Re: [Cz-L] Resilience

Serah,

you write "Germany took responsibility for their crimes
and is still paying restitution". As a German - born in 1962 - I can ensure you, it was not always like that. Beyond financial reastitution it took decades untill there was a public awarness of the German crimes here in Germany.

I grew up in an atmosphere of silence in the 70s and early 80s.
My father served in the Wehrmacht. I could ask him as much as I wanted, he never lost a word about the war time. I had a Jewish class mate, whose parents were both prisoners in Auschwitz. They did not talk with him about it. A scary alliance of silence.

My history teachers in school were bullied by parents when they wrote about the school's policy towards Jewish students in the early and mid 30s - and finaly left the school.

I went into a serious conflict with teachers and the director of my school in 1980 when I and other students invited former resistance fighters to talk to the students. They were still seen as traitors by many. When I made my graduation some of the teachers took their chance to pay back. This was 35 years afterv the end of WWII.

I'm not telling this because I think I'm so very special. I'm not; I guess I'm quite typical for my generation. I tell you because I experienced the deep inner conflicts of a post-war society - and the long after-life of dictatorship. Ukraine and Lithuania are young countries. You are right, many individuals from both nations were involved in the holocaust. And the way nationalists of both nations are still interpreting history is very different from the way you and I do. No doubt.

Looking back at my personal experience in Germany and comparing it with today's situation of young people in NGO's in Ukraine - Jewish and non-Jewish - I feel a deep sympathy for this those kids. They try find out and to speak out the truth about the past. They struggle for the right of free speach. They ask for a free press. They bring volunteers to clear the Jewish cemetery in Czernowitz. They ask to have the holocaust in the school curriculum. They have something to say and they want people to listen. They ask for a future. They daily feel the limitations of state policies towards them. Are we going to condemn them because of the guilt of their fathers, grandfathers or great-grandfathers or are we going to support them? I decide for the last option. They are the future.

Christian

-------- Original-Nachricht --------
> Datum: Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:36:53 +1100
> Von: Jacob Greenberg <grs_software_at_bigpond.com>
> An: cornel fleming <cornel.fleming_at_virgin.net>
> CC: Czernowitz-L_at_cornell.edu
> Betreff: Re: [Cz-L] Resilience

> To Cornel,
>
> And who were the guards in Babi Yar?
> Did you read the book "Schindlers List", specifically the chapters
> describing the role of Ukrainians in the extermination of ghetto Krakow?
>
> About blaming the whole nation: Germany took responsibility for their
> crimes
> and is still paying restitution. But Ukrainians and Lithuanians skilfully
> deny their involvement.
>
> The hatred did not happened in a distant past. Both myself and Greg,
> people
> who lived in Cz in the 70s and 80s reported instances of open hatred.
>
> To Mimi,
>
> There is an unwritten law: No Jews-No anti-Semitism!
>
> This reminds me of what's happening in today's Poland: first they got rid
> of 3 million Jews and now they have a Yiddish theatre, klezmer music and
> Jewish food in their restaurants. Is there anyone who is able to explain
> this bizarre phenomena?
>
> Serah
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Received on 2013-01-30 17:32:49