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submitted 1 month ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

A group of eight Holocaust survivors drew parallels between the current political climate and that of Germany in the 1930s. Some of them condemned the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD).

Eight Holocaust survivors have urged young people to shun far-right parties and vote to protect democracy at the upcoming European Union elections.

"For millions of you, the European elections are the first election in your lives. For many of us, it could be the last," read the open letter, unveiled in Berlin on Tuesday.

"We couldn't stop it back then. But you can today," the eight authors wrote.

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[-] AmidFuror@fedia.io 44 points 1 month ago

They're doing this because they're German, and they are trying to influence politics in the place they live.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 25 points 1 month ago

Also, the person you talked to seems to think the Holocaust was solely a genocide of Jews with a comment like that. Any of those eight could have been Roma, LGBT+, disabled... all kinds of possibilities.

Israel wants to be connected to the Holocaust in a deeper way than it should be. And I say that as a Jewish person.

[-] jeena@jemmy.jeena.net 2 points 1 month ago

The persons great grandfather died in Auschwitz because he was fighting for a independent Silesia.

But yeah, ...

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

Cool. Half my family died in the Holocaust. I still don't associate it with 2024 Israel like Netanyahu wants.

[-] jeena@jemmy.jeena.net -2 points 1 month ago

Are you saying German holocaust survivers should only protest German fashists and not Israeli fashists because if they do then they associate the Holocaust with Israel and thus help Netanjahu with it?

I have a hard time understanding your position.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Why exactly would Israelis care what they had to say? Unless the answer is "because they're Jews and the Holocaust is a Jewish thing," I can't think of a reason.

[-] footoro@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I mean this is still about the EU-elections and not Germany specific. The far right is a huge problem in all of Europe and some of the worst already dictator like fascists like Orban not only seek to actively undermine the EU wherever they can, but they’re also best buddies with Israeli politicians.

I think it’s important to remember as you said that the holocaust wasn’t only about Jews and that Zionism doesn’t equate Judaism, but to draw a connection between fascists in Europe and fascists in Israel who happen to commit genocide right now doesn’t seem so far fetched in general.

[-] nyctre@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

For the same reason young Germans should care. For the same reason everyone should care. Because fascism is bad and everyone should listen to these people and vote against it. Op simply pointed out that there's a pretty fascistic government in power right now in Israel and hopefully the youth(and everyone else for that matter) will take some inspiration and vote against it.

At least that's what I take from that.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

We're not talking about "should," are we?

[-] nyctre@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

My bad. You're right. Then yeah, no, they wouldn't. Cause the message won't reach the most of them. They would care if they understood that these people are survivors of a different fascist government. They're what Palestinians might be 80 years from now. It's history. Except they can learn it from living people instead of books.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I agree. Also, if I were an Israeli who agreed with the genocide (I'm not and I absolutely don't) and German Holocaust survivors came to me to tell me that they survived a genocide and they know how bad genocide is and this is a genocide and it needs to stop, I would probably think that this is a different situation and they don't know because they don't live here. It's pretty easy to dismiss something like this if you're determined to go ahead with an atrocity.

[-] nyctre@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Of course. But the more people(and different people too, not just journalists and politicians) tell them, the more likely it is for the message to finally go through

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Oh there's a simple reason why Israelis should care: Because sliding into fascism is a calamity for everyone, yes, also for the perpetrating people. Maybe that's what all this is about, they want to understand that through personal experience. Ride the death drive for a while.

[-] jeena@jemmy.jeena.net 1 points 1 month ago

My thinking was in the lines why they are doing in Germany too. They say look what the fashists did, never again! Same message would make sense in today's Israel too.

[-] jeena@jemmy.jeena.net 1 points 1 month ago

That's good, I'm just hoping they could go together with the holocaust survivers who live in Israel and be role models there too, god knows we need them there too.

this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2024
440 points (98.5% liked)

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