Russia -
Ukraine war: abuse of Holocaust memory and other politically incorrect thoughts
I work in a privately owned Israeli company founded by immigrants
from Ukraine. Half the employees are Ukrainian-born Israelis. The others are
from Russia (barring a handful of Israeli-born Israelis).
Many of the faces I see throughout the day are drawn and weary.
People worried sick about elderly parents who did not make Aliyah. Worried
about friends and extended family members currently in the war zone.
War is a terrible thing. Being helpless when people you care about
are under attack is gut-wrenchingly awful. My heart goes out to all who are
suffering during this truly difficult time.
And yet…
I have a big problem with the way the news cycle has turned to
Ukraine. My social media platforms are filled with solidarity posts. Mainstream
Israeli media is focused 24/7 on Ukraine. The comparisons with World War II and
the Holocaust seem to be plastered all over the international media. Jewish and
Holocaust-centered propaganda has been used by Russia (calling Ukrainians
Nazis), by Ukraine (saying that Russia is killing Holocaust victims again by
bombing Babi Yar) and by Jewish advocacy networks putting a spotlight on the
Jews/Israelis caught in the crossfire of this war.
Frankly, I’m disgusted.
No Jews, no news?
This
isn’t our war. We have enough wars of our own. This one has absolutely nothing
to do with Jews or Israel. Any Jews who are hurt, injured, or suffer in any way
from this war were not targeted because they are Jews. The Russians
don’t care that they are Jews or might also carry Israeli citizenship. The
Russians don’t care that there are sites connected to Jewish history in Ukraine
either. They care that they are in the middle of a war aimed at conquering a
country. People get killed in wars. Armies target significant sites in the
enemy territory to inflict damage to infrastructure, create terror and/or
damage tourism. It is Ukraine that is under attack, not Jews.
This war is NOTHING like the Holocaust
Bombs on Babi Yar do not “kill Holocaust victims a second time.” Preventing
the grandchildren of Holocaust victims from protecting ourselves when WE are
under attack DOES.
Neither Russians nor Ukrainians have ANY right to invoke Holocaust
comparisons.
The Ukrainians were notorious for their glee in taking part in
pogroms and murdering Jews. The Russians, who did fight the Nazis didn’t do so
to save Jews. Today the Russians are not trying to exterminate the Ukrainians,
they are trying to conquer land. The Russian army is known for indiscriminate
bombing and being free and easy with civilian casualties and yet we’ve seen
much footage of Russian tanks being stopped by Ukrainian civilians. It would be
easy for a genocidal army to simply bulldoze those people. The Russian soldiers
don’t because they don’t want to.
Buildings have been bombed. People have been killed. That is
horrible BUT IT’S NOT GENOCIDE.
Genocide is what happened to the Yazidis when ISIS attempted to
exterminate their ancient culture, slaughtering men, women, and children – and
selling the women and children who survived into sex slavery. Genocide is what
is happening to the Uyghurs in China. Genocide is what happened in Rwanda. In
Cambodia. To the Armenians.
Anyone invoking the terminology of genocide in connection to the
very conventional war between Russia and Ukraine should be ashamed of
themselves.
Ukrainian refugees are nothing like Jewish refugees during the
Holocaust.
Harrowing
as their experiences were and are, Ukrainian refugees, have friendly countries
on their borders to escape to. It’s difficult to be exhausted, scared, and
worried about your future, property and family left behind. That’s nothing
compared to starving, with no one to turn to, no country, no protection, and no
friends in the world.
Israeli refugees are perhaps the luckiest of them all. Our
government begged Israelis and Jews to leave. Now our representatives are in
all possible locations pulling Jews out of the chaos, bringing them to safety.
This is nothing short of a miracle.
It’s also, to a certain extent, an abuse of Jewish Holocaust
memory. On one hand, it is difficult to get up and leave your home and country
when danger is coming. On the other, that’s exactly the point – how many people
of those being rescued by Israel are actually Jewish? If you feel that Ukraine
is your country, are not Jewish according to the religious definition, have no
connection to Israel or anything related to Jewish tradition or culture, do I
need to care that you might have had a Jewish grandfather?
Israel DOES care because we go by the same guidelines
Hitler did to define who was Jewish enough to be murdered when determining who
has the right to make Aliyah. If Hitler would have murdered you for being
Jewish, you can become a citizen of the only Jewish state on earth.
For Israel, all lives matter isn’t a slogan. We truly believe that
do everything we can to protect lives – including those of our enemies. At the
same time, we are a tiny country with limited resources, and we cannot take
care of others before taking care of our own. Israel is the homeland and only
safe haven in the world for JEWS. We are proud to rescue Jews from all corners
of the earth. We cherish every member of our tribe. If the individual in
question doesn’t care about Israel or being Jewish, do we really need to give
them a free ride, sanctuary, and all the benefits of new immigrants?
Insisting that Israel take sides
America
wants Israel to take sides. Russia wants the same. On one hand, Ukraine is the
obvious underdog, attacked because the stronger party could - and we all have
immediate sympathy for the underdog. On the other, Russia has its own logic for
attacking (keeping the West off their borders and taking back what they believe
belongs to them).
Israel understands what it is like for innocent civilians, under
attack. At the same time, it is Russia on our border, not America, holding back
the Iranian proxies. It is Russia who looks the other way while we prevent
Iranian proxies from gathering more arms against us. It is Russia who can make
it near impossible for Israel to protect herself, should Russia choose – and in
the meantime, it is America racing to embrace Iran with agreements not worth
the paper they are written on. Iran, who has promised actual genocide
against Israel. Not the fake genocide both Ukraine and Russia are accusing each
other of. None of the players pushing Israel to take sides have any interest in
Israeli lives, they are only using us as a pawn in the proxy war between
America and Russia. Ukraine utilizing Holocaust memory and propaganda in Hebrew
to guilt Israel into standing with them is not much better although perhaps can
be excused because they are searching for all the help they can get in their fight
for freedom. As far as I am concerned, the only side Israel needs to take is
ours.
While the media is focused on Ukraine, what are they not telling
us?
The
media shapes reality by what they choose to show the public, how the content is
framed, and by what they choose NOT to show. While eyes are on Ukraine, who is
paying attention to Iran? A nuclear Iran is a threat to the entire Middle East
and Europe, not just Israel.
In Israel, this war provides a convenient excuse for our media to
not cover many uncomfortable and critical issues including dangerous lack of
sovereignty and frightening levels of corruption in our police and judiciary
system. Every country has different challenges but everywhere the question
remains the same – while they are focused on Ukraine, what are they not telling
me that I need to know?
