Ariel Natan Pasko, April 20, 2004

For more than ten years now - since September 13, 1993 to be exact - I've had an increasingly hard time observing Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day. Put another way, I can't stand the bloody hypocrisy of those who cry out about what happened more than 60 years ago, but either contributed to what's been happening in Israel the last few years, or who are still working to bring "peace". "The peace of the grave," to paraphrase Arafat.

When thinking about "peace," the Roadmap "to hell" and other senselessly suicidal ambiguities of modern Jewish life in the Jewish State of Israel, I stop to wonder. How is it that almost 1,500 Jews have been killed since our "peace partner" Yasser Arafat declared an end to the armed struggle on the White House lawn that September day? How is it that almost one thousand Jews have been killed in more than three and a half years of warfare in our homeland? How is it that people aren't up in arms, rioting in the streets everyday, or at least, after every suicidal genocide bombing? In any normal country, they might have burnt down the parliament or strung up the prime minister by now.

And lastly, how is it that our so-called "leaders" including a man that made a career out of defending the Jewish People, rooting out terrorism - including from Gaza - and has been known by such appellations as the "Butcher of Shabra and Shatilla," suddenly decided to introduce elements of the "Holocaust" - i.e. roundup and expulsion of Jews from their homes - right here in Israel, with his Gaza plan, and many people are supporting him?

Why do people find it easy to worry about dead Jews from 60 years ago, but not the live Jews getting killed every day now?

If I were in charge, I would take drastic action to send a clear message of positive Jewish values to the Jewish People and the world. I would:

1. Forbid all those - "leaders" - connected to the Oslo process, from participating in any Holocaust Day ceremonies.

2. Forbid all those who haven't been actively spurning the "peace" - i.e. death - process from participating in any Holocaust Day ceremonies.

3. Forbid all those who support turning the Gazan Jewish community into another casualty - i.e. Holocaustizing them - from participating in any Holocaust Day ceremonies.

Positive Jewish values, meaning, excluding those people who haven't learned anything in 60 years of crying; positive Jewish values, in excluding those people who continue to contribute to our destruction.

Think back to 1942, somewhere in Eastern Europe. Some small sleepy village has just been rudely awakened by the rumbling of trucks, jeeps and the shouts of frenzied soldiers. Jews are roused from their beds and at gunpoint forced to march to the edge of town. First a few, five, ten, then more are hurriedly rushed to the trucks; Einzatzgrupen, the murder trucks. Three, four, seven people are stuffed into the back of the truck. The pipe from the exhaust is connected to an opening in the door. Jews, mothers, fathers, children start to scream and gasp for air. The soldier driving the truck presses down on the gas pedal while in neutral, the engine screams as the fumes make their deadly way into the closed back compartment filled with innocent people condemned to death, simply for being Jewish. Ten minutes, twenty, soon its over. The soldiers open the back of the truck and order some of the Jews shivering in the cold, standing on the side, to collect the bodies and bring them to t

he large truck nearby. Twenty-three are killed that morning, 23 holy souls extinguished like a candle blown out by a chilling winter blast.

Now, lend me your attention just a moment longer. It’s now 2004, somewhere in Israel, an average afternoon, or maybe just after Shabbat. People are walking around town, some doing shopping, some meeting friends. Jews, out in their cities, just as anyone else in the world could be. Without warning, BBBOOOOMMM!!! People hear the blast from blocks away. Eyewitnesses from across the street describe seeing body parts flying in the air. People with bloodied faces, arms and backs crying out for help. Ringing, ringing, ringing in the ears of those many meters away. Those are the lucky ones, the ones who survived this attack. Soon we hear on the news, 23 killed and 67 injured. Later, we hear that there is rejoicing and parties in Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarm, and across the Gaza Strip. Suicide Bombers, Homicide Bombers, Genocide Bombers, whatever you call them, the result is the same, innocent people condemned to death, simply for being Jewish. Palestinian Nazis are still at it. Holy souls extinguished like a candle blown out by a chilling winter blast.

But the enemies without have accomplices...

The transports came roaring up the road, kicking up dust as they rocked from side to side. The Jews had been baking all morning, waiting out in the scorching June sun. They were rounded up early by the soldiers and told to line up in an orderly fashion. But how long could that last? Babies were crying, and little children were running this way and that, playing, while frightened mothers kept one eye on their kids and another on the soldiers guarding them.

The trucks pulled up to the crowd and stopped. Several soldiers got out and walked over to the huddled, frightened group of mothers and children. The soldiers barked orders to all the children, to get back in line by their mothers. The crying grew louder. The commanding officer walked over to the group and ordered them to take out their ID cards.

"This is the last check before leaving," he said. "We wouldn't want to leave anybody behind..."

Somewhere in Europe in 1944? No, this is the Gaza Disengagement Plan in 2004...

Virulent anti-Semitism grows worldwide - attacks against Jews, Jewish property and symbols - while so-called "Jewish leaders" ostrich-like stick their heads in the sand while mouthing platitudes about "Never Again". And here in the Jewish State, created from the ashes of the Holocaust to protect Jews, Jews are killed almost every day. Israel - a supposedly independent state - fights vicious nazi-like terrorism with one hand tied behind its back and the other hand holding an olive branch. Now, to pacify our enemy's hatred of us, the brilliant plan to destroy Jewish communities and expel Jews from their homes has been created, by our own government.

Will future Jewish historians brand the present and recent Israeli governments, "Nazi Collaborators"? Are we beginning a period of Auto-Genocide?

I'd rather be a live Jew that everybody in the world hates, than a dead Jew everybody cries over.

Stop Holocaust Day or Stop the Hypocrisy!

Ariel Natan Pasko is an independent analyst & consultant. He has a Master's Degree in International Relations & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites, in newspapers, and can be read at: www.geocities.com/ariel_natan_pasko

Copyright © 2004 Ariel Natan Pasko