Thursday 22 July 2010

Anti-Semitism and “Owszem” - 3

The third case of "Owszem" is its most virulent form. And this took place in Nazi Germany itself during the Holocaust era. It seems from interviews with former members of the Hitler Youth their line went something like this

We saw no need, no reason to murder the Jews. This was beyond the pale. Thus we were genuinely shocked to learn the revelations of the brutality of the camps However when it came to either forcefully exiling the Jews or enslaving them in labour camps - "Owszem"

Here brutality was Kosher, but Jewish life still had some human value. So forced exile or forced labour - brutal as it was - remained the Kosher option for the more "genteel" Nazis

Shalom
RRW

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