Arendt<\/a><\/span>, a German-American historian and philosopher, was wrong about the Nazis. They weren\u2019t \u201cjust following orders.\u201d We have photos, footage and testimony showing the glee and enthusiasm with which they carried out their barbarism. But far too many Germans, Poles and French watched the beatings in the streets and did nothing\u2014or mocked, laughed and joined in.<\/p>\nTotalitarian systems demand conformity, submission and obedience. What they\u2019re able to create is not just a failure to think, but an ability to detach emotionally from the consequences of one\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n
We are all capable of hate. But to be able to turn hate into violence, to ignore evil, takes a level of sickness so profound it has yet to be named. The Polish family took the Kurcs\u2019 home, and wouldn\u2019t even allow them to get their furniture and belongings back after the war. Why has no one ever asked: What\u2019s wrong with you? Or, at least, too few asked.<\/p>\n
The series is full of stellar performances by a nearly all-Jewish cast. Joey King as Halina and Logan Lerman as Addy are particularly inspired. \u201cThe Holocaust is in me,\u201d said Robin Weigert who plays Nechuma. It\u2019s in each of us.<\/p>\n
Some of the more poignant lines from the series: \u201cWho does this?\u201d \u201cIt turns out people could be like this.\u201d \u201cThe bottom keeps dropping.\u201d \u201cHope is not a crime; it\u2019s a necessity.\u201d \u201cFind the humor.\u201d \u201cFaith is a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the one that sticks with you because of the 3,000 years of persecution it points to: \u201cNo Jewish eyes.\u201d Meaning, in order to survive in hiding, Jews couldn\u2019t show sadness or fear.<\/p>\n
The question we should be asking right now is not: Will this happen again? It absolutely could. So, what ideological systems are creating today\u2019s moral contagion? The answer, of course, is the red-green alliance. Communism, socialism and Islamic fanaticism work to foster antisemitism. It\u2019s not a coincidence that all three are repressive ideological systems that create a moral vacuum.<\/p>\n
Today, the moral contagion of antisemitism has the added bonus of social media and paid \u201cinfluencers.\u201d It\u2019s not about the lies. We\u2019ve been asking: How can the world defend the barbaric Islamic regime occupying Iran? The same way the world watched pogroms on the streets of Germany, Poland and France, and looked away\u2014or worse.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s antisemitism on the streets of Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States is essentially the same as it was 85 years ago. \u201cKill the Jews\u201d is the common refrain. Not Zionists, not Israelis\u2014Jews.<\/p>\n
But now, at least, there is Israel to inspire Maccabean strength, resilience and infinite pride. And while the Jewish people continue to grieve all those lost throughout history, their eyes\u2014our eyes\u2014are full of stubborn determination.<\/p>\n
We will not let it happen again.<\/p>\n
Originally <\/i>published<\/i><\/a><\/span> in the \u201cJewish Journal.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
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