Category Archives: Holocaust/antisemitism

Articles about the Holocaust and antisemitism

Holocaust Ethical Implications – by John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.D.

The academic study of ethics, in light of the experience of the Holocaust, has witnessed rapid development in the last decade. In addition to research into ethical decision making during the Holocaust itself in such volumes as Rab Bennett’s Under the Shadow of the Swastika: The Moral Dilemmas of Resistance and Collaboration in Hitler’s Europe, more general reflections on the significance of the Holocaust for contemporary ethics have come to the fore from Jewish and Christian scholars alike. There have also been voices such as Herbert Hirsch who have questioned whether we can learn anything from the Holocaust in terms of the moral challenge facing us today given the sui generis nature of that event as well as the immense complexity of a modern, global society.

Continue reading Holocaust Ethical Implications – by John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.D.

Sidney Klein Podcast: Holocaust Artist and Educator

Syd1

 Sidney  Klein: Born-again as a Holocaust Artist on October 7, 2023 (when Hamas invaded Israel) after a 55-year no-painting hiatus. He paints the effects of antisemitism-the death and destruction and hopes to lessen antisemitism as viewers see, feel, and are affected. His work is in the Heller Museum in NYC, the Gross-Rosen Muzeum in Rogoznica, Poland, and Yad Vashem Holocaust Art Research Center in Jerusalem, Israel. You can CLICK to see his work:  STUDIO

Hear Sid talk about…

1) How he transformed from an MBA businessman to an artist.
2) Why focus on the Holocaust?
3) What is his artistic mission? and where does his work go in the future?

SidTakeaways that the audience can continue to discuss:
Is it better to REMEMBER or FORGET? and For whom?

CLICK for podcast

Remembering the Holocaust and learning from it – by Deborah Levine 

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

I was honored to be interviewed by a university’s Holocaust and Genocide Education Center for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. I’ve worked in Holocaust education for more than 40 years, starting before I learned that my dad was a US military intelligence officer assigned to interrogate Nazi POWs. I did know that he’d been a soldier in World War II because as a kid, I found an old photo of him in uniform. Always a curious little critter, I asked, “Daddy, did you kill anyone in the war?” He answered, “No, but I slapped somebody once…the Nazi said that Hitler was great, but should have killed more Jews.”

Continue reading Remembering the Holocaust and learning from it – by Deborah Levine 

A chance meeting – by Regina Sën

Are there ever such things?
Or threads in the universe strumming, at just the right moment, to begin a new song? These were the thoughts floating through my mind, after connecting in a circle of grandmothers last weekend.

Enter stage right
A few hours pass with nine blessed souls: lives connecting for but a moment on the timeline of our lives. Yet profound, they rang as music to my ears, struggling to help loved ones understand the danger of our day, and the need to prepare.   I heard about a World War II veteran, one woman’s Father, whose study by commission during and after World War II was to find out, among the Nazis, 

“How did it happen? How did so many steer so far awry? And what was the state of mind of the German population by and large, immediately after?” 

Coincidence? Perhaps? 

Continue reading A chance meeting – by Regina Sën

A Survivor’s Story of Neo-Nazis: Part 2 – by Kathleen Sullivan

neo-NazisOur country’s government is again in danger. The white supremacists and neo-Nazis who conspired to meet Hitler’s long-term goal of Ordis Templar, Circa 2000 are mostly long-gone. But many of them have recruited, groomed and brainwashed next-generation children and other recruits to fulfill their insanely grandiose goal – specifically, of taking over the US government from the inside-out. And making it an Aryan-run government that would eventually lead the world. 

I have watched many of the brainwashing and so-called “mind control” techniques that were perfected on us as human Guinea pigs, being used regularly by White supremacist and neo-Nazi leaders and media representatives. Those techniques include Ericksonian hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic programming, wearing down listeners’ mental resistance in a variety of ways, triggering their midbrains and knocking their frontal lobes offline via messages of fear and disgust, and much more. 

Continue reading A Survivor’s Story of Neo-Nazis: Part 2 – by Kathleen Sullivan

A Survivor’s Story of Neo-Nazis: Part 1 – by Kathleen Sullivan

neo-Nazis I have been very concerned about the increasing lack of awareness and basic knowledge and education about the Holocaust, here in the US. And about the events and actions and societal trends in Germany that led up to it. 

Starting at age 3, I was unfortunately raised by a very cruel man who was German/Welsh-American. He had very poor self-esteem and was often ridiculed and bullied by his peers. His family was very poor and his father was the town drunk. All of that changed in college when he was mentored by German professors and was introduced to an eventual cluster of Nazi war criminals who had been relocated to the US by our government and given new names, identities and plum positions in governmental agencies. Specifically, to continue doing various kinds of research here, that they had previously done in Germany. Continue reading A Survivor’s Story of Neo-Nazis: Part 1 – by Kathleen Sullivan

UNTOLD Stories of a World War II Liberator

EDUCATION TOOL &
AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
(scroll down for links)

Holocaust education is a vital element to counteracting the  antisemitism and Holocaust denial as they grow world-wide. Educators and students, community leaders and activists should  hear the first-hand Untold stories of WW II and the Holocaust. Deborah Levine, daughter of a World War II military intelligence officer, has created this documentary as a tool for counteracting hate and for Holocaust education. Her father, Aaron Levine was a ” Ritchie Boy” trained at Fort Ritchie, the U.S. secret military intelligence camp focused on training men, often Jewish immigrants who spoke German, to interrogate Nazi prisoners of war.

Hear the wartime perspective of Aaron Levine as he liberated death camps, served as a spy, and wrote letters about his experience. Be inspired by the love letters of Estelle Swig Malloy, a Special Education pioneer whom Aaron married after they graduated from Harvard. Then hear the memoirs of Polish Holocaust Survivor, Leon Weisband who documented the Nazi invasion of his hometown.

   “Many liberators such as Levine’s father kept their experience largely secret So this is an important resource for Holocaust education and research…and a very engaging introduction to the journey of the Jewish community over the past century”
~ The Rev. Dr. John T. Pawlikowski: Founding member of the US Holocaust Center, Prof of Social Ethics/Catholic Theological Union

     “No student of history can come away from this without a deeper understanding of the sacrifices that were made to end the Holocaust and of the power of storytelling to heal the human heart.”
~ Dylan Kussman, Hollywood actor/producer

     “Deborah Levine’s work continues to be of utmost importance for students of all ages. The specific story of ‘UNTOLD’ MUST be told today and forever, so that the words ‘Never Again’ never lose their meaning!”
~Avi Hoffman, CEO Yiddishkayt Initiative, Inc.
Religion Communicators Council names Wilbur Merit Awards:
American Diversity Report and Untold, Stories of a World War II Liberator:
Deborah Levine , Dennis Parker , Michael A. Levine , @Dylan Kussman, Charlene White , Trish Ross , Joel D. Scribner , Greg Glover, @George Hoctor, Chase Parker.

 

From her roots in the only Jewish family to have lived in Bermuda for 4 generations, to her role as a Forbes Diversity & Inclusion Trailblazer, Deborah has been dedicated to “Tikkun olam”, Hebrew for “repair of the world”. This latest project is decades in the making, and is broadcast internationally by Jewish Life TV

“Untold” in its radio theater, documentary and music formats is a Winner in 17 International film festivals including: 1) Lily Indie Film Fest, 2) 4theatre selection, 3) NYC Independent Film Festival (11th season), 4) Red Moon Festival (8th season), 5) Spring Time International, 6) Bright International, 7)  Dreamz Catcher International, 8) Indie Cine Tube Awards, 9) Lightbox International, 10) Crown International, 11) Delta International, 12) EdiPlay International, 13) Red Wolf Film Festival, 14) Indiefare International Film Festival, 15) FlightDeck Film Festival, 16) Cine Sepia Reels Carnival, KIIFF Kurdistan International Independent Film Festival.

Author: Deborah Levine
Director: Dennis Parker
Music Composer/Performer: Michael A. Levine
Actors: Dylan Kussman, Joel Scribner, Charlene Hong White, Trish Ross, Chase Parker, George Hoctor, Greg Glover.

CLICK to see documentary
UNTOLD, Stories  of a WW II LIBERATOR

 

CLICK for the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga version of UNTOLD

Actors: Deborah Levine, Rabbi Craig Lewis, Rabbi Sam Rotenberg, Bea Lurie, Jed Meson, Dr. John Steinberg, Richard Zachary,

CLICK for TEACHING GUIDE:
Untold, Stories of a World War II Liberator

 

Know history so it will not have to repeat – By Deborah Levine

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

I thought of this saying on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day: “History repeats itself. So you might wanna pay attention.” A comment from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum resonated with me: “As we are witnessing an alarming rise of antisemitism around the globe, it is more important than ever for us to recognize the critical lessons of Holocaust history as we commemorate the victims and honor the survivors.” At the same time, there is growing noise about the “Holocaust Industry,” which asserts the American Jewish establishment exploits the memory of the Nazi Holocaust for political and financial gain and to further Israeli interests.

Continue reading Know history so it will not have to repeat – By Deborah Levine

TEACHING GUIDE: Untold Stories of a WW II Liberator

Untold Teaching Guide This Teaching Guide accompanies the documentary: Untold, Stories of a Word War II Liberator.  The Guide includes excerpts from the documentary’s letters as well as discussion questions for students and additional resources. It also includes section on the Nuremberg Trials and on newspaper journalists accounts of Holocaust death camps.

Untold: Stories of a World War II Liberator proves that there are always new truths to learn and new heroes to celebrate when studying the horrors of the Holocaust. This work is arriving at a critical time; as the voices of survivors and liberators pass, those who teach history are confronted with increasingly loud cries of distortion and denial. A resource such as Untold allows students to both learn about and humanize the Holocaust.”
~ Dr. Rich Quinlan: Director, Holocaust and Genocide Education Center
Chair, History Dept./Saint Elizabeth University

“Deborah Levine’s work continues to be of utmost importance for students of all ages. The specific story of ‘UNTOLD’ must be told today and forever, so that the words ‘Never Again’ never lose their meaning!”
~ Avi Hoffman: CEO, Yiddishkayt Initiative, Inc.

“Many liberators such as Levine’s father kept their experience largely secret So the publication is an important resource for Holocaust education and research…and a very readable introduction to the journey of the Jewish community over the past century”
~ The Rev. Dr. John T.Pawlikowski: Founding member of the US Holocaust Center, Prof of Social Ethics/Catholic Theological Union

Note: Also available are Deborah Levine’s memoirs: The Liberator’s Daughter and The Magic Marble Tree,  upon which the documentary is based.  They include the wartime letters with eye witness accounts.

Israel Dialogue with Christians & Jews

Israel DialogueThe goal of this manual is to design new ways to discuss Israel, focusing on basic religious themes. The Middle East is often seen as a confusing array of political, economic, military strategy, and religion. Amidst this confusion, religious themes are an important element in shaping American attitudes toward Israel, and this volume helps prepare leadership to engage in an interreligious dialogue about Israel and the Middle East.

This manual attempts to move the process along with an “on-the-job-training“ approach to aid leadership in developing a personal approach to Israel dialogue that emphasizes religious themes.

Continue reading Israel Dialogue with Christians & Jews