This past Sunday in Jerusalem Israel, the commemorative lighting of six torches –that are representative of the six million Jews butchered at the hands of the German National Socialists, the Nazis– took place at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum. As a powerful reminder of just how important it is that the world never forgets that atrocity which took place during the 30’s and 40’s in occupied Europe, Pamela at Atlas Shrugs posts that:
The year 2006 witnessed a significant escalation in physical, verbal, and visual anti-Semitism throughout the world, with as many as 590 cases of violence and vandalism reported against Jews.[…]
Perpetrators of the attacks were, in most cases, identified as Muslim immigrants, or young members of the radical right and their supporters, the study reported.
Schools were popular targets of anti-Semitism in 2006, with twice as many community schools reportedly attacked then in 2005. The number of synagogues which registered attacks rose by one-third.
The report listed Britain, Australia, France, and Canada as the countries with the greatest rise in anti-Semitic attacks. Leading the list was Britain, which registered a 20-year record of 100 incidents – 60% more then in 1986. Of those incidents, 37% were considered violent.
Australia also experienced a significant increase in anti-Semitism, registering 47% more attacks then its yearly average. France also faired poorly, ending the year with 24% more attacks then usual, and 45% more violent attacks then the year before.
Thanks to Pamela for bringing these dark statistics to all of our attention, they are more significant now than ever. To highlight the need for such repetitious reminders of man’s inhumanity to their fellow man, I include a recent comment left at an earlier post of mine;
KGS: Denying the Holocaust only helps to feed anti-Semitism which will encourage more acts of violence to be directed against Jews.
“Anonymous: With all due respect, that statement is absurd. The fact of the matter is that Jewish intolerance towards honest scholars, researchers and average citizens who have legitimate questions regarding the Hollywood version of WWII and the supposed genocidal gas chambers is a primary cause of modern anti-Semitism and only contributes to the historical distrust many Europeans have for the Jews who live among them. Common sense and a sobre reading of history informs us that criminalizing legitimate inquiry, free speech and peaceful dissent inevitably leads to violence opposition.”
One only has to read about the role played by Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Muhammed Amin al-Husseini, to understand the depth in the cast of actors who played an active role in the Holocaust of 30’s and 40’s, to see how history can repeat itself in the present age.
Keeping alive the memory of those massacred during the Shoah is not a matter of importance for Jews only, but for the free world and all of mankind. Denying or downplaying the Holocaust only goes to serve the dark homicidal self interests of anti-democratic forces, which bodes ill for all of humanity, not just for Jews. *L* KGS
