Kristallnacht and the Righteous Australian aboriginal William Cooper
Otto Jontof-Hutter, was arrested in Stuttgart during the German state sponsored pogrom of 9-10 November 1938, which became known as Kristallnacht.
What went through his mind as he was marched away with thousands of others, is anyone’s guess, but the twice wounded Mr Jontof-Hutter, a German hero of the First World War who had also won the Iron Cross, was sent to Dachau Concentration Camp, guest of the NS regime elected in 1933. People who knew him described him as kindly, loyal, hardworking, with a keen sense of humour.
Mr Jontof-Hutter never saw himself other than a patriotic and proud German, overlooking that he was a Jew belonging to an indigenous people that had roamed the plains of the Sharon and hills of Judea and Samaria some 3500 years ago. His family had been Germans for many hundreds of years and the idea of his origins— far down the mists of time—probably was not something he consciously thought about. He was a German of the Mosaic faith and that was that. Quite simple.
He did not look different from other Germans nor was his lifestyle any different from his middle class compatriots. In winter, he enjoyed langlauf skiing with his wife Flora, and their two sons Erich and Werner. Sundays they generally liked to go for a walk and perhaps enjoy some coffee and cake. Monday it was back to work at his master tailor business that had, until Nazi laws were promulgated, supplied ceremonial uniforms to the German military.
On the other side of the world in Australia, William Cooper, also from an indigenous community, grew up in an aboriginal mission station near Moama in the Riverina in New South Wales. Mr Cooper, a member of the Yorta-Yorta people made a living as a sheep shearer and fencer. Later he also opened up a fishmonger shop in nearby Mulwala—almost unheard of for an aboriginal in the days of the early 20th century. William Cooper not only sold the fish, but caught the fish himself in the mighty Murray River, that runs 2375 km through south- east Australia.
Otto, a Jew in Stuttgart and William, raised a non-Christian (though converting later in life) Aboriginal in a small Australian settlement lived far apart, both in distance and in culture. They had only two things in common—being members of an ancient culture and their decency. They never knew each other but in one way, their lives crossed by virtue of circumstances.
Armistice Day and Jewry: The Centennial
On November 11, at 11:00 a.m., 1918, the guns which had pounded the Earth into oblivion in search of human targets for four seemingly interminable horrendous years, were finally laid down. Humanity could breathe again.Netanyahu joins world leaders marking 100th anniversary of WWI in Paris
The German surrender signified the end of the most destructive war up to this point in history. Forty-two million troops fought for the Entente, whose original forces included France, Russia and Great Britain, and 23,000,000 for the Central Powers, which primarily comprised Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
Of the over one and a half million Jews who served, one hundred and seventy thousand fell in the war.
Over nine million troops died on the battlefield. Many more were wounded and scarred for life. Millions of civilians also perished.
The Jews were caught in the middle.
Of the over one and a half million Jews who served, one hundred and seventy thousand fell in the war.
Jews also suffered as refugees. Well over one million faced expulsions in Eastern Europe. Many Jews were forced to endure devastating pogroms. With the armistice, despite all hopes, the suffering was far from over. Two and a half years earlier, the editor of the journal, The Jewish Advocate, Jacob DeHaas correctly observed, “The rising tide of chauvinism is everywhere promoting a fresh anti-Semitism. The reward of the Jews for bravery and patriotism will, within Europe, be hatred. This is not prophesy. The facts lie too near fulfillment for any such claim.”
Indeed, the sacrifices and loyalty displayed by Jewry to their respective nations was to little avail in the pursuit of equality.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for France to join more than 70 world leaders gathering in Paris on Sunday to mark the centennial of the end of World War I.
This included Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
"We are going to a very important ceremony marking the centenary of the end of World War I. This was A bloody war that claimed millions of lives," he said at the airport before his departure.
"It was also of great importance in the history of our people," the Prime Minister explained. "First of all, there were hundreds of thousands of Jewish fighters involved, which marked the next turning point in our ability to defend ourselves. In addition, it brought to an end to the Ottoman Empire that ruled our country, and paved the way for Zionism.
"I will meet dozens of leaders from around the world," he continued, emphasizing that "there are many important issues that need to be discussed. I, as usual, will represent the State of Israel with great pride."
Netanyahu had initially hoped to hold a substantive meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the international event, but France discouraged such sidebar talks.
On Sunday, Netanyahu will attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe and a luncheon with international leaders. On Monday, he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.