"Nobody is Forgotten, Nothing is Forgotten!"

by Steven Shamrak

Last weekend, there was a 70^th anniversary of the end of the World War Two. In my opinion, this day should be celebrated every year, as Hanukkah and Purim, in every synagogue.

During this idiotic and hateful war, not only the third of the Jewish population lost their lives, more than six millions (which is widely accepted but deflated figure of Jewish victims).

World War II fatality statistics vary, with estimates of total dead ranging from 50 million to more than 80 million:

- USSR losses within postwar borders now stand at 26.6 million

- Poland’s losses, researchers have estimated between 5.6 and 5.8 million

- German estimated military dead and missing at 5.3 million

The most disturbing and disgusting fact about the Holocaust is not that Nazis used anti-Semitism to cement their rise to power and control over the Jew-hating mob in Germany, but that most Europeans - Poles, Latvians, French, Ukrainians, Austrians etc - although being occupied, suppressed and persecuted by Nazi Germany, were actively, eagerly and enthusiastically participating in the extermination of Jews!

After the war, vilification of Jews continued with accusations, even in the Soviet Union, that Jews were not fighting in the war against Nazi Germany. Here are some facts of the true contributions the Jewish people made to the defeat of the Nazi Germany.

Approximately 1.5 million Jews fought in the regular Allied armies, around 8% of the entire global Jewish population at the time, and around half-a-million of them fell in battle:

- About 500,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the Red Army. Some 120,000 were killed in combat and in the line of duty; the Germans murdered 80,000 as prisoners of war. More than 160,000, at all levels of command, earned citations, with over 150 designated “Heroes of the Soviet Union” - the highest honour awarded to soldiers in the Red Army.

- Approximately 550,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the US Armed Forces during World War II.

- Approximately 100,000 Jews fought in the Polish army against the German invasion. They made up 10% of the Polish army.

- About 30,000 Jews served in the British army in 1939-1946, some in special units of Jews from Palestine.

Retrospectively, out of all European countries, I have most respect for modern Germany, which the only country which have sincerely apologized for Nazi instigated atrocities. After the war, most of the other European nations played a role of innocent ‘victim’ of Nazi Germany and did not admit their wilful and pro-active participation in the genocide of the Jewish people.

The current Jewish population can’t forgive them! First of all, it is not our place, as we were not victimized by their anti-Semitic ancestors. Second, none of them have been actually asking forgiveness sincerely!

No wonder that anti-Semitism in on the rise in Europe now. Although, it is mostly driven by new Muslim arrivals, the problem is that the European political elite has retained its deeply ingrained anti-Semitic psyche and facilitates the ‘good old’ hate for Jews, which works so well for them by taking the minds of ordinary idiots from the real economic and political problems!