I don't blog around Room 8 much. I do comment, but not really blog. I don't feel it's my turf even though I have been encouraged to blog here by the Room 8 powers that be. But sometimes something strikes me as so important that I don't care about turf. This is one of those times.

 Those who follow my blogging know that Jewish history and the Holocaust are two things I have considerable interest in and have read quite a bit on. I am the sort who does read the Diary of Anne Frank and Night in detail. I came late to reading the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but I read it VERY carefully and critically. I have read Unsettled and countless other books on Jewish history, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. The current book I am reading is about Jewish pirates...yes, it is a serious history book, though I keep imagining the pirates saying "oy" instead of "argh!" I may well review that book soon if I get the chance because the history is fascinating and bears on the history of Spain, Holland, Jamaica, and Suriname.

 Two people forwarded me articles on some absolute bullshit that Dov Hikind and some others have been saying about the Holocaust. The most historically inacurate and outright bullshit statement was one made by Dov Hikind:

 "The Holocaust is a uniquely Jewish event," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), whose mother is a Holocaust survivor.

But let me back up. I have known many Holocaust survivors. There were the parents of one of my good High School friends who were Dutch Holocaust survivors. There was a housemate of mine for 5 years who was a Holocaust survivor himself from Hungary. There was a girlfriend whose uncle hid under dead bodies in Aushwitz during the end of WW II and was found, barely alive, by the allies.  Dov Hikind is not unique, an important word in this context, in this.

Roughly (and the numbers are honestly and dishonestly debated, but are unquestionably large and horrific) 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Roughly 5 million others (and the numbers are honestly and dishonestly debated, but are unquestionably large and horrific), including Gypsies, homosexuals, Catholics, communists, Eastern Europeans, liberals, etc. were also killed in the Holocaust. The first concentration camps did not house Jews, but rather German political dissidents including Catholics, communists and liberals. Racial genocide was aimed to a large degree against Jews, but also Gypsies and Slavs. Plus the mentally ill of all races were targeted for genocide. These facts have been extensively documented and written about.

Those are facts, and they are pretty harsh and brutal facts. When you talk about millions shot, gassed, starved, beaten and worked to death, brutality and harshness are unavoidable. Nazi Germany targeted a wide range of humanity in their insane, disgusting attack on civilization.

Well, some people, sadly fellow Jews in this case, including fellow Brooklyn Democrat, the Assemblyman Dov Hikind, seem to want to rewrite history so that only Jews were affected by the Holocaust. These Holocaust deniers actually seem to think that Jews own the Holocaust, thus denying the millions of victims of Nazi brutality who were homosexual, mentally ill, Slavic, communist, liberal, Catholic...but not Jewish. From the Daily News (sent to me by two readers):

<blockquote>Holocaust Memorial Park doesn't need addition - Assemblyman Dov Hikind

BY Bill Egbert  NY DAILY NEWS Sunday, June 7th 2009,

A plan to honor gays and other non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution in Brooklyn's Holocaust Memorial Park was blasted Sunday by critics as political pandering...

"The Holocaust is a uniquely Jewish event," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), whose mother is a Holocaust survivor.

The city Parks Department has proposed adding five new markers to the memorial at West End Ave. and Shore Blvd. to honor homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, the disabled, Gypsies and political prisoners targeted by Adolf Hitler and his henchmen...

Parks Department officials have already approved adding the five new granite markers to the existing 234 honoring the eternal memory of the 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi death camps.</blockquote>

This pisses me off about as much as when I read about ANY Holocaust deniers. And it pisses me off in ways I don't forget or drop quickly, I don't move on from and I don't forgive. It is disgusting, ignorant and intolerant and among the things that are top of my list to fight are things that are this disgusting, ignorant and intolerant. 

Dov Hikind is showing an amazing amount of just plain stupid ignorance here. ANYONE who has read even a small amount of genuine history of the Third Reich knows that Dov Hikind is full of shit here. The Holocaust is by NO MEANS AT ALL A UNIQUELY JEWISH EVENT. The Holocaust STARTED against political dissidents and from beginning to end included millions of non-Jews. Is he unaware of the history of the Holocaust that he could say such a stupid, false claim? Has he never read any of the classic books on the subject? Dov Hikind should read his history before making such an ass of himself.

And Dov Hikind is denying the 5 million non-Jews five out of 234 granite markers. He won't even allow 5 markers out of 234 for 5/11 of the victims of Nazi atrocities. FIVE MILLION PEOPLE denied five lousy stone monuments out of 234.

And remember this is the same Dov Hikind who is helping City Council Candidate Brad Lander in the Hasid community. Dov Hikind has previously expressed support for racial profiling and segregated neighborhoods and now denies the right of anyone but Jews to consider themselves victims of Nazi Germany. I am now calling Brad Lander out on this one. Does Brad Lander condemn the racism and intolerance of his political ally Dov Hikind? How does Brad Lander feel about Dov's vilifying of Muslim-Americans and African-Americans? How does Brad Lander feel about Dov's Holocaust denial. And let me be clear on this: Dov's version of Holocaust denial is JUST as disgusting as that of Iran or neo-Nazis who deny that Jews were targeted for genocide.

I call on Dov Hikind to apologize and read up on his damned history before spouting off. And I call on Brad Lander to reject the intolerance and Holocaust denial of Dov Hikind. Come on Brad. You make all sorts of claims about being liberal and progressive and tolerant. So put up or shut up. If you ally with Dov Hikind, you are allying yourself with a very disgusting brand of intolerance.

This is no longer about a City Council race for me. This is about tolerance, history and fighting those who deny the Holocaust. Where does Brad stand?