Anti-Semitism Then and Now

 

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO — News relating to the Holocaust of 1938 to 1945 and to anti-Semitic, anti-Israel dangers of today are the focus of today’s news briefing.

Above, is a recent video interview conducted by Sandy Scheller of the South Bay Historical Society with Holocaust Survivor Rose Schindler of San Diego at the Chula Vista Public Library, which currently is hosting an exhibit on Holocaust survivors who moved to the South Bay region of San Diego County.  The video incorporates clips from previous video interviews with Schindler’s late husband, Max.  The stories of both Schindlers were told in their joint memoir, Two Who Survived.

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has announced it is making available audio tapes of the war crimes trial at Nuremberg, Germany, that were conducted at the end of World War II in 1945.  The 75-year-old audio testimonies may be accessed  via this website.  A film of the proceedings may be accessed via this website.

Rebecca Boehling, PhD,  director of the museum’s National Institute for Holocaust Documentation, commented: “The Nuremberg Trials mark the first time that an international court indicted defendants for perpetrating war crimes and crimes against humanity.  The 24 major Nazi officials indicted by the Allied victors — with American, British, French and Soviet judges presiding over the IMT (International Military Tribunal)–represent only a fraction of the perpetrators. Yet the Nuremberg trials documented in a court of law with international press coverage the historical tuth of the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes.  The IMT Proceedings set lasting legal precedents that nations have a duty to protect civilians from atrocities and to punish those who commit them.”

In the present day, Jewish defense organizations concentrate on the corrosive impact of the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) masterminded by Palestinians and their allies in an effort to delegitimize Israel.

The Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) on Thursday condemned a decision by the Associated Students at San Francisco State University to adopt a BDS resolution.  The condemnation message released by ACF Executive Director Avi D. Gordon stated:  “The passage of this discriminatory resolution is indicative of a disturbing trend of antisemitism at SFSU. Universities should be pillars of truth, academic freedom, and open discourse, and when these values are compromised for any group, including Jewish and Zionist students, university administrators must respond appropriately. With over 270 signatories to our ACF-San Francisco State petition, we ask President [Lynn] Mahoney to make it clear that there is no place for hate on campus.”

Prior to the student vote, the school’s president had commented: “At San Francisco State University, we strive to promote a welcoming and inclusive campus where our diverse student body can learn and grow in a safe environment. We condemn ideologies of hatred, including anti-Semitism and are committed to education combatting it. To that end, we continue to work closely with SF Hillel and are developing plans to work with the USC Shoah Foundation.”

In Australia, the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)’s Executive Director Dr. Colin Rubenstein called on the government in Canberra to take note of an opinion by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “that BDS is anti-Semitic, with a view to possibly making a similar announcement. … We hope the Australian Government is discussing enacting a similar process to the U.S., to audit organizations which receive Australian funding and consider withdrawing from any that support boycotts on Israel.  This would be consistent with this Government’s decision to cut funding to the Palestinian Authority after learning that Australian money may have been used by the Palestinians to terrorists and their families.”

Two other aspects of modern-day anti-Semitism involve attacks on Jewish synagogues and other institutions, and the effort by anti-Israel groups to inject their narratives into  public school and university curricula.

Stephen D. Bryen, who was a ranking official dealing with technologies in the Department of Defense during the administration of Ronald Reagan, announced publication of his book, Security for Holy Places: How to Build a Security Plan for Your Church, Synagogue, Mosque, or Temple.

Bryen, a Washington D.C. -based  occasional contributor to San Diego Jewish World,  includes in his book such chapters as Overall threat;  Types of weapons uses by intruders;  Perimeter and inside security; Where to get professional help; How to build a security plan; What to know when hiring guards; and How to use volunteers effectively to strengthen security.

In California, the fight continues over what will be taught in public high schools about the American Jewish experience and about U.S. support for Israel. On Thursday, StandWithUs issued a news release saying that it was encouraged by revisions made thus far to the legislatively-mandated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) by the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC).

Roz Rothstein, executive director and cofounder of StandWithUs, commented: “Positive changes were made to include Jews and add safeguards against hate and bias in the curriculum.  While the curriculum is headed in the right direction, there are still key changes we all have to fight for.  Among the most important is a strong definition of anti-Semitism in all its forms, rather than a week definition that caters to the biases of anti-Israel extremists.”

A similar sentiment was expressed by Tyler Gregory, executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council.  He said, “We are encouraged by the IQC’s support this week for including the Jewish American experience as a part of the new ethnic studies model curriculum for all the state’s public schools.  The IQC has endorsed holistic and equitable changes to the curriculum that protect our community and other communities through the inclusion of language that seeks to prevent discrimination against any group in the classroom.  Although we believe some further edits to the curriculum will strengthen it further, we believe the process is on the right track.  We look forward to working with the State Board of Education as the process continues.”

In San Diego County, meanwhile, the local Democratic Central Committee has delayed consideration of a proposed “Resolution E” that would condemn anti-Semitism.  Andrea Beth Damsky noted at the group’s post-election meeting this month that the resolution titled “How Anti-Semitic Hate Speech Harms Jews and Other Zionists in San Diego County” was delayed in favor of having a forum “to educate our members about this issue and possibly have a more congenial outcome.”

Doris Bitar, speaking for the Arab-American community, responded at the central committee meeting: “I hope we don’t ever get to talk about anti-Semitism as racism. As a default definition, it is one that silences Arab-Americans, in particular Palestinian Americans whose families back home are suffering from Israeli human rights violations and it is really time to stop hitting the restart button on this issue.  It’s a policing, racist, and bigoted definition.  We know what anti-Semitism is; we don’t also have to say that it is any criticism of Israel.  This again is our First Amendment Right.  Let’s put an end to that.”

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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com