During the build up to World War II and the Holocaust, the
German term
”
Judenfrei
”
became a designator of towns or other map areas that had been
declared free of Jewish presence.
During the build up to World War II and the Holocaust, the German term “Judenfrei” became a designator of towns or other map areas that had been declared free of Jewish presence. Tragically, it is a term that is beginning to appear in the context of the Middle East. The worldwide surge in anti-semitism can hardly be ignored.
Over the weekend a Pakistani Muslim went on a shooting rampage in Seattle for the express purpose of killing Jews. His statement to investigators included the comment, “I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel.”
As Israel was pulling its troops and its citizens (forcibly) out of the Gaza, as reported in the New York Sun, in August of 2005, the United Nations was bankrolling the production of thousands of posters that read “Today Gaza and Tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem.” These posters appeared everywhere in the Palestinian territory. The meaning is clear: Judenfrei. This action by the United Nations is not surprising. The U.N. is a hotbed of anti-Israeli propaganda and activity. And we are seeing it once again in the current conflagration in Southern Lebanon.
On July 7 the U.N. Human Rights Council voted 29-11 to condemn Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. The resolution made no mention of the kipnapping of an Israeli soldier by Hamas and the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli cities, which was the immediate cause of the Israeli action.
Attacks upon Jews in Britain increased from 163 to 304 from 2003 to 2004 according to Natan Sharansky, the Israeli cabinet minister responsible for the diaspora. Two British media traditions, The Guardian newspaper and the BBC radio network, were singled out by the report as contributing to the atmosphere of increased attacks. The report claims they have “likened Israel to a Nazi state.”
Hugo Chavez, hero to many leftists in the West, recently appeared at a news event with Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Here is Chavez’s description of the Israelis: “How valiant the Israeli pilots must feel when they act this way. I tell you, from here, from Tehran, 1,000 times: Assassins, cowards. But, in all honesty, they are totally condemned. From the depths of the soul of the peoples, a force will emerge that will put an end to (Israeli) imperialism and all its lackeys.” This is not Chavez’s first anti-Jewish diatribe. In December of 2005, he made a speech talking about “the same people that killed Jesus Christ.” He continued, “a minority has seized the riches of the world … the gold of the planet … the silver, the minerals … the good land … they have concentrated the riches in only a few hands.”
The defense of the democratic societies of the world is currently focused on the survival of Israel. Does anyone seriously believe that if Israel is not defended that somehow the attacks on the West will cease? We all have a stake in the defense of democracy everywhere in the world.
Judaism and Christianity are both under attack in the Middle East in Muslim-dominated societies. The city of Nazareth is but one example. The New Testament city of Nazareth was identified in the Gospels as the hometown of Mary and Joseph. It has been a holy site for Christians for many centuries. Today, out of a total population of 60,000 only 35 percent are Christians. Christians are going underground or are leaving their homes and emigrating out of the Muslim Middle East. Historically, both Jews and Christians predate the appearance of Muslims by many centuries. It is not a matter of whether or not either people have a historic right to be in these lands.
American G.I.s were among the first soldiers to liberate Jews from the Nazi death camps. The camps at Dachau, Buchenwald, Dora and Mauthausen were among the camps liberated. The horrific scenes that awaited the soldiers, and the pictures that emerged from those episodes have become part of the American collective memory of the Jews and their plight. It is my belief that one of the deepest sources of American support for the Jews of the world and of Israel springs from those G.I.s and their stories. “Never again” has been the visceral principle that has guided American policy ever since.
The cry of “Judenfrei” is growing ever louder in the troubled Middle East. The elites of the world make a diastrous mistake when they join in the chorus or sit idly by as the cry increases in intensity. For just behind the cry of “Judenfrei,” one can sense the cry of “Christianfrei.”
Al Kelsch is a Hollister resident who writes a weekly column for the Free Lance that appears on Saturdays.
