Dear Folks--
Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, each of us has our own way of commemorating the January 27, 1945 Liberation of Auschwitz.
And while we are well-aware of the horrors, we must also be aware of its origins. The Holocaust/Shoah could not have occurred if people had recognized and taken action against the conspicuous burgeoning of German fascism following Germany's defeat in WWI.
There were also conspicuous harbingers to the rise of contemporary fascism throughout Europe and in the US.
Exhortations of, "Never Again," and "Never Forget!"; as well as solemnly intoned quotations such as: "Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it" (Variously paraphrased and variously attributed to George Santayana, Edmund Burke, among others.), "All that is needed for evil to exist is for good {people} to remain silent." (Also variously paraphrased and attributed.), are meaningless unless they are accompanied by effective actions.
Eighty years after Liberation, my way to take action is to research and share accurate information, resources, and historical context, along with effective—rather than self-indulgent, performative—steps that can help us all to confront and fight threats to human rights.
I hope you will join me in today's Commemoration by choosing—and committing—to your own way of taking effective action to fight fascism.
Stay safe, be mindful, be well, and RESIST!
Joanne
Author, Educator, Playwright, Public-Speaker WOMEN OF VALOR: Polish Jewish Resisters to the Third Reich (2018) A VICTORY FOR MIRIAM: The Little Jewish Girl Who Defied the Nazis (2019) VOICES OF VALOR: An Intergenerational Holocaust Education Theatrical Project (2024) WOMEN OF VALOR: Female Anti-Nazi Resistance in France (Coming in 2025)
www.joannedgilbert.com
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.