Recently, I noticed a pattern on BNR. Many of BNR’s most vehement anti-Zionists are European. I count two Germans, a Brit, and a Dutchman among them. A fifth European I know of on BNR is German and is actually Zionist, but 1/5 isn’t a great track record.
All of my European family died in the Holocaust. I am alive because my great grandparents left the cesspool of anti-semitism that is Europe to set sail for America, specifically Ellis Island, before The Holocaust started.
I asked the three anti-Zionist continental Europeans what each of their families were doing during The Holocaust, and none admitted to being descendant from Nazis.
It’s possible that their grandparents were not involved with the Nazi regime. It is possible this is the truth. However, 6 million Jews did not deport and exterminate themselves. The Holocaust was a European-wide endeavor.
Ordinary European citizens didn’t have to kill Jews to contribute to the holocaust. Many were silent bystanders, who remained apathetic to the plight of their Jewish neighbors.
Other Europeans took administrative roles, such as helping confiscate and distribute Jewish property, or assisting with deportations.
Through compliance, collaboration, or silence, many Europeans contributed to the Holocaust without directly engaging in physical violence or killing.
The commenters in question may not have the full picture of their grandparents’ actions during WW2. Given the stigma associated with Nazism, it is very possible these commenters were lied to by their families.
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think the continental Europeans were lied to by their families to conceal a sordid nazi past? Why or why not?
- If Hitler or Goebbels were resurrected, do you think they would be proud of the anti-Zionism expressed by BNR’s Europeans commenters? Why or why not?
Disclaimer: Criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic.
