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1/x
as world leaders talk about the Holocaust today, it makes me realize how different this event is viewed by the Jewish people and by the world. And how this is more than a different narrative - Thread
as world leaders talk about the Holocaust today, it makes me realize how different this event is viewed by the Jewish people and by the world. And how this is more than a different narrative - Thread
2/x
Many Jews feel that as history progresses, there is a tendency to sterilize the holocaust from the Jewish people and turn it into an abstract and universal human atrocity that Jews happened to be the victims of. While to us this feels first and foremost as a "Jewish tragedy"
Many Jews feel that as history progresses, there is a tendency to sterilize the holocaust from the Jewish people and turn it into an abstract and universal human atrocity that Jews happened to be the victims of. While to us this feels first and foremost as a "Jewish tragedy"
3/x
While the purpose and urgency in remembering the holocaust remain to teach us a lesson and the fervent wish of victims and survivors was to ensure that the world knows what has happened in order to learn to Never Again commit such atrocities against any ethnicity or race.
While the purpose and urgency in remembering the holocaust remain to teach us a lesson and the fervent wish of victims and survivors was to ensure that the world knows what has happened in order to learn to Never Again commit such atrocities against any ethnicity or race.
4/x
It is still important to remember it as a Jewish Tragedy. First because it's accurate: it was triggered by a fatal venom that is uniquely produced by the almost unnatural force of antisemitism which causes the complete loss of rationality and to be consumed with hate.
It is still important to remember it as a Jewish Tragedy. First because it's accurate: it was triggered by a fatal venom that is uniquely produced by the almost unnatural force of antisemitism which causes the complete loss of rationality and to be consumed with hate.
5/x
While the universal lesson is important, universalizing it doesn't help with better applications of its lessons, to the contrary; it hollows out the human aspects of it and leaves it abstract, it obscures the unique potency of Jew-hatred and therefore omits a central lesson.
While the universal lesson is important, universalizing it doesn't help with better applications of its lessons, to the contrary; it hollows out the human aspects of it and leaves it abstract, it obscures the unique potency of Jew-hatred and therefore omits a central lesson.
6/x
After the holocaust, the world vowed "Never Again" but those words don't have the same meaning for all; For Jewish people it meant: Never again will we be in a position to be defenseless and hurt. To the world Never again meant never again to an abstract idea called Genocide.
After the holocaust, the world vowed "Never Again" but those words don't have the same meaning for all; For Jewish people it meant: Never again will we be in a position to be defenseless and hurt. To the world Never again meant never again to an abstract idea called Genocide.
7/x
I don't have a conclusion. I'm just thinking today how the holocaust is to some a chapter in history and to me, and so many others, a real trauma that we still carry; something that we experienced, not just learned about, reliving the pain and the nightmares with our elders
I don't have a conclusion. I'm just thinking today how the holocaust is to some a chapter in history and to me, and so many others, a real trauma that we still carry; something that we experienced, not just learned about, reliving the pain and the nightmares with our elders
8/x
There is also a flip side to this: if we learn from the holocaust only the Jewish lesson, we would have failed the victims and survivors too. But where do we draw the line when the application of the lesson to certain events is banalizing the holocaust and its victims.
There is also a flip side to this: if we learn from the holocaust only the Jewish lesson, we would have failed the victims and survivors too. But where do we draw the line when the application of the lesson to certain events is banalizing the holocaust and its victims.
9/x
I'm just sharing a stream of consciousness, next time when we get into this silly argument of "can it be compared to the holocaust or not" let's just be more mindful of the complexity and sensitivity of this to survivors and their families.
I'm just sharing a stream of consciousness, next time when we get into this silly argument of "can it be compared to the holocaust or not" let's just be more mindful of the complexity and sensitivity of this to survivors and their families.
