1. Bill Narvey said:

Andrew L. Jaffee has made further comments and raised more questions in his revisiting his views about all tragedies of mass murders of peoples with a distinct ethnic background.

Jaffee makes the following comments:

"Some of the people want Hitler's genocide to be the archetype of a people's suffering, denying others their right to bring similar atrocities to light....What are we to do, create a chart ranking peoples' suffering: "mine was worse than yours?" These were all horrors. Calling one a genocide while not allowing another to call it a holocaust is sophistry. Denial is just historic ignorance -- or caused by some ulterior motive, like racism.”

Jaffee proceeds from the lofty premises that all human life is equally precious and that the wrongful death of one or many at the hands of an evil racially motivated madman is no less a tragedy than the wrongful death of another or many persons caused by a similar evil madman. Any caring person would agree with these notions.

If one accepts Jaffee’s premises, then he is probably correct that to draw qualitative distinctions as to which racially motivated mass murder is more heinous then the other is somewhat of an exercise in sophistry.

The frame of reference and the premises Jaffee employs however, are too simplistic and motherhood and apple pie sentiments that are divorced from more grounded realities.

Advocating that the Holocaust perpetrated on the Jews by the Nazis is a uniquely evil event in history does not deny the right of others to speak of a mass murder tragedy visited upon them by some other evil doer, racially motivated or otherwise.

While racial motivations may well have factored, even largely into those other travesties, those were not the only factors at play which included the power aspirations of what was once Imperialist Russia which were maintained by the megalomaniac and insanely paranoid control freak, Stalin. Stalin may actually not have been motivated so much by racism at all, but rather he saw racism as a useful pretence to garner support for his mass murder of those in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania or the Ukraine.

One should be very wary of the motives of those who seek to denigrate the unique evil of the Nazi Genocidal Holocaust to destroy the Jews.

We are today witnessing with increasing frequency, various nations, political and ethnic groups and institutions such as the UN and various media outlets, seeking to raise up the level of their own or someone else’s historical mass murder tragedy to the status of the Nazi Genocidal Holocaust against the Jews. Those who are speaking out in that fashion essentially do so based on the simplistic premises that Jaffee has employed to make his argument.

Is the world morally motivated to raise up the significance of all other allegedly racially motivated ethnic mass murders to the level of the Holocaust or is the world immorally motivated to bring down the Holocaust of the Jews as being a uniquely evil historical travesty?

As best as we can discern from the words and deeds of these nations, institutions, political leaders, pundits and ethnic leaders who are engaged in the effort at drawing moral and qualitative equivalences between various mass murder events in history and the Holocaust of the Jews, we see that such efforts are being carried out in conjunction with efforts, laced with barely disguised anti-Semitism to demonize and de-legitimize Israel. That is pretty compelling evidence that the world’s motives in these efforts are anything but pure.

In the end, Jaffee’s argument seeking to show that there is no qualitative difference between one racially motivated mass murder from another, regardless of the number of deaths and that therefore all such mass murders should be called a holocaust and a genocide rising to the level of the Nazi Genocide and Holocaust of the Jews, becomes itself an exercise in sophistry.

To therefore answer Jaffee’s questions:

“Is one tragedy more equal than the others?”

In all the circumstances, the one tragedy of the Nazi Genocidal Holocaust indeed rises high above all others and that should remain its place in history for all time.

“Does it matter as long as we remember the mantra, "Never forget; never again?"

Since WWII there have been other racially motivated mass murders, be it in Uganda, Rwanda, Kosovo or more recently in the Darfur area of the Sudan. The world has in those and similar instances forgotten the mantra, “Never Forget, Never Again”.

The world, in spite of its efforts to believe that it has expiated its guilt over the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews, the world has not yet managed to completely cleanse its conscience.

It very much matters and it is absolutely imperative that that the world’s conscience is never let off the hook. If the world, when it comes to the Jews, is ever allowed to forget that mantra “Never Forget, Never Again”, the odds are excellent that there soon thereafter will no Jews left in this world.

Cross posted at netwmd.com

2. Ted Belman said:

I think the Holocaust is unique and should be treated as such. There are many mass murders in history directed to a people but none that I am aware of that had the intent to kill every single member of that people. Only the Holocaust had such a purpose. The others intended to kill enough to make a difference in the demnographic or political landscape.

Furthermore only the Holocaust, among the holocausts, was a culmination of two thousand years of discrimation, murder and oppression. In the others the murders were politically motivated for a present purpose rather then the outcome of systematic deligitimation over two thousand years.

3. Fern Sidman said:

WHEN WILL THE WORLD CONDEMN EVIL??

BY: FERN SIDMAN

As Jews, we are well aware that the Torah clearly delineates the concepts of good and evil, of right and wrong, of mitzvah and aveira (sin). Tragically, when evil rears it's ugly head, we as a people are often paralyzed when it comes to condemning it. Either we fear the repercussions and consequences of our bold actions or we fear what the opinion of the world will be of us if we speak out against it.

The Torah enjoins us to condemn evil, and to pursue justice and righteousness. To remain silent is a desecration of the name of G-d. For one who fears only G-d, will not fear the vacillating will of human nature and will strive to fulfill G-d's commands.

The latest personification of evil and Jew hatred that has captured the headlines comes from Teheran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the despotic and maniacal Iranian leader has advocated the total annihilation of the State of Israel and all of it's Jewish inhabitants. Ahmadinejad also states that if any country objects to his proposal, that he would invite them to offer sanctuary to the Jews in their own countries. His vitrolic rhetoric also includes his denial of the veracity of the Holocaust, all the while promulgating hatred of the Jews. There is no doubt that his vituperative has been embraced by many willing listeners.

What is most terrifying is that Ahmadinejad is stockpiling stores of uranium with the specific goal of building an atomic bomb. The Iranians have maintained they will never give up their right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel, but the IAEA and most of its members want Tehran to maintain the freeze because of growing fears it will misuse enrichment to make weapons.

For any human being to take this lightly is to deny reality, but for the Jewish people, the stakes are always higher since Israel is in Iran's back yard.

And yet, as we sit and listen to such hatred and know that the forces of evil are in high gear, we hear of no condemnations of such evil from any county in the world. The silence is deafening and truly frightening. The USA does not condemn Iran, the European Union keeps it's collective mouth closed. Why isn't the world condemning such Jew hatred, why isn't the world protesting at the gates of the Iranian consulates in it's respective countries? Why are we afraid to speak out boldy and courageously against such rabid and vile hatred?

More importantly, why isn't Abe Foxman of the ADL and the entire alphabet soup of Jewish organizations based in the USA and worldwide rushing to condemn this Iranian madman? Why aren't Jewish leaders telling the world that this Iranian tyrant is desecrating the name of G-d and does not speak in the name of Islam or G-d?

They remain silent because they fear man and what the ramifications of their words and actions will be. They do not place their trust in the Almighty G-d of Israel. After all, they are too busy condemning Pat Robertson because he stated the G-d was punishing Arik Sharon (who suffered a major stroke) because he was dividing the Land of Israel and giving G-d given land to the Arab enemy. Pat Robertson has studied the Bible. Unfortunately, Jewish leaders have not.

According to an Assoicated Press report of January 5, 2006 it states as follows:

``God considers this land to be his,'' Robertson said on his TV program ``The 700 Club.'' ``You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine.'''

In Robertson's broadcast from his Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach, the evangelist said he had personally prayed about a year ago with Sharon, whom he called ``a very tender-hearted man and a good friend.'' He said he was sad to see Sharon in this condition.

He also said, however, that in the Bible, the prophet Joel ``makes it very clear that God has enmity against those who 'divide my land.'''

Sharon ``was dividing God's land and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU (European Union), the United Nations, or the United States of America,'' Robertson said."

There is no question that we do not agree with the divisive and suicidal policies of the Sharon government. We still weep over the evacuation of 9000 Jews from their homes in Gush Katif. We recoil in horror, when we hear about the atrocious way the government of Israel has treated these people since their forced evacuation. We read of their homeless and poverty and it breaks our hearts. We wring our hands in agony and anguish when we remember the burning of Jewish synagogues in Gush Katif. We tremble when we hear of daily mortar attacks on Jewish settlements coming in from Gaza. We have nightmares about this "Roadmap to Peace" leading to our national "Roadmap to Death". We can attribute these national calamities to the policies of Sharon.

Having said all that, we do not know why Mr. Sharon suffered a major stroke. We do not know if it was Divine punishment. We all pray for his recovery. However, we pray for much more than that. We pray that Mr. Sharon recovers so that he can do Teshuva (repentance) for his misdeeds. We pray that his Kadima party, which is slated to garner a majority of seats in the next Knesset election, disavow it's policies of relinquishing G-d given land to the Arab enemy. We pray that Sharon and his Kadima party reverse it's policies of forced secularization of the State of Israel. We pray that Sharon and his comrades recognize the
G-d of Israel and have the courage to divorce themselves from corruption and endless scandal.

Let us remember what we say every morning in our daily prayers, "And you who cling to Hashem your G-d, you are alive, all of you today. For your salvation do I yearn, Hashem."

May Mr. Sharon have these words in his heart and may the G-d of Israel heal him speedily so that he may return to his heritage..

4. Bill Narvey said:

Fern,

I am not sure how you missed it, but when Ahmadinejad first came out with his wipe Israel off the map speech which included other choice Jew hating words, the U.S., Canada, and the EU all came out blasting Ahmadinejad for his anti-Semitism.

Clearly from your comments regarding Pat Robertson and Sharon, you do not find fault with Robertson, but you do with Sharon, praying for his recovery so he can make repentance.

I find your comments very insensitive.

A person of faith, caring and high moral standing does not preach hell and damnation when an Israeli leader lies near death in the hospital with his family and close friends gathered round. It is a time for support and not condemnation.

Robertson is a strong supporter of Israel and Israel is grateful for that support and the support of those he speaks for. Nonetheless it was a very insensitive thing for Robertson to say and he acknowledged that when he offered his apologies.

For you to pray for Sharon's recovery so he can do penance to fulfil your ulterior motive for his recovery, makes a mockery of your prayers.

Fern you cloak yourself with piety, but in your case, changing the line from the children's book, "the Emporess has no clothes".

As for the thrust of your essay, it too is off base. The world indeed recognizes evil. It just hasn't yet figured out what to do about it.