Where was I?

June 10, 2010

I grew up privileged. I am an American Jewish woman who had the privilege of never truly experiencing prejudice due to religion. I have spent most of my life on the west coast surrounded by other Jewish people. Where I live, Target carries Hannukah decorations. The public schools are closed on Yom Kippur and the Coffee Bean sells challah on Shabbat. Israel is a destination vacation. This has always been my Jewish existence...except for the one week I spent in Poland as part of The March of the Living, an educational program that brings students up close and personal with the Polish remnants of the Holocaust, culminating in a silent march from the notorious concentration camp, Auschwitz to Birkenau.

It was there at Auschwitz that I stood on the railroad tracks and felt my body tremble. The Holocaust had always been this horrible nightmare I'd read about in history books and Elie Wiesel's profound writing. I'd met survivors and seen the tattooed numbers on their arms. But nothing prepared me for the real thing. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Why them? Why not me? How was I lucky enough to be born years later in America? As we walked from Auschwitz to Birkenau, I made a promise to myself and to them, those not as lucky, the souls I could feel surrounding me without a voice. I promised to be a voice for them. I promised to raise my children Jewish and give them a voice. I promised to Never Forget so that this would Never Happen Again.

I returned from that trip and began devouring all literature and film I could find on WW II. I remember becoming so angry that there was knowledge of the concentration camps in the U.S. long before anybody did anything about it. In typical Monday morning quarterback fashion, I judged my grandparents harshly. Why didn't they do anything? Didn't they notice the growing antisemitism?

Of course, as time passed, these thoughts and my March of the Living memories became less and less in the forefront of my mind. But in the last few weeks, hey have returned, louder than ever. I don't want my children to ever look back and wonder where I was when the world turned on Israel and the Jewish people. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. We need voices to express outrage at what is currently going on in the world. It has become clear to me lately that the liberal media will not be that voice. President Obama will not be that voice. And, sadly, the assimilated Jewish mainstream will not be that voice.

I find it hard to believe that I had to turn to Glenn Beck to hear shouts of anger and rage regarding the "freedom" flotilla incident. It was only on his show that I heard the first communications between the Israeli Navy and the "peace" fighters. When the Navy identities themselves and indicates that the boat is approaching a blockade, a voice responds, "Shut up. Go back to Auschwitz and then continues, "We're helping Arabs going against the U.S. Don't forget 9/11, guys." We all know what happens next...or do we? It recently came out that Reuters had cropped one of the most-seen images of the event. It shows a bloodied Israeli soldier lying on the ground surrounded by "peace activists." However, in the original photograph, one of the "activists" is holding a bloodied knife. Not quite sure what editorial reason they came up with for the blatant omission. Hard to believe this is Reuters--not Al Jazeera.

Then there's legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas and her comments that the Jews are occupying Palestine and should return to their homes in Germany and Poland. Fortunately, she resigned, but apparently that was unnecessary. Just ask the women of The View. Whoopi Goldberg dismissed Thomas' comments as horrible and hurtful but wondered about a country that takes away a person's right to make a living because of something he/she says. I guess Whoopi and the gals never heard of consequences. Thomas is a reporter covering the White House. I believe the fact that she does not acknowledge the existence of Israel might make her just a little unable to do her job of unbiased reporting. But, hey that's just me. Many others feel differently like the man who wrote a letter to the Washington Post suggesting Thomas' comments simply made her "human" and then compared her "blunder" to the umpire who cost Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga his perfect game last week. Yes, really!

The point of all of this is that I get it. My life of privilege has come to an end. I am no longer asleep. I am awake and vow to make good on my promise. I will not sit quietly waiting around for things to get better. I've seen what happens when we're too late.