Grown Men Can Cry

[jbg]

This morning, I chaperoned a field trip of my older son's Grade 6 Class to New York City's Museum of Jewish Heritage (often incorrectly called the "Holocaust Museum"). Because of the age of the children, we did not visit the Holocaust section. That did not preserve me from breaking down and sobbing in the museum's displays.

We were in the display of Jewish folkways of Germany and Eastern Europe. The display consisted largely of sepia photos of Jewish weddings, tailor shops, and other mundane items from Europe during the period from 1880 through 1920. The pictures had names of people, invariably very Yiddish or Jewish names, straight out of "Fiddler on the Roof".

Most of them were evidently decent, simple, solid citizens who valued schooling and literacy, and were trying to preserve a precarious life. While the spread of democracy, and/or the softening of the monarchies of Germany and Austria-Hungary resulted in the loosening of official restrictions against Jews' participation in occupations, and voting, the results were horrific. Basically, the other common folk, seeing the advantages that the Jews' social cohesiveness and universal literacy created, ratcheted up the long-latent hatred of Jews. Basically, all h*** quickly broke loose, resulting in

1. Incidents of rioting and spontaneous attacks on Jews;
   
2. Massive emigration to the "New Worlds" of the US, Canada and Australia, in approximate numbers of 6-10 million; and
   
3. Ultimately, the Holocaust
   

When I viewed those pictures, and read the names of the ordinary Jews, I unaccountably and suddenly broke down sobbing. I know that some of those communities (3 million in Poland as of 1939) were essentially liquidated. The lucky ones made it to the blessed countries of the "New World". G-d Bless the USA, Canada and Australia.

Edited November 19, 2007 by jbg

[Moxie]

jpg I doubt if anyone can look at those pictures and read the history on what happen to the Jews without crying. Watching old black and white news reels of the Jews being herding on to rail cars to be gassed, and I still can't believe that kind of evil was allowed to flourish. And still exist.

[jbg]

jpg I doubt if anyone can look at those pictures and read the history on what happen to the Jews without crying. Watching old black and white news reels of the Jews being herding on to rail cars to be gassed, and I still can't believe that kind of evil was allowed to flourish. And still exist.

Thanks for posting here.

The pictures in question were not of the WW II era but the pre-Holocaust era. Just knowing that the world of "Yentl" and similar names is gone is what affected me.

[Oleg Bach]

This morning, I chaperoned a field trip of my older son's Grade 6 Class to New York City's Museum of Jewish Heritage (often incorrectly called the "Holocaust Museum"). Because of the age of the children, we did not visit the Holocaust section. That did not preserve me from breaking down and sobbing in the museum's displays.

We were in the display of Jewish folkways of Germany and Eastern Europe. The display consisted largely of sepia photos of Jewish weddings, tailor shops, and other mundane items from Europe during the period from 1880 through 1920. The pictures had names of people, invariably very Yiddish or Jewish names, straight out of "Fiddler on the Roof".

Most of them were evidently decent, simple, solid citizens who valued schooling and literacy, and were trying to preserve a precarious life. While the spread of democracy, and/or the softening of the monarchies of Germany and Austria-Hungary resulted in the loosening of official restrictions against Jews' participation in occupations, and voting, the results were horrific. Basically, the other common folk, seeing the advantages that the Jews' social cohesiveness and universal literacy created, ratcheted up the long-latent hatred of Jews. Basically, all h*** quickly broke loose, resulting in

1. Incidents of rioting and spontaneous attacks on Jews;
   
2. Massive emigration to the "New Worlds" of the US, Canada and Australia, in approximate numbers of 6-10 million; and
   
3. Ultimately, the Holocaust
   

When I viewed those pictures, and read the names of the ordinary Jews, I unaccountably and suddenly broke down sobbing. I know that some of those communities (3 million in Poland as of 1939) were essentially liquidated. The lucky ones made it to the blessed countries of the "New World". G-d Bless the USA, Canada and Australia.

Independant and mindful individuals or groups of them will aways be attacked by the mass that is unified mundane humanity. The Jews and true independent Christians were like that ant in the hill..the hill full of blind ants. They dispise the ant that can see - for it is different than them..and they fear it and will in great numbers try to comsume and destroy the talented individual with vision. They blind ants hate the one with eyes. It is a mysterious natural controtion but - the ants that are blind need the seeing ant to survive..to find the food - to find the light.. to guide the way..all messiahs are loathed much like the private litigant in a court of law is feared and loathed by learned from - because the ant is learned only through his vision...Some say that the Jew is born of collectivism - I say that the spirit of the individual is nurtured within this collective..to destroy vision and intelligence shows weakness - no matter how many ants agree that the evil is good.

[jbg]

Some say that the Jew is born of collectivism - I say that the spirit of the individual is nurtured within this collective..to destroy vision and intelligence shows weakness - no matter how many ants agree that the evil is good.

So true. The Jews are often the canary in a coal mine, that shows where a society is headed.

[Oleg Bach]

So true. The Jews are often the canary in a coal mine, that shows where a society is headed.

Don't want to get biblical but I will for a brief moment. When groups conspire - and conspire means to breathe together as one entity...a dumb incorporated beast forms...the ugly greyish collective that grows like a disease...humanity and as humanity increases in size a type of collective un-consiousness forms - that is heartless - that is souless...and this huge swarm will in effect attack the good virus..the smaller pockets of intelligence...Just as Stalin pushed the great collective forward - the primative corporation he was forming -

He wanted to be the smartest guy on the block..because he was of limited intelligence and chalked full of overly vigilant stupidity..in order to be the smartest - the had to kill the more smart...this destruction of the intelligensia in Russia and the Ukraine - let to the soviets having a brain shortage - hense the square wheeled Lada car - and prior...5 year plans with a bonus provided to the plowers of fields who stuck the blades down two inches instead of a foot - so they could get that all inspiring bonus...off track a bit - you don't kill the head on the body and expect it not to soil its pants - intelligence should be loved not hated.

[jbg]

I'm not sure what you're getting at.