Beep backs away from Holocaust exclusion
By Thomas Tracy
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| Borough President Marty Markowitz (right) gave Pauline Bilus and the Holocaust Park Memorial Committee a proclamation, but is not going to chime in on the debate about including non-Jewish victims in the park. |
The Holocaust Memorial Park Committee has asked for Borough President Marty Markowitz’s support in their push to stop the city from adding stones that would include homosexuals, gypsies and Jehovah’s Witnesses killed in the Holocaust -- but it doesn’t look like Brooklyn’s biggest cheerleader is going to race to their aid.
“I understand both sides,” Markowitz told this paper Sunday after he spoke at the park’s 25th anniversary celebration. “The Holocaust was primarily directed at the Jews, but there were other groups murdered and there arethose who want them to be recognized. But there are those that argue that the committee already has included them.”
“Both sides have a valid argument, but the property belongs to the city,” he said. “It is not privately-owned land and the city had decided what they want to do.”
When asked if there is a solution, Markowitz only had one to give: “That the remembrance goes on.”
“The park will always be there primarily for people to reflect,” he said. “That’s what this is all about.”
Yet despite Markowitz’s call for calm reflection, the debate rages on about the five markers honoring the memory of homosexuals, Roma and Sinti gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the disabled and political prisoners persecuted and killed by the Nazis.
The city approved the measure after repeated requests by Rick Landman, co-chair of the International Association of Lesbian and Gay Children of Holocaust Survivors.
Landman said his organization has been trying to get the markers placed in the park for these forgotten victims since the park was dedicated.
“I supported the Holocaust Memorial Park from the onset, but was saddened when the Committee refused to inscribe the stone markers telling what happened to the other victims of the Nazi era,” explained Landman, who lost 17 members of his family during the Holocaust. “I am not equating the groups, but believe that one needs to learn what happened to these groups in order to fully understand how a civilized country like Germany became a mass murdering machine.”
Committee members said that the plight of these victims are reflected on the base of the memorial’s center spire, which honors “the five million other innocent human beings who were murdered under German rule during World War II.”
Nothing was said publicly about the markers at Sunday’s celebration, although some attending the event had their opinions on where these markers should go.
“I can understand what the Parks Department is trying to accomplish, but I think it’s the wrong place to do it,” Sheepshead Bay/Mill Basin State Senator Carl Kruger told this paper. “This park was created as a remembrance for the Jews lost in the Holocaust. That was always the spirit and the intent.”
“I don’t want to diminish for any moment the memory of all of the other people who died in the atrocity,” he said. “Everyone deserves an area of remembrance, to the point that they shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought tacked onto the park. We have the Holocaust Memorial and they should have something similar to the others that were lost.”
“I understand both sides,” Markowitz told this paper Sunday after he spoke at the park’s 25th anniversary celebration. “The Holocaust was primarily directed at the Jews, but there were other groups murdered and there arethose who want them to be recognized. But there are those that argue that the committee already has included them.”
“Both sides have a valid argument, but the property belongs to the city,” he said. “It is not privately-owned land and the city had decided what they want to do.”
When asked if there is a solution, Markowitz only had one to give: “That the remembrance goes on.”
“The park will always be there primarily for people to reflect,” he said. “That’s what this is all about.”
Yet despite Markowitz’s call for calm reflection, the debate rages on about the five markers honoring the memory of homosexuals, Roma and Sinti gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the disabled and political prisoners persecuted and killed by the Nazis.
The city approved the measure after repeated requests by Rick Landman, co-chair of the International Association of Lesbian and Gay Children of Holocaust Survivors.
Landman said his organization has been trying to get the markers placed in the park for these forgotten victims since the park was dedicated.
“I supported the Holocaust Memorial Park from the onset, but was saddened when the Committee refused to inscribe the stone markers telling what happened to the other victims of the Nazi era,” explained Landman, who lost 17 members of his family during the Holocaust. “I am not equating the groups, but believe that one needs to learn what happened to these groups in order to fully understand how a civilized country like Germany became a mass murdering machine.”
Committee members said that the plight of these victims are reflected on the base of the memorial’s center spire, which honors “the five million other innocent human beings who were murdered under German rule during World War II.”
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“I can understand what the Parks Department is trying to accomplish, but I think it’s the wrong place to do it,” Sheepshead Bay/Mill Basin State Senator Carl Kruger told this paper. “This park was created as a remembrance for the Jews lost in the Holocaust. That was always the spirit and the intent.”
“I don’t want to diminish for any moment the memory of all of the other people who died in the atrocity,” he said. “Everyone deserves an area of remembrance, to the point that they shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought tacked onto the park. We have the Holocaust Memorial and they should have something similar to the others that were lost.”
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of yournabe.com.
Carlos Simones wrote on Jun 20, 2009 1:43 PM:
" Jerry Jones, you have some serious issues. One person dying at the hands of religious or political fanaticism is one person too many. Stop making inflammatory and ignorant comments about JWs because they certainly didn't see the Jews as the Nazis saw them.
Adolph Hitler's application for art school was rejected (Austria), and since the school was mostly controlled by Jews he took out a vendetta against all Jews.
He manipulated the facts, used lies and promoted blind nationalism with the help of the Catholic church. Anyone who didn't accept his propaganda was sent to the concentration camps.
Jehovah's Witnesses as an organization did not support him, so they received his full wrath. I think you should focus more on the role of the Catholic church and its support of the nazi regime. How catholics ran up and down the street and pointed out Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses to the german soldiers. Then you need to look at Rwanda and how a contry that is 75% catholic fell into genocide. What was Jesus' words 'Love your enemies'?
If the churches actually taught the same message that Jesus taught then these demonic leaders who promote hatred would not get any support and the world would be a much better place. "
Adolph Hitler's application for art school was rejected (Austria), and since the school was mostly controlled by Jews he took out a vendetta against all Jews.
He manipulated the facts, used lies and promoted blind nationalism with the help of the Catholic church. Anyone who didn't accept his propaganda was sent to the concentration camps.
Jehovah's Witnesses as an organization did not support him, so they received his full wrath. I think you should focus more on the role of the Catholic church and its support of the nazi regime. How catholics ran up and down the street and pointed out Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses to the german soldiers. Then you need to look at Rwanda and how a contry that is 75% catholic fell into genocide. What was Jesus' words 'Love your enemies'?
If the churches actually taught the same message that Jesus taught then these demonic leaders who promote hatred would not get any support and the world would be a much better place. "
Jan Wade wrote on Jun 21, 2009 10:03 AM:
" Jerry Jones obvious hatred seems to reflect the hatred of the Nazi's as they worked to exterminate anyone who did not fit their view of "human".
Here's an interesting article about Leopold Engleitner the oldest surviving holocaust victim. At 103 his forgiveness and loving outlook is contrasted against the pathetic hatemongering Nazi's and others who judge the moral worth of individuals by their religion, ethnicity or culture.
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/43969
"'I will not ... leave through a chimney,' he recalls telling Nazis..." "
Here's an interesting article about Leopold Engleitner the oldest surviving holocaust victim. At 103 his forgiveness and loving outlook is contrasted against the pathetic hatemongering Nazi's and others who judge the moral worth of individuals by their religion, ethnicity or culture.
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/43969
"'I will not ... leave through a chimney,' he recalls telling Nazis..." "
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Jerry Jones wrote on Jun 20, 2009 6:50 AM:
The WatchTower Society teaches its own version of "replacement theology", which says that GOD rejected the Jews as His "chosen people", and replaced them with today's "Jehovah's Witnesses". In fact, the title "Jehovah's Witnesses" was originally applied to the Jews by the Prophet Isaiah, and is even quoted on the wall at the entrance to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.
The WatchTower Society, in calling its own members "Jehovah's Witnesses" is attempting to steal that designation away from the Jews. The WatchTower Society even teaches that all of the Bible's promises of restoration for the Jewish people now belongs to the followers of the WatchTower Cult.
Compare the "millions" of Jewvictims with the "handful" of Jehovah's Witnesses. There were only approximately 6000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany during the 1930s-40s. While many of those 6000 German JWs were repeatedly arrested during the 1930s and 1940s, only a fraction were jailed or imprisoned for any significant length of time. Only about 200-300 German JWs lost their lives, and the majority of those died from any number of causes other than having been executed. Approximately 1000 JWs from other European countries lost their lives while incarcerated by the Nazis.
During that same time period, there were more Jehovah's Witnesses arrested and jailed in the United States than in Germany. In fact, from 1941 until 1945, approximately 4500 American Jehovah's Witnesses "elected" to go to prison rather than serve in the U.S. Military and go fight against those same Nazis who were committing those atrocities.
Approximately 3000 of those 4500 American JWs were even offered "conscientious objector" status, in which they were offered "non-combatant" work as a substitute, but 99% of those JWs refused to even that. "