From the President

Antisemitism is Alive – What Can I Do You Ask?

Dear Community,

Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah (יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה; “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day”), known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah (יום השואה) and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its accessories, and for the Jewish resistance in that period. 

As the Holocaust and collective memory dims, the handling of Holocaust denial and its origins takes precedence. With parents banning books such as “Night” by Eli Weisel as their belief is that the Shoah did not happen, antisemitisms many tropes are re-emerging. It is easy to say, those are only right-wing parents and yet, even from the far-left, antisemitism exists and sadly among Jews as well who see Israel as only a Jewish State and cannot separate from religious or cultural Judaism and the politics of Israel. Recently I witnessed laughter at the sight of religious Jews wearing their tzit-tzit in a video. It would never occur to these individuals to make fun of Black people, Indiginous people etc…but their fellow Jews are debased. This is antisemitism as well.

ADL: “The Holocaust is one of the most thoroughly studied and well-documented genocides. Nevertheless, in the decades since World War II, antisemites have repeatedly attempted to cast doubt on this historical event. They claim Jews fabricated evidence of their own genocide for political, personal and financial gain. This conspiracy theory is rooted in the belief that Jews have the collective ability to force global industries and governments to promote a lie at the expense of non-Jews. When parents buy into these claims their children and grandchildren follow suit.”

Not only can Holocaust denial serve as an entry point into even more explicit antisemitism, but its continued, current proliferation is compounded by a disturbing lack of knowledge about the Holocaust, especially among young people. Read on and watch this video to learn more about this particularly pernicious form of antisemitism.

On this video site, you will find videos explaining:

• A Short History of Holocaust Denial in the United States
• Key Tropes in Holocaust Denial
• Who’s Who of Holocaust Denial
• Debunking Common Holocaust Denial Myths
• Profiting Off Holocaust Denial
• Holocaust Deniers in their Own Words

And recently we again recognized the life of Hannah Block Kohner – she survived 4 concentration camps including Auschwitz. Those under 60 may not know of the show, This is Your Life – enjoy a bit of nostalgia. You can also purchase her book on Amazon.

• This is Your Life Hannah Bloch Kohner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4ckFEnn5Bo
• Hanna and Walter, A Love Story: https://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Walter-hanna-kohner/dp/0394521641/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?crid=3DVQF3LAVCQJ0&keywords=hanna+bloch+kohner&qid=1681852752&sprefix=hanna+bloch+kohner%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1-fkmr2

Attached you will find this article in the Atlantic: Is Holocaust Education Making Antisemitism Worse? by Dara Horn. Though it is 40 pages, I have taken the liberty of highlighting some of what I consider relevant passages.

Here are just a few examples:

• The recent rise in American anti-Semitism is well documented. I could fill pages with FBI hate-crime statistics, or with a list of violent attacks from the past six years or even the past six months, or with the growing gallery of American public figures saying vile things about Jews. Or I could share stories you probably haven’t heard, such as one about a threatened attack on a Jewish school in Ohio in March 2022—where the would-be perpetrator was the school’s own security guard. But none of that would capture the vague sense of dread one encounters these days in the Jewish community, a dread unprecedented in my lifetime. 
• “What frightens me is that small acts of anti- Semitism are becoming very normalized,” she said. “We’re getting used to it...” 
• One can believe that humans are all the same while being virulently anti-Semitic, because according to anti-Semites, Jews, with their millennia-old insistence on being different from their neighbors, are the obstacle to humans all being the same. One can believe in creating a just society while being virulently anti-Semitic, because according to anti-Semites, Jews, with their imagined power and privilege, are the obstacle to a just society. To inoculate people against the myth that humans have to erase their differences in order to get along, and the related myth that Jews, because they have refused to erase their differences, are supervillains, one would have to acknowledge that these myths exist. To really shatter them, one would have to actually explain the content of Jewish identity, instead of lazily claiming that Jews are just like everyone else. 
• One major study addressing this topic was conducted in England, where a national Holocaust-education mandate has been in place for more than 20 years. In 2016, researchers at University College London’s Centre for Holocaust Education published a survey of more than 8,000 English secondary-school students, including 244 whom they interviewed at length. The study’s most disturbing finding was that even among those who studied the Holocaust, there was “a very common struggle among many students to credibly explain why Jews were targeted” in the Holocaust—that is, to cite anti-Semitism. When researchers interviewed students to press this question, “many students appeared to regard [Jews’] existence as problematic and a key cause of Nazi victimization.” In other words, students blamed the Holocaust on the Jews. (the result resembles that of a large 2020 survey of American Millennials and Gen Zers, in which 11 percent of respondents believed that Jews caused the Holocaust. the state with the highest percentage of respondents believing this—an eye-popping 19 percent—was New York, which has mandated Holocaust education since the 1990s.) 
• Texas teachers are also legally required to excuse students from reading assignments if the students’ parents object to them. The Dallas museum’s president and CEO, Mary Pat Higgins, told me that the administrator who’d made the viral remarks in Southlake is a strong proponent of Holocaust education, but was acknowledging a reality in that school district. Every year, the administrator had told Higgins, some parents in her district object to their children reading the Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night—because it isn’t their “belief” that the Holocaust happened. 

And from AP: https://apnews.com/article/antisemitism-israel-jews-tel-aviv-us-2e13cc5732a04fa4fc2dcf091ac729dd

Recent worldwide report via ADL/Antisemitism Worldwide: https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/2023-04/AntisemitismWorldwide_e.pdf?utm_campaign=aswwtau2023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=whole&utm_content=e01

Read so you can educate yourself and be armed with words to defuse and educate. Speak up, speak out, confirm your identity with pride. 

Susie Margolis Pierson, President, SYVJC
spierson@syvjc.org

SAVE THE DATE For a Special Event!
A FREE SHOWING OF
the Movie “Passage to Sweden” on April 30th
in the Parish Hall at Bethania Lutheran Church
603 Atterdag Road, Solvang

Doors Open at 3:30 pm with a book sale
and Exhibit about Danish WWII boat rescue
Movie to be shown at 4:00 pm

SYVJC has been invited to co-sponsor along with Bethania Lutheran Church and the Elverhoj Museum to provide a free showing of the movie “Passage to Sweden”.

The film tells the unfamiliar story of heroic events that occurred in Scandinavia during WWII.  It captures the courage, compassion, and protection that Scandinavian countries (especially Denmark) and their citizens offered refugees facing persecution.  The film is a powerful example of how anyone can make a difference.  It also proves that solidarity with our fellow citizens is vital to ensuring fundamental human rights for all of us.

Please note: Go to https://passagetosweden.com/ For info and a preview of this movie.

The date was selected to be in April around Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 17-18)

After the screening a Q&A with director Susannah Warlick will be held.

A free screening of the documentary film, “Passage to Sweden,” will take place at 4 p.m. April 30 at Bethania Parish Hall, 603 Atterdag Road in Solvang.

Doors open at 3:30 pm with a book sale and exhibit about the Danish WWII boat rescue. A discussion with producer/director Suzannah Warlick will follow the screening. 

The 60-minute film shines a light on the mostly unheralded story of how thousands were spared from the Holocaust by being smuggled into Sweden. Focusing on World War II in the Scandinavian countries,  “Passage to Sweden” illustrates how ordinary citizens worked to save the lives of their Jewish countrymen when the Nazis closed in. Supported by archival footage, this inspiring film shows that even in the most extreme circumstances a single person can make a difference.  

Ms. Warlick shot 130 hours of material from which she has woven a treasure trove of historic film footage, photos and interviews with people who lived in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Hungary through the war years.  

“ ‘Passage to Sweden’ is my way of honoring those who acted as ‘up standers’ instead of ‘bystanders’ during one of the most horrific times in history,” Ms. Warlick said. “People who risked their lives, showed courage and compassion to save Jews during the holocaust need to be remembered and have their legacy kept alive. The film is a powerful example of how anyone can make a difference, how leadership matters and how solidarity with our fellow citizens is vital to ensuring fundamental human rights for all of us.”  

The event is presented by Elverhoj Museum of History and Art with support from Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community and location host Bethania Church.

Dear SYVJC Community,

“Bel Canto by Candlelight” (June 11^th) is quickly approaching.  Although ticket revenues contribute significantly to the success of our event, our silent auction at “Bel Canto” is equally a major source of revenue. 

Our board members have been working diligently soliciting auction items, but we need your help.

Items that would be of interest, would include gift certificates to restaurants, library wines, artwork, time shares or vacation rentals, jewelry, catered meals, horseback riding lessons, amongst others. Also, you need not attend the event to contribute. If you are uncertain about your idea, please get in contact with our president, Susie Pierson (spierson@syvjc.org).  Donation forms will be attached to this newsletter.

With the recent wave of antisemitism, our costs have escalated considerably, as each event requires security. 

Your help is critical, as “Bel Canto” secures our financial stability and allows us to continue with our policy of conscientious contributions, where all are welcome to join us in both fellowship and worship.  

Whatever support you can give us in this regard would be valued and appreciated. 

Gratefully,

The Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community Board

Please click the button below to access the Donation Form if you wish to either donate an item or for a business or person other than yourself who wishes to donate an item for the Silent Auction at Bel Canto by Candlelight.

 Book Report on “The People of the Book”

I don’t usually make book recommendations in these email blasts, but “my” book group, the Buellton Bookworms, read this in March, and I think it deserves notice by the Jewish community.

It traces the history of a beautiful 15^th century Hagaddah through the centuries, describing the lives and travails of the people – Jewish and non Jewish -- who came into contact with it. While the characters in the story are fictional, the author has done a lot of research to recount the story of the Jewish people of various points in time as they deal with the tsouris of the times that endangers their lives and well being.

Shoshanah

• April 30^th Movie at Bethania – “A Passage to Sweden”
• May 20^th Shavuot Celebration and Havdalah Service
• June 11^th Bel Canto by Candlelight
• June 24^th Pride Parade in Solvang
• June 25^th Annual Meeting – includes lunch

Jewish Free Loan