Holocaust Remembrance Day has been Defiled!

Holocaust Remembrance Day has been defiled by our present leadership. Have we forgotten the lessons of the Holocaust and trivialised it?

For starters, the opening ceremony addressed by President Reuven Rivlin was the beginning of the hint of the direction in which Israel is moving. It is a direction of realpolitik played out by PM Netanyahu towards the far-right, neo-fascist leaders that are ruling Austria, Hungary, Brazil, Poland and the Interior Minister of Italy 1. The list will continue to grow as many European countries move towards the neo-fascist right. It appears that Netanyahu is cultivating friendships with these far right, neo-fascist leaders, whose record of anti-Semitism is a blemish on their respective characters 2. This is what President Reuben Rivlin had hinted in his speech. It was obvious that this remark was directed at Netanyahu."Today, Europe is once again pursued by the ghosts of the past. Ideas of superiority, national purity, xenophobia, blatant anti-Semitism from left and right are hovering over Europe," Rivlin said.  He spoke of rising anti-Semitism in conjunction with the anti-Israel sentiment, Rivlin said one cannot hate Israel and love Jews nor hate Jews and love Israel. Rivlin went on to warn of warming ties between Israel and right-wing leaders who have not recognized their nation's responsibility in "the crimes of the Holocaust."  

After having heard and viewed President Rivlin delivering his speech, which was a good speech denouncing racism in all its forms, my feeling was that Netanyahu is the total antithesis of President Rivlin. Rivlin spoke as a true statesman. I just felt that I could not watch Netanyahu deliver his speech and left my armchair in disgust! Words! Words and more words of the same re-hashed stuff that Netanyahu is so expert in delivering! This is King Bibi - the heartthrob of most of the Israeli Electorate today. A racist has no place speaking at a Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony.

There is no difference between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, President Reuven Rivlin said at a previous occasion in an apparent rebuke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for saying that Israel is “the national state only of the Jewish people. 3”

If we view the various right-wing neo-fascist leaders that Netanyahu has been courting over the past few years it is quite disgusting. It is finding a consensus on re-writing the history of the Holocaust to suit the views of the neo-fascist leaders, whose friendship Netanyahu has been cultivating 4.

Another subject that is really painful concerning the observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day is the pitiful conditions under which many aged Holocaust survivors live in Israel. Many are caught up in crippling bureaucracy Israel-style in order to get reparations. Many have not received anything or very little and are living their last few years in poverty without getting any financial assistance 5. This painful subject is largely overlooked and the time has come for the government to give a hand to these survivors who have suffered so much so that at least in their last years they have a decent quality of life which to date they do not have 6.

Plans to evict 45 Holocaust survivors from their homes has been cancelled.

References:

1. "Israel's Netanyahu Embraces European Leaders With Controversial ...." 17 Dec. 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/12/17/676017667/israels-netanyahu-embraces-european-leaders-with-controversial-views-on-holocaus. Accessed 2 May. 2019.
2. "Israel's Netanyahu Embraces European Leaders With Controversial ...." 17 Dec. 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/12/17/676017667/israels-netanyahu-embraces-european-leaders-with-controversial-views-on-holocaus. Accessed 2 May. 2019.
3. 11 Mar. 2019, https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5476970,00.html. Accessed 2 May. 2019.
4. "Netanyahu's flirtation with the far right, by Dominique Vidal (Le Monde ...." 12 Oct. 2018, https://mondediplo.com/outsidein/netanyahu-s-flirtation-with-the-far-right. Accessed 2 May. 2019.
5. "70 Years After WWII, Israeli Holocaust Survivors Suffer - Breaking ...." 11 Apr. 2018, https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/105691/70-years-after-wwii-israeli-holocaust-survivors-suffer/. Accessed 2 May. 2019.
6. "Tens of thousands of Israeli Holocaust survivors are living in abject ...." 27 Jan. 2016, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/12122754/Tens-of-thousands-of-Israeli-Holocaust-survivors-are-living-in-abject-poverty.html. Accessed 2 May. 2019.