Dymphna at Gates of Vienna has a moving personal recollection of learning about of the Holocaust, and how it affected her politically and spiritually.
For all the (regretably necessary) attention paid to anti-semitism and those who would harm the Jews through ignorance or malice, it is a quiet joy to know that there are people on our side, who see history and the world as we do, and who agree with us, Never Again.
Meryl – I found your site via a link to EATAPETA day. I great concept, I celebrate daily.
I am finding Holocaust History and Holocaust denial more and more interesting these days for the following reasons. (disclaimer: I am, in no way, a Holocaust denier).
1. The David Ingrams trial has recently brought the issues to attention.
2. The village I live in in France apparantly perpetrated attrocities via the local Maquis. In investigating this history I was dissapointed because the only references I could find were by Robert Faurisson. When I found he was a Holocaust denier it threw doubt on his research of my village. (I’ve put a little of this history on my blog)
3. A nearby village called Oradour-sur-Glaine was razed by the Nazis, and the entire population burnt in the church. The SS responsible were from Alsace which made it a French on French atrocity. I have never visited Holocaust sites, but having Nazi atrocity evidence on my own doorstep.
My current take on the Holocaust: that it happened, was a documented, planned policy of genocide. Included not only Jews, but also Gypsies and other peoples. The mechanism of destruction and internment was also used against Political enemies of the Reich (such as French Resistance suspects and their families).
Any errors in Holocaust history are pounced on and used by deniers, but these errors are marginal against the scope and scale of the truth.
I look forward to ploughing through your archives and links as I learn more.
Lastly, I increasingly fear that “never again” can all to easily become “quite possibly soon” given the fashion for anti-semitism that gets bound up with anti-americanism and anti-zionism these days.