that, just like Steve says, there are Little Eichmanns among us, including of our own political stripes. Also, that while the collapse into authoritarianism may begin slow, its final thrust will be quick, and brutal.
Like others in this group I am sickened, fearful and angry about the rise in antisemitism. It's always been there.. Ask any Jew to give an example of a anti semetic comment said to them or in their presence. You'll get an earful.
My father was a survivor. He passed last year at 89. When i was 15 he spoke 'to my classmates in my US history class. He spoke about his experience running from country to country trying to stay one step ahead of the Nazi's. He spoke about coming to the USA without his parents at age 11. He spoke about never giving up. My classmates were mesmerized by his first hand experiences, as was my teacher Mrs DePalma. Afterwards she said to me "it must be like sitting with a monument at the dinner table." It was.
Never give up. Please. Never give up.
Thank you so much for sharing this, Gerri. We'll never give up!
I have always thought that the holocaust could never happen here in this country. However, after experiencing the last several years I realize how wrong I was in my assumption. The seeds of hate have not only been sown they have taken root and indifference has allowed them to flourish and spread like weeds in an unattended garden. These weeds of antisemitism, racism and the polarization of us politically have choked the life out of normally good citizens. We have devolved as society and rational thought has taken a back seat to crazy and crazy is driving the bus.
I have faith in a Higher Power but my faith in humanity is not as certain. Normal people do things in moments of rage that boggles the mind. Rage and anger are contagious and have infected citizens and turned them into a mob. Mass delusion is also dangerous and easily passes from one individual to another by contact. So yes, the holocaust can happen here and hate should never be permitted to go unchecked. It needs to be dealt with immediately and discussed so it doesn't happen again. A national discussion is needed to solve our problems of hate and indifference. It needs to happen in the home, in schools, the workplace and places of worship. Indifference is just as deadly as hate in a society.
They are not only antisemites but celebrate and spread pure evil in their wake affecting the whole human race. It is so sad and frustrating to see how many people are enamored with their message. Any empathy we might have spurs us to abhor their message. And even the narcissist in us can appreciate Martin Niemöller’s thought (they came for *me*) rejecting it. And yet the human affinity to pervert good into evil seems to somehow attract enough people to embrace and spread this sickness. The only solution can be for the rest of the people, all of us, to never tire of denouncing and speaking out against it.
I recently came across the scale of Auschwitz concentration camp on Google Earth map and I am haunted by how terribly the seemingly ingenious human beings can bring malicious intentions to the extreme. Power in the hands of deranged individuals whether Hitler or a twitter star, is very dangerous and deeply troubling.
My mother was half Jewish and a history teacher. I was brought up steeped in the knowledge of the Holocaust. When I tried to share this knowledge with friends in high school no one cared then and that was 40 years ago. It is sadly frightening to see anti-semitism so blatant now in America. I wonder how many Americans really care now. I imagine we are soon to find out.
What does Trump know about Jewish pluralism? Nothing. Jews are not a voting block like evangelicals. We enter the secular arena with different views about our understanding of God, observances, traditions, customs and views of Israel. If his social media post cared about Israel--as if he were the savior of the Jews--then he would have called attention to BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) Israel, a Palestinian movement sweeping college campuses. But this isn’t about Israel. His message again is about him and what Jewish voters owe him. I love and support Israel. Trump is foolish to think my only hope is through him. Dangerously in his folly, he is sending a message to the far Christian Right that they are doing more for Israel than the American Jews. Not true. His message sows seeds of lies and twisted logic to absurdly complicated to unpack: all American Jews don’t support Israel because they do not support me and they are going to be sorry. The fallacious reasoning is menacing.
Thank you for posting the videos. Pictures really are worth 1000 words. While I am not Jewish I have family members who are. However, when “they” come for us I do not believe it will only be the Jews. When they control the elections they will have many Democrats names and they will come for us too.
From one of the videos:
"The senior Nazis toured the Camp without apparent emotion. They claimed not to know what had taken place at the Camp." What General Eisenhower did, in filming the bodies of the innocents who were tortured, murdered, and burned -- knowing that no one who didn't witness this would be able to believe what actually happened -- was brilliant. I wish I could hear what Republican President Eisenhower would say about the current actions by "Republican" leaders in this country. It is important to note that not all of those slaughtered were Jews. 50% of those who were tortured, murdered, and burned were not Jews. Those numbers included members of the Resistance movement. Don't think "it couldn't happen to me." No one is safe in an environment like the one that the Nazis created -- and that the Orange Sadist and his tens of millions of followers, here in the United States, are in the process of creating. People: WE MUST FACE OUR CURRENT REALITY. As Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller said in words that are emblazoned in the minds of many of us, and enshrined in the Holocaust Museum: "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."