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■‘•I* 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE April 21, I97t
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Wearing the yellow star
The showing of the TV film “Holocaust” has produced diverse
reactions among viewer* (see story, page I) but perhaps the most
heartwarming and touching is the decision by several Atlanta
church groups to participate in a national project on Sunday,
April 22, in whicn ministers
and Christian laymen will
wear yellow Star of David arm
bands
The idea and implemen
tation can be credited to the
National Conference of
Christians and Jews which was
motivated not only by
“Holocaust.” but also by
publicity surrounding the
planned march by Nazis in
Skokie. III.
Several Atlanta church
groups have begun requesting
yellow stars from the local
NCCJ office, according to Kenneth Kershaw, director. Although
there is no demonstration planned, Kershaw indicates that the
request for arm bands has been brisk from Christian groups.
There is an obvious parallel with 1943, when the King of
Denmark and his family wore the yellow star as a protest against
Nazi persecution of the Jews and were followed by thousands of
Danish people wearing the star, finally causing a Nazi decision not
to force Jews in Denmark to wear them.
According to Kershaw, the NCCJ has also made a commitment
that if the Skokie march takes place, they would expect upwards
of 5,000 Christians to line the route of march, wearing yellow arm
bands.
We applaud the NCCJ's unique way of showing solidarity with
Jews and arc touched by the thought that, like the King of
Denmark, they wear the yellow star so that we shall never again
have to.
Jack Redaction
A fable for Passover
Ooce upoo a tune the Jews were being persecuted by
the Ruswans These Russians never smiled and gave
the Jews only the most menial jobs and constantly
pressured them to grve up their
reiigson in favor of the godless
principles of Communism
Because of this oppression, the
Jews became very restless. There
was a great deal of discontent,
some of n just grumbling, but
many were brave enough to openly
protest the repressive atmosphere
under which they lived.
Those Jews who publicly argued against the
Russians were treated harshly and became outcasts.
Many lost their jobs (such as they were) and many
more were sent to that ominous Land in the north —
Siberia
The Russians also accused the Jews of being spies,
even though there was no evidence to support the
charges, and many Jews were put in jail without trial.
The Russians often came for them in the middle of the
night and dragged them away without explanation
Many of the Jews wanted to leave this place. Some
made elaborate plans to sneak across the border,
where there was freedom. But many applied for exit
visas to go to Israel and the Russians became very
angry about this and called these people “refusniks”
and singled them out for severe mistreatment.
The Russians even prohibited the Jews from
bringing the matzos. the unleavened bread that ts the
very symbol of freedom at Passover, and the Jews
became very upset about this and raised a protest
which was heard all over the world.
This protest seemed to fall on deaf ears, but in
certain places people began to listen and some leaders
even raised their voices in protest. Leaders in Israel
cried out, “Let my people go,” but the Russians
ignored them. Jewish leaders in the United States
issued agonized statements of protest, calling for the
Russians to stop the repression of the Jews but the
Russians went about their business and paid no
attention.
And then, on the first night of Passover, a very
strange thing happened. People everywhere suddenly
realized what was happening in Russia and raised
their voices in protest. Angry letters and cables came
pouring in to the Kremlin. The Pope called for
freedom for the Jews. African leaden turned from
the bloodshed in their own countries and told the
Russians they should not persecute the Jews. In South
America. anti-Semitic strongholds such as Argentina
protested the treatment of the Jews. Even the Arabs
acted ashamed of the Russians. Only the PLO
remained silent.
And in the United Sutes, the land of liberty and
freedom, the average citizen suddenly became
incensed over the mental and physical abuse of the
Jew in Russia and began to create such an outcry that
President Carter and Ambassador Young made it
plain to the Russians that the United Sutes could no
longer stand by and witness the relentless oppression
of the Jews They insisted that the Russians stop.
And then, as though by an unheard signal, the
Russian Jews packed up their belongings and began to
march to freedom. They began to walk out of Russia
toward borders that promised an end to tyranny. They
crossed mountains, they crossed rivers (there is even a
rumor that the Volga parted to let them by), and they
moved in long streams of humanity toward freedom
During this march the Russians remained strangely
silent and did not attempt to stop the Jews. They were
frightened by the outpouring of sentiment from all
over the world and they were afraid to incur the wrath
of President Carter and the other leaders. But, most of
all, they feared the anger of the average citizen.
And so the Jews came out of Russia into the
Promised Land. Only then did the Russians realize
what had happened and cried out in despair over the
escape. They made as if to pursue the Jews but it was
too late, for the mountains and the rivers had already
been crossed.
Wise men say that the Jews were able to escape at
Passover because people all over the world—the
ordinary people like you and me—cried out, “Stop"
and “Never again," and the Russians became afraid.
And so the Jews were able to leave repression and
persecution behind and live happily ever after.
I swear by Moses' beard that it could happen
Yad Vashem remembers
by Janet Mendelsohn
The echo of the shofar's call
lingered in the brisk Jerusalem air
as the elderly bearded man slowly
put the curved ram's horn in his
black coat pocket. “I’ve been
waiting to blow the shofar and
usher in peace for thirty years." he
said to his younger companion. "I
hope it is God’s will that this will be
the beginning of peace for the
Jews."
The two men were not alone in
their hope for peace as Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat visited
Yad Vashem, the Martyrs' and
Heroes Authority in Jerusalem
Escorted by Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin, President Sadat
seemed very impressed by the
memorial perpetuating the
Holocaust, during his November
1977 visit to Jerusalem.
A catastrophe of historic
proportions, the Holocaust, which
is graphically portrayed in Yad
Vashem, resulted in the genocide
of six million Jews, severely
altering the course of Jewish
history. “European Jewish
civilization was totally destroyed
without leaving any continuation
or substitute," says Gideon
Hausner. Knesset member and
chairman of the Yad Vashem
council. Numbers have been hard
to regroup, and Hausner adds that
even today the Jewish people
number (wo million less than thev
did prior to World War II.
Even more difficult to fill.
however, is the gaping void left in
the Jewish memory as families and
even entire communities were
blotted out. Perhaps the gap
cannot be filled, but the Martyrs'
and Heroes Remembrance
Authority of Yad Vashem will
never let the world forget the
horrors by which more, than one
third of world Jewry were
murdered at the hands of the
Germans and their collaborators.
According to one of the clauses
of the law, one of the functions of
Yad Vashem is to “gather into the
homeland material regarding all
those members of the Jewish
people who laid down their lives."
In order to accomplish this
monumental task, Yad Vashem
has undertaken the task of
recording the names of all the Jews
who perished at the hands of the
Nazis. Registration has been
accomplished by relatives or
friends of the victims, who have
completed “pages of testimony"
containing biographical informa
tion as well as circumstances of
death during the Holocaust
Efraim Zuroff, director of
overseas activities, claims that
close to three million names of
victims are on file at the new Hall
of Names at Yad Vashem,
dedicated by Prime Minister Begin
in November 1977. A widespread
campaign is being undertaken in
an attempt to accumulate more
testimonials and information
about the Holocaust in an attempt
to counteract widespread Nazi
propaganda and apathy among the
general public.
“in light of recent attempts to
deny the Holocaust has ever
occurred, we call on Jews around
the world with any information to
fill out pages of testimony or pass
on useful information," says
Zuroff. The staff at Yad Vashem
realize they are running a difficult
race against time as many of the
hundreds of thousands of
survivors who escaped from the
Holocaust are now growing older
and perhaps may never pass on
useful information or give valuable
testimonials.
In addition to its many other
functions, the Yad Vashem
Authority established and
organizes yearly the national day
of remembrance for the martyrs
and heros of the Holocaust (27th
day of the month of Nissan). This
day. Lorn Hashoa ve' Hagevurah,
is marked by memorial assemblies
throughout the world and an
official state ceremony held in
Jerusalem at Yad Vashem
commemorating Remembrance
Day.
Anwar Sadat’s inscription in the
guest book at Yad Vashem
illustrates his possible compre
hension of the desire, which has
possessed Jews since the
destruction of the First Temple
and which is urging them on in
present times: “May God guide our
steps toward peace. Let us end
suffering for mankind.”