The Holocaust

I have read countless books about the Holocaust mostly stories of people who were swept up in a storm of hatred.  Many survived to tell their tales while others did not.  Sometimes after finishing a book with valiant individuals who endured horrific things, I wonder to myself “would I have survived”?

What I have been hyper-aware of during these last few days is the anger towards Jews that has been unleashed and essentially allowed.  I read this yesterday (see below)from Sarah Dolgen Shafteland and my skin went cold.  It is if an age-old beast has been woken.  I am not even sure how we move forward from this.  Our Senators and Congressmen should be asking for the removal of the President.  We can not have a person running our country, the United States of America, a leader of the world, not condemning this type of hatred.  There is no place in society for this.  This type of behavior emboldened people to kill millions ending with a nuclear bomb.

To all the Jews that voted for this man because they didn’t like Hillary or they thought he would be good for Israel, shame on you.  You have let something evil out of the bag and somehow we need to figure out quickly how to end this before something really bad happens.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH: This is the photo I took before I headed to Target today with my three year old daughter. We were having a beautiful day together and I was feeling excited about turning 29 weeks pregnant and looking forward to spending the evening with my family, celebrating Shabbat. On our way to Target I was practicing the “Shabbat song” with Aviva and by the time we got to the store she was practicing it with hand claps et all, quite excited about her singing and proud of herself for knowing the song.

As we were on our way out of the store I overheard a man and a woman near me say “Hey that’s that Jewish song….yeah yeah it is.” And then, “Oh yeah she’s got that curly Jew hair… yeah the kid too.” At this point I was alert and I could see them out of the corner of my eye. It was what seemed to be a husband and wife with a middle-school aged son (who was laughing the entire time as they went on). I started to push my stroller faster to not make eye contact but get away from these people. Everything in my being was hyper focused to protect my daughter at all costs. These people could be armed for all I know. “Oh look she hears us! She’s speeding up!” They started moving closer to me and getting louder, “Filthy Jew. Yeah filthy Jew and her filthy Jew kid.” And then… “Donald Trump is going to take care of you! Yeah! We don’t have to worry now! Trump’s going to take care of you!” My heart was pumping through my entire body. My daughter was singing loudly “Shabbat Shalom…Shabbat Shabbat Shabbat Shabbat Shalom” completely unaware of what was going on. (Thank God). I was focused on just getting out of there and getting to my car with out making eye contact or interacting with them. I turned a corner and the woman said “Oh look she’s pregnant! Great she’s having another filthy Jew!” The husband replied “Trump will take care of all of them!” I got out of the store, ran my daughter to our car checking for any sight of them the entire time, got in and just held her so tight.

All I have to say to you is this…

I was the co-chair of the Women’s March here. I am founder and President of March On San Diego. I am a proud Jewish woman, mother, wife and activist. All of that aside I am a proud American. I’m proud of how my family immigrated to the USA, escaping persecution for being Jewish. I’m proud of my family members who survived the Holocaust and of my husband’s family who did as well. I’m proud to have stood on the right side of history as I cast my vote away from Donald Trump.

My friends, we can NOT live in a bubble. We can NOT look away. Here in San Diego, in a Target store in Point Loma this kind of racist behavior took place towards a pregnant woman with a young child because this kind of behavior, hate and ideology has been given VALIDATION by our president. These people are now embolden. Any Jew I know who voted for this man or who supports him still today- please take a long hard look at yourself. Are you okay with what happen to me today? If you are- own it. If you are not- please it’s not too late to take a stand with those of us standing up against this madness.

To my friends who are working hard all around the country and here in San Diego with me and others to fight peacefully against this hate- from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU- we must focus our efforts to resist and overcome bigotry, racism and fascism. Today it was me and my daughter; tomorrow it could be you. Shabbat Shalom, good Sabbath, peace and love to you all.

Comments (Archived):

  1. Pointsandfigures

    We agree on this 1000%. No room for discrimination of this sort in America.

    1. Gotham Gal

      None!

      1. Pointsandfigures

        https://www.nationalww2muse… this might be a place to start. And this: These are from oral histories of Army GIs. http://ww2online.org/advanc… My friend’s father was one of the first to liberate Buchenwald. I saw him talk about it once. Basically, he couldn’t.

  2. jim forbes

    My Lord, this is a frightening scenario, and I’m afraid you’re right it could be a sign of the times.

  3. CCjudy

    That’s Trump’s base those like him who hate

    1. Bridget Goodbody

      That’s so brilliantly put – the base that hate and they hate in all directions, don’t they?

      1. JLM

        .How many Nazis, KKK, Antifa, skinheads, white supremacists, BLM folk do you actually know?I know none. The notion that the haters are anything other than a media driven insignificant and irrelevant minority is a meme propagated by the media.HRC did not lose the Rust Belt because of the Nazis, KKK, skinheads, or white supremacists. The next candidate is not going to win with a coalition of Antifa and BLM.This is marginalized, extremist politcal rhetoric with no basis in fact.Do not get me wrong, they are all scumbags. There are not enough of them to figure into the calculus of elections.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    2. Pointsandfigures

      Trump’s base is far more diverse than you think. Unless you think most of America hates. I don’t think that.

    3. JLM

      .Trump, as an amateur, part-time politician, doesn’t have a base, a base being a foundation set of political supporters melded together by an identifiable political philosophy of governance. He has no such philosophy. He does not have an organization.Trump is not a Republican, a conservative, or a professional politician.He does have instincts and a wicked sharp sense of the electorate coupled with a cutting edge ability to reach voters over the heads of the media.The people who voted for Trump in the critical states did so for three reasons — total rejection of the alternative, some particular singular issue (coal, energy, immigration, foreign affairs, jobs, the economy — pick one), and anger at the establishment.Trump read the significance of the 2014 mid-terms. People were angry and felt that the establishment on both sides had failed them.Trump beat the 16 dwarfs, the GOPe, the DEMe, the Bushes, the Clintons, HRC, the media, the pundits, the pollsters. He outworked his opponent and he went places she did not go.He ran against the status quo, the establishment, Obama, Obamacare, the media, and for the common man. The magic of a billionaire becoming a populist is not lost on anyone who watched it happen.The old calculus of appealing to the base is archaic in a world where President Trump can speak directly to every potential voter in the critical states either face-to-face or via social media. He is the first social media President.This is not about ideology. This is about the mechanics of how the guy got elected.In the future, he will have the luxury of running against the three most unpopular forces in the country — the establishment, the Congress, the media. All of the animosity directed toward him just keeps him in the minds of the disaffected. As the economy comes back to life, he will have results upon which to found his message.He has found the “other way.” Those who use legacy analysis and approaches will get the same results as last time.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      1. Kirsten Lambertsen

        http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/…I’d say this is a base. But I don’t think anyone is ready to find out what they have in common.

        1. JLM

          .You sort of prove my point.The slice of folks the article cites — those who “approve” of Pres Trump — are not welded together by a common, governing philosophy or demographic profile. This being the definition of a “base.”They simply “approve” of Trump which seems a very obscure distinction. In many ways, I don’t “approve” of him personally for reasons that may have nothing to do with politics.As I indicated above, the people who voted for Pres Trump or who now “approve” of him are driven by rejection of the alternative, some particular singular issue, or anger at the establishment.In my case, I “approve” of his policies, his Cabinet, and his national security team. I don’t really “approve” of him. I like his policies.That too is not a base.I was responding to the comment above which seemed to indicate that Pres Trump’s base was “haters.”JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

  4. Nick Grossman

    This is scary stuff and it’s painful to hear more stories like it.It’s really hard to know the difference between a few outlier assholes and a truly dangerous situation that’s worthy of fleeing (and then, to where? Berlin would actually be top of my list, paradoxically)But in the meantime it’s important to shine a light on these episodes, so thank you.

    1. Gotham Gal

      It is really hard to know the difference. So damn upsetting.

  5. awaldstein

    I draw the line at hate. It’s an absolute line for me.Where is touches home for me is the hate for Jews,Not acceptable to not speak out. Not acceptable to write off any possible good that comes from this unmistakable wrong.

  6. Tom Evslin

    Worse resurgent ant-Semitism is not restricted to the Nazi right. It exists in a left-wing form on college campuses; the Star of David was banned from some gay pride parades; and the only thing Shia and Sunni extremists agree on is anti-Semitism. None of these excuse the others, of course. There is no excuse for not speaking out against Nazis. But unfortunately they’re not the only threat. Nor, even though I’m Jewish, do I think it’s any worse to be anti-Semitic than anti-black,Hate is somehow always with us. Here’s a beautiful piece my niece wrote to her Cambodian-Jewish daughter “inspired” by the sight of racists on the march. http://blog.tomevslin.com/2

    1. Gotham Gal

      Thanks Tom. Will read

    2. Gotham Gal

      She’s so right. We should all embrace diversity. What a boring world it would be if we all looked the same and believed in the exact same things

    3. Susan Rubinsky

      That is a beautiful letter to her daughter. Makes me want to cry.

    4. JLM

      .Anti-Semitism has never been diluted since WWII. It has only been left to fester in a corner. The events in France (Charlie Hebdo, et al) show once again that France is a country completely inhospitable to Jews as a class of people.When I served in Germany more than 40 years ago, I visited the concentration camps and felt the residual evil in the air. We (my father personally and his generation, not me) beat the Nazis, but we did not eradicate anti-Semitism.I am glad they did not bulldoze some of those horrific places. We need to be reminded of how evil mankind is capable of being. The Germans need to be reminded they ELECTED Hitler to office. The French need to be reminded they sent more Jews to their death than the Germans.In some ways, the creation of Israel concentrated the focus of anti-Semitism as it went from being a hatred at a personal level to being nationalized. The chaos in the Middle East starts with the hatred of the Jews. The only unifying factor amongst most Arab states is their common hatred of Israel and its people.As a professional soldier, I entered service at the beginning of the 1973 Yom Kippur War in which Israel came within a few hours of being wiped from the face of the earth. Had Pres Nixon not authorized the replacement of IDF tank losses with American M-60s flown out of McGuire AFB in NJ, the Syrians would have driven into Tel Aviv.I saw the American tanks being loaded — filled with fuel and ammunition and still carrying American stars on them — and sent to Israel. I later met Israeli tankers who drove those tanks off those planes right into battle.Golda Meir and Moshe Dyan had taken the extraordinary step of ordering the fueling of Israel’s nuclear rockets for a strike on Damascus. The world was at the precipice of a nuclear strike and it was driven by the virulent power of anti-Semitism.US assistance was essential in beating the Russian client states of Egypt and Syria. Henry Kissinger pried Egypt from the claws of Russia and Syria has been an unrepentant enemy of Israel since then. They have recently fallen back into the Russian orbit.Obama managed to destroy more than four decades of peace between Egypt and Israel by allowing the hateful Muslim Brotherhood to lead Egypt. He allowed Iran to fund Hamas and Hezbollah. He did not object when Turkey became a funder of both Hamas and Hezbollah.America is the only force for good in that part of the world. If Iran is allowed to have a nuclear weapon, you can set your time piece for how long before they use it.Fueling all of this is the mindless anti-Semiticism which slaughtered 6MM Jews in WWII.It will never end and the only solution is a strong Israel. An American presence in the Middle East which will force individual countries to toe the line we set, and a constant effort to dilute the hegemony of Iran and Russia. It will not be done without American leadership.There is not a win at the end of this effort, but there may be a peaceful truce, a tie, an intellectual armistice.The Obama administration is responsible for having let our guard down as it relates to Israel, thereby allowing Israel’s opponents to marshal their forces of evil once again. The Middle East has a better chance with a strong American presence and a President who values the relationship with both our friend — our only friend, Israel — and the recognition of our enemies.This is going to get very dicey and we are nowhere near the finish line.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    5. Pointsandfigures

      In Chicago at the Gay Pride Parade, they wouldn’t let gay Jews march.

  7. JLM

    .Joanne, shame on you. What an inflammatory and untrue statement you have made:”We can not have a person running our country, the United States of America, a leader of the world, not condemning this type of hatred.”In fact what the President said was as follows:“Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups.”He expanded his comments by saying:“As I have said many times before, no matter the color of our skin, we all live under the same laws, we all salute the same great flag, and we are all made by the same almighty God. We must love each other, show affection for each other and unite together in CONDEMNATION of hatred, bigotry and violence.” [CAPS ADDED]These quotes were widely reported in the WashPo, the NYT, and by CNN. Any marginally informed person knows the truth of the matter.The President’s daughter married an observant Jew and converted to Judaism. Their children are being raised as Jews. They have conducted their lives as observant Jews and have sought rabbinic approval of personal behavior which conflicts with their beliefs.To suggest that President is either anti-Semitic or failed to condemn the “…hatred, bigotry, and violence…” of Charlottesville is so patently false as to literally question one’s sanity and command of the English language.Get over the election. Move on. Fight fair. Speak the truth.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    1. Kirsten Lambertsen

      And 2 + 2 = 5.How dare you say “shame” to Joanne for believing her own eyes and ears. Should she believe her own eyes and ears or the man who lies to a spectacular degree on a near daily basis and never ever feels the need to correct the record? The guy who said of John McCain “I like people who weren’t captured” — that’s who she’s supposed to believe over her own eyes, ears and intellect?While you’ve quoted Trump directly, the man has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that absolutely nothing he says can be trusted. If there’s one thing he *has* been consistent about over the years it’s his demonstrable bigotry. All of his words are completely meaningless. We are left only with his actions to try and ascertain where his moral compass points. And it appears to be pointing straight to hell.You know what’s inflammatory, unfair and untruthful? Demanding that people agree 2 + 2 = 5.

      1. JLM

        .I get it. You don’t like Pres Trump. Got it.What Joanne said about his failing to “condemn hatred” is not true. Deal with it. I care not a whit with whatever else she sees or hears. Her statement is untrue.Trump bad.Yours is a truly unhinged, knee jerk defense of a simple untrue statement.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

        1. Kirsten Lambertsen

          Trump has made more untrue public statements *as president* than can be counted on all the hands of all the people commenting here today. Where’s your shame for him? We’re supposed to believe him when he says something we happen to like? What kind of person continues to believe someone who has proven over and over and over and over that their words are meaningless?I’ve spoken truth here, and all you can come up with is calling me “unhinged.”But I get it. There’s nothing he could do to lose your support. Got it.

          1. JLM

            .Not sure how this became a contest between Trump and Joanne as to how many untrue statements each made. I was just commenting on what she wrote in her blog post, which was patently untrue.Faux moral equivalence is the only defense one has when the facts stand for something they do not like.Trump bad.Your truth telling is not the issue here, is it?JLM

          2. Kirsten Lambertsen

            Perhaps you aren’t familiar with the 2 + 2 = 5 reference.I can’t speak for Joanne, but my own point is that Trump *saying* he “condemns hatred” (which isn’t the same as saying he condemns bigotry and racism, is what is *needed* here, and the absence of which is a purposeful contortion on his part) is proof of nothing, certainly not his *actual* condemnation of hatred (or bigotry or racism, which he hasn’t condemned anyway).He can’t tell the truth about even the most basic, mundane matters. He is the poster boy for “2 + 2 = 5.” So, I’ll grant you, it’s true, there’s nothing he can *say* that will convince me he’s fit to be president. Only his actions could possibly move me at this point. And I watch his actions very closely.More importantly, I’m pissed off you said “shame” to Joanne. That’s what brought me to your yard.

          3. JLM

            .In the man’s own words he condemned bigotry and racism.”We must love each other, show affection for each other and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry and violence.”It feels like you have a reading comp problem.You have admitted the truth: “…there’s nothing he can say that will convince me he’s fit to be president.” In that truth is the power, the energizing, mobilizing, organizing theme of what drive the left. They are still angry over his election.Scott Adams has a well thought out blog post on the issue.http://blog.dilbert.com/pos…These are HIS words not mine. It rings true.The “deplorable” name calling is only going to redound to the benefit of those on the other side as it did in the 2016 election.I am particularly incensed when people harness the emotion of the Holocaust or refer to their opponents as Nazis or compare people to Hitler. The Holocaust was one of the worst evidences of evil on earth.Yes, Kirsten (Kristen), I did read a bit of Geo Orwell, back in 1984. Sheesh.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          4. Kirsten Lambertsen

            You seem to have gone off into the weeds. It feels like you have a focus problem. But I hear you. Donald Trump said something so we should take him at his word.

          5. JLM

            .The problem is not what Trump said, it is what Kirsten Lambertsen heard, acknowledges, or distorts.You said: “…which isn’t the same as saying he condemns bigotry and racism, is what is *needed* here, and the absence of which is a purposeful contortion on his part…”In fact, he said: “We must love each other, show affection for each other and unite together in condemnation of HATRED, BIGOTRY AND VIOLENCE.” He had previously said he condemned racism, calling it evil.It is a simple matter of fact. He either did or did not say what the direct quote indicates. If facts matter to you, then you should examine the facts. They may be illuminating.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          6. Kirsten Lambertsen

            “If facts matter to you, then you should examine the facts. They may be illuminating.”Dude. LOL!

      2. Gotham Gal

        Thanks Kirsten…obviously I agree wholeheartedly.

  8. Susan Rubinsky

    It’s all hate that’s being incited right now. Two stories:My cousin is white and is married to a Mexican man. Both she and her husband voted for Trump. She called me up recently, very upset, due to her daughter being publicly harassed and bullied for being Mexican. White people, mostly men, cornered her 18 year old daughter and shouted at her to go back to Mexico where she belongs and to stop stealing jobs from Americans. One of the things she told me was that both she and her husband never anticipated that this is what would happen in America if Trump was elected.Last night a close friend called me up. I went and picked her up because she was upset and wanted to talk. She had been at the CVS with her boyfriend who is Southeast Asian. She is white with blonde hair and blue eyes. A big white man (she said he was at least 6’3″) blocked the doors at CVS and would not let her and her boyfriend leave. He began shouting at them, saying that Indians don’t have the right to have white women, that only white men do. Not one person came to help my friend and her boyfriend — nobody in the store, not the store staff, etc. They were very scared. Eventually the man ran outside yelling racist comments. She said it was as if the man expected people to crowd around and listen to him. My friend and her boyfriend ran to their car and left.We have to share these stories.

  9. revolution_for_nonviolence

    Thank you for speaking out and using this platform too hare the stories of what is being unleashed in America today. It has been prevalent in society for decades, yet many are only feeling it first hand now. It is because the leadership of our government is not taking action against the hatred. That requires us, we the people, to do so. NYC, Durham, Charlottesville and Philadelphia took to the streets this week. Today 30K people united in Boston. Everyday we have to take action in new ways. Personally trying my best on Instagram @revolution_for_nonviolence

    1. revolution_for_nonviolence

      sorry for the typo! *share the stories

  10. Donna Brewington White

    This is a very sad and disturbing story.I can resonate as someone who experienced overt prejudice growing up in the Midwest, although never as a parent which would be even more unsettling.I guess it never occurred to these people invoking “Donald Trump” in support of their idiotic anti-Semitic taunts, that he has Jewish grandchildren.

    1. Gotham Gal

      nice!

  11. Kirsten Lambertsen

    For anyone who’s wondering what to do to help if they see a situation like this, the current ‘wisdom’ as I understand it is to approach the target as if you know them. “Hello! Oh my gosh! How are you? How have you been? Let’s walk to your car together and catch up!”It’s safer than confronting the harasser and for many reasons is supposed to be much more effective at neutralizing a harasser. It also does wonders for the shattered nerves of the target to stand with them, rather than possibly escalate an already terrifying episode.