A Duty to Remember
Ruth Gonzalez
April 04, 2009
The first time I found out what happened during World War II in Hitler´s Germany, when I attended a school field trip to see "The Diary of Anne Frank" and then afterwards to the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. To my young mind, it was overwhelming to find that one man could actually cause the deaths of millions of Jews.
Since then, I´ve devoured everything Holocaust related from mini-series to magazine articles and beyond. I was both fascinated and horrified on the madness of one man (Hitler), the duplicity of a nation (Germany), and the near extinction of the Jewish race in Europe. For hours, I glazed over photo´s of mass graves and be hypnotized by the twisted chain of arms, legs, and skeletal torsos. These poor souls used to have hopes and dreams for the future. Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Sons were ruthlessly murdered by the millions for nothing more than being Jews (although I do have to point out that non-Jews were killed including Gypsies´, mentally and physically disabled, and Jehovah witnesses.)
After the war ended, after the Allied armies made the shocking discovery of Auschwitz, the phrase "Never Again" was born and for sixty years since it´s been exploited and abused as millions of lives were slaughter in Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia, Rwanda, and now in Darfur. You´d think with all the photos of zombie like death camp survivors and the plethora of memoirs of the utter horror of the Holocaust, any world leader wouldn´t have to think twice about taking decisive action to ending genocide. Unfortunately, it is sad to report that most of them don´t have the political will to do so largely in part of self interest, dealings with the rouge regime, and minding there business.
In spite of this, people around the world are not only building pressure for the elected leaders to act but at the same time honoring those whom were torture, raped, and killed in the genocides scattered throughout the 20th century. If the dead could in fact talk, they would haunt those who gave the cold shoulder to bloodshed and bless the fearless individuals who dare to remember and take action.
Since then, I´ve devoured everything Holocaust related from mini-series to magazine articles and beyond. I was both fascinated and horrified on the madness of one man (Hitler), the duplicity of a nation (Germany), and the near extinction of the Jewish race in Europe. For hours, I glazed over photo´s of mass graves and be hypnotized by the twisted chain of arms, legs, and skeletal torsos. These poor souls used to have hopes and dreams for the future. Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Sons were ruthlessly murdered by the millions for nothing more than being Jews (although I do have to point out that non-Jews were killed including Gypsies´, mentally and physically disabled, and Jehovah witnesses.)
After the war ended, after the Allied armies made the shocking discovery of Auschwitz, the phrase "Never Again" was born and for sixty years since it´s been exploited and abused as millions of lives were slaughter in Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia, Rwanda, and now in Darfur. You´d think with all the photos of zombie like death camp survivors and the plethora of memoirs of the utter horror of the Holocaust, any world leader wouldn´t have to think twice about taking decisive action to ending genocide. Unfortunately, it is sad to report that most of them don´t have the political will to do so largely in part of self interest, dealings with the rouge regime, and minding there business.
In spite of this, people around the world are not only building pressure for the elected leaders to act but at the same time honoring those whom were torture, raped, and killed in the genocides scattered throughout the 20th century. If the dead could in fact talk, they would haunt those who gave the cold shoulder to bloodshed and bless the fearless individuals who dare to remember and take action.
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