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Irish Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Letters: Wise words of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel that could very well apply to Gaza today
These are the words of Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel: 'We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. 'When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. 'Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the centre of the universe.' At this moment in time, Gaza is the centre of the universe. Chris Fitzpatrick, Dublin 6 Disturbing similarities between Warsaw in 1943 and Palestine in 2025 On April 19, 1943, the Jewish residents of the Warsaw ghetto refused to surrender. The SS commander ordered the destruction of the ghetto brick by brick. A total of 13,000 residents were killed. There were 110 German casualties, including 17 dead. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the uprising was 'one of the most significant occurrences in the history of the Jewish people'. I look at the images from Gaza and cannot but gaze in amazement at the similarity between Warsaw in 1943 and Gaza in 2025. John M Nolan, Dublin 3 Politicians and media in Ireland distort war Israel is fighting as 'genocide' The increasing demonisation, vilification and singling out of Israel by the Irish political platform and media is now beyond rational explanation. A war is being fought in Gaza, which is not easy to accept as a society, but it is a war and not a genocide or ethnic cleansing as is being claimed by the media, activists and political elites. In fact, the most inflammatory claims once fact-checked are inaccurate, false or media spin. It is a war that Hamas and its supporters started on October 7, 2023, and continue to prolong based on perceived Western support and a genocidal policy of destroying the Jewish state. It is a war Hamas could end tomorrow by releasing the hostages and laying down its weapons. The continued weaponisation of language and distortion of words have an impact and have destroyed any chance of a diplomatic solution to this conflict. The constant criticism of Israel as the only protagonist and the spread of inaccurate accusations has emboldened not only Hamas, but every anti-Israel group across society. This is now manifesting in the increase in acts of intimidation, violence and murder directed towards Jews and Israelis. Chris Harbidge, Harold's Cross, Dublin After camogie decision, choice should now be in hands of pupils in schools If the Camogie Association can modernise its dress code for greater mobility, what's stopping schools from doing the same? At 15, I successfully campaigned for the option to wear trousers in my secondary school. I immediately switched to cycling – getting there faster and stress-free. Fifty years later, I still cycle regularly (with waterproof over-trousers when it rains), but now I find myself campaigning again – this time for my granddaughters. This week, Irish citizens are funding a new government campaign to encourage children to be more active. With €1m a day in public funds spent on active travel (Irish Independent, September 9, 2022), why are many schoolgirls still forced into skirts – impractical, unsafe and a barrier to cycling? This outdated rule discourages use of the very transport infrastructure their parents' taxes help fund. Only one in 250 teenage girls cycle daily (An Taisce, AndSheCycles). The Road Safety Authority advises cyclists to wear clothes that won't catch in chains or obscure visibility. Skirts, especially in wind, do both. Schools mandating skirts are ignoring these safety concerns. Let's retire outdated uniform rules that undermine girls' health, safety and mobility. Orla Farrell, address with editor Shortage of Irish players in top sphere unlikely to be remedied any time soon Last Saturday (Irish Independent, Sport, May 17) your soccer correspondent highlighted the fact that for the past nine years no Republic of Ireland player had played in the English FA Cup final, with Damien Delaney in 2016 the last to do so. This contrasts with the 1978 final between Ipswich and Arsenal when eight Irish players participated, and the 1980 final between West Ham and Arsenal when six played, albeit that a minority of them were from Northern Ireland. The position is not likely to change any time soon given that eight Republic of Ireland players in the league have seen their clubs relegated to the Championship this season, which leaves three players – Jake O'Brien (Everton), Nathan Collins (Brentford) and Matt Doherty (Wolves) – who could be considered regulars during the past season attached to clubs for next season's Premier League with perhaps Josh Cullen, promoted with Burnley, joining that list. James Healy, Highfield Park, Galway Name for new children's hospital must be inclusive and represent the island The name of the new children's hospital in Dublin must embrace all the children of Ireland. The All-Island Congenital Heart Disease Network is a collaborative healthcare initiative between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This recently established network aims to provide comprehensive and high-quality care for children with congenital heart disease. Much co-operation has gone into its establishment, with surgery and interventional procedures now centred at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) in Crumlin. Other collaborative initiatives are anticipated. The peaceful future of our country requires 'hands across the Border'. Has Royal Belfast Children's Hospital been involved in the choice of the name? Have political sensitivities of Northern families been considered? Let our children lead us into that future by choosing an inclusive name for their hospital, such as the Ireland Children's Hospital. I believe Dr Kathleen Lynn would approve.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We must always remember the Holocaust and not make it a political issue
When I was 6 years old, I learned that I am the son of two Holocaust survivors. It was the first time I noticed a KL in blue ink on each of my parents' wrists. On the inside of my mom's forearm was the letter A followed by the number 27327. My parents explained to me that they were both survivors of the Holocaust and that almost everybody in their immediate and extended families were murdered because they, like us, were Jewish. That was my first encounter with antisemitism! Unfortunately, it would not be my last, however. Partly because of the continuing presence of bigotry and hatred toward certain groups, I have spent over 50 years teaching students and adults about the Holocaust and how it relates to issues of today. And I have been honored to be a part of the larger conversation about remembering what happened and preventing it from ever happening again. My wife, Joan, and I were fortunate to live in Washington, D.C., in 1980 when the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was created. A council was established to oversee the mission of the museum, which is 'to promote the memory of the Holocaust, to advance knowledge about it, and inspire action to prevent genocide and to promote human dignity.' The museum encourages its visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust, as well as their own responsibilities, living in a democracy rich with people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and lived experiences. The council consists of 68 members — 55 chosen by the president of the United States, five members from the Senate and five members from the House of Representatives, and three members from the Cabinet. They serve five-year terms. The Committee of Conscious was established by the council and plays a crucial role in fulfilling this mission by alerting a national conscious, influencing policy makers and stimulating worldwide action to halt genocide and related crimes against humanity. I was also honored and privileged, in the mid 1980s, to be selected to serve on the Second-Generation Advisory Committee to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel. Over the years, I have known and worked with many of the council members. There are members from both major U.S. political parties, and vacant seats are filled by the sitting U.S. president. But one thing they all have had in common is that they all believed in fulfilling the mission of the museum. More: Rabbi: 'I am deeply offended' by the Legislature's resolution proclaiming 'Christ is King' The museum was dedicated on April 22, 1993. On that date, I was sitting four rows back from where President Bill Clinton and Wiesel were standing on the podium giving remarks. One of the last things that Wiesel said, because of the genocide that was taking place in Bosnia, was: 'Mr. President, I cannot not tell you something. I have been in the former Yugoslavia last fall. I cannot sleep since for what I have seen. As a Jew, I am saying that we must do something to stop the bloodshed in that country!' At that time, there was no partisanship on the council. Until recently that was the case. And then on April 30, 2025, President Donald Trump fired at least eight of President Joe Biden's appointees to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's board of trustees, with no cause. After that firing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal made the following statement: 'By turning Holocaust remembrance into a political loyalty test, you are doing precisely what the museum warns against — using institutional power to punish dissent, erase opposing views, and recast history through the lens of political expediency. In short, you are politicizing an institution created to guard against the political abuses that led to the Holocaust in the first place.' I could not agree with Sen. Blumenthal more. Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. While the president has the right to appoint and fire members of various institutions, what Trump did was unprecedented. His act was petty, reprehensible and vindictive. Forgive me if I missed it, but I would like to know why those Republican senators and representatives who represent me in the state of Oklahoma have not spoken out about this repugnant situation. These are not only my feelings; I've heard from many Jewish leaders, survivors and children of survivors who feel the same way. We recently had our annual Yom HaShoah program here in Oklahoma City commemorating the Holocaust, as did most Jewish communities across the country. It was a very powerful program teaching about the importance of remembrance. Our community helped fulfil the mission of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. As Wiesel stated: 'Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.' We must never stay silent in the face of injustice. We must always speak out! "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ―The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Michael Korenblit is co-founder of the Respect Diversity Foundation. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Delegation should speak out against museum trustees' firings | Opinion
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
'Real Housewives' alum Siggy Flicker appointed to Holocaust museum board by Donald Trump
'Real Housewives' alum Siggy Flicker appointed to Holocaust museum board by Donald Trump Show Caption Hide Caption Trump praises Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin during Carney presser During a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, President Donald Trump appeared to mistake ice hockey player Alex Ovechkin as Canadian. Reality-television personality Siggy Flicker, whose stepson was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, has been appointed by President Donald Trump to oversee the nation's Holocaust memorial. Flicker, who previously starred on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," was handpicked by President Trump alongside 11 other individuals to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's board of trustees, the museum announced on May 5. "President Trump… Thank you for the privilege (and) honor to represent and NEVER FORGET," Flicker wrote in a May 5 Instagram post following the announcement. Recognized as the official U.S. memorial to the Holocaust, the Washington, D.C., museum aims to combat antisemitism through a series of exhibitions, leadership training programs, educational outreach and Holocaust commemorations, according to its official website. The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which consists of 55 members appointed by the president, was established by Congress in 1980 to raise private funds for the museum, per the organization's website. In addition to the presidential appointees, five members from both the Senate and House of Representatives as well as three ex-officio members from the Departments of Education, Interior, and State serve. According to the museum, council members appointed by the president serve for a five-year term, with 11 members' terms expiring each year. Trump shared his satisfaction with the new council members in a May 6 post on Truth Social, writing, "They are all strong supporters of Israel, and will ensure we, NEVER FORGET. Congratulations to all!" Flicker, 57, was born in Israel to Jewish parents. Her father, Mordecai Paldiel, escaped Nazi-occupied Belgium when he was 3 years old. The TV personality has been vocal in her support of Israel on social media. 'Real Housewives' comeback: 'Rhode Island' spinoff returning to Bravo Siggy Flicker's son arrested following Jan. 6 Capitol riots Flicker's stepson Tyler Campanella, whom she shares with husband Michael Campanella, was arrested in April 2024 on five misdemeanor charges in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to NBC News and News12 Long Island. In a now-deleted social media post, Flicker shared photos that appeared to be taken from inside the Capitol along with the caption, "I love patriots so much. Stay safe Tyler. We love you," per NBC. Additionally, court documents stated Tyler's phone was traced to the Capitol's interior the day of the attack. 'Real Housewives' star Teddi Mellencamp has stage 4 melanoma. What's next? According to Law & Crime, Tyler pleaded not guilty to charges of trespassing, disorderly conduct and demonstrating in a Capitol building. As of July 2024, the man remained released on his personal recognizance. Flicker is an ardent supporter of President Trump. In December 2024, the "Real Housewives" alum shared a photo of herself and Trump posing at an event on Instagram. "Happy new year from the greatest president in the history of America," she wrote.
Boston Globe
03-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Hikers stumble upon a pile of gold coins, igniting a historical hunt for source
The discovery of the treasure, worth as much as $680,000, has set off a search among historians and amateur sleuths to figure out who might have hidden the riches. Advertisement 'What is exceptional in this case is the volume,' Novak said. He estimated that the gold coins were worth about $340,000. The other items, if they are solid gold and not merely gold plated, could be worth another $340,000, he said. But what was really intriguing, he said, was how recently the items were buried. Although archeological discoveries are fairly common in the region, with many dating back to the Bronze Age or medieval times, the newest coin in this collection was from 1921, indicating that the treasure had been hidden within about the past century. That relative recency has offered a tantalizing lead to researchers, who think they may be able to track down the owner of the treasure through archival research and solve the mystery of why it was hidden. Advertisement 'It's possible that someone might come across some information, perhaps in the newspapers of the time, that someone robbed a jewelry store or something like that, and suddenly it might lead us to a clue,' Novak said. He said he had received a steady stream of suggestions -- and a few conspiracy theories -- about who the owner might be. Was it a soldier returning from a war? A merchant fleeing the area during conflict? Or perhaps the wealthy heiress of a nearby family? The coins offer perhaps the best -- yet most confounding -- clues. None of the money circulated in the area where it was discovered. Roughly half the coins are from Western European countries, including France and Belgium. The rest are from regions around the world, including the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Tunisia, and other parts of Africa. The Balkan coins have holes drilled in them, indicating that they were most likely used to adorn the headbands or necklaces that were part of folk costumes or wedding attire, Novak said. Online, some suggested the gold could have been the collection of a guard at a prisoner-of-war camp, while others were sure it was hidden by a local dentist. Experts at the museum and other historians have looked to the region's tumultuous history for explanations. Bohemia, what is today western Czech Republic, witnessed huge waves of migration and forced expulsions after 1938. Before World War II, about 120,000 Jewish people lived in Bohemia and Moravia, now eastern Czech Republic, which were occupied by Germany in 1938, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. About 26,000 Jews fled the area before 1941, and about 82,000 were later deported. Advertisement Other groups also fled during Germany's occupation, said Martin Vesely, an associate professor of history at Jan Evangelista Purkyne University in the Czech Republic. About 200,000 people relocated, including many Czechs, he said. After the war, in 1945, about 3 million Germans, seen as culpable for the war and Nazi crimes, fled or were deported from the area. 'Perhaps the person ended up in a concentration camp, or maybe it was a German who simply couldn't return to retrieve it,' Novak said. At the end of the war, the territory that is now the Czech Republic absorbed around 1.7 million refugees from across Europe, Vesely said, including people from Belgium, Estonia, France, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Spain and the Balkans. Many arrived carrying all of their possessions. 'The problem is that there are a huge number of possibilities,' Vesely said. 'Central Europe was swept through by a huge number of people in various directions back and forth during those years, so anything could have happened.' The personal objects found with the coins, including the snuff boxes and compact, may be key to resolving the mystery. The stash contained a mix of items used by both men and women, and, given how many items were included, the stash may have been buried by a group rather than one person, Vesely said. The museum has begun to scour the items for engravings or other markings, but so far they have yielded few hints. Two of the snuff boxes, however, have yet to be opened. 'We'll see if the last two help us in any way,' Novak said. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
National Holocaust Museum undertakes Days of Remembrance at the U.S. Capitol
April 23 (UPI) -- Holocaust survivors, their families, federal officials and others joined to commemorate Holocaust victims during a Days of Remembrance event at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning. The Days of Remembrance affirms the atrocities suffered by an estimated 6 million mostly Jewish people throughout Europe, whom the Nazis and their collaborators rounded up and exterminated in concentration camps. Eighty years ago, on April 23, 1945, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower invited journalists, publishers and editors from the nation's newspapers to take a 15-day tour of Nazi concentration camps, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Vice Chair Allan Holt said during Wednesday's remembrance. A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers from a dozen states made a similar tour at the same time. Firsthand evidence of atrocities "They were there because, finally, the world now definitively determined that many of the reports about German atrocities could possibly be true," Holt said. Eisenhower 12 days earlier had visited one of the recently liberated concentration camps. "Throughout the war, he read the intelligence reports describing the atrocities," Holt said. "They seemed unthinkable, so he needed to see for himself. Seeing was believing." Eisenhower years later wrote of his tour of the concentration camp and said, "'The things I saw beggar description," Holt continued. "'The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick,'" Holt quoted Eisenhower. Eisenhower said he needed to see the camp to "be in a position to give firsthand evidence of these things if ever in the future there develops a tendency to charge these allegations purely to propaganda,'" Hall explained. "Eisenhower could not have imagined social media," Holt said, "but he most definitely understood human nature. We know this all too well as Holocaust denial continues to grow with each passing year." Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also addressed attendees during the morning event. He pointed to the regimental flags of U.S. military units that liberated concentration camps and said those flags and the U.S. Capitol represent justice for those who survived the Holocaust and their families. "Today we gather to mourn the loss of 6 million innocent people," Lutnick said. "We gather to remember the horrors that these people lived through," he said. "But we gather not to just remember what happened but to make sure that it never happens again." Here again to bear witness Holocaust Memorial Council member Abraham Foxman, who survived the Holocaust and its concentration camps, addressed his fellow survivors. "We are here again today to bear witness," Foxman said. "The killing of Europe's Jews ended eight decades ago, but the memories never end. The legacies never end, and the lessons must never, never end." He cited the "loss of everything we cherished, our families, friends, communities, the betrayal of our neighbors, we worked quickly to rebuild our lives" and focused on the future. "But the past was always with us, as it is today and as it will always be," Foxman said. He commended the United States for supporting the National Holocaust Museum and creating the annual Days of Remembrance event to ensure future generations do not forget the past. "As a survivor, I am horrified at the explosion of anti-Semitism, global and in the U.S.," Foxman said. He commended President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump for their efforts to oppose anti-Semitism. He also expressed concern about the government's current immigration enforcement efforts and efforts to ban books and "dictate what universities should teach and whom they should teach." "I am troubled when I hear immigrants and immigration being demonized," Foxman said. "As some of you know, I was born at the wrong time and the wrong place as a Jewish child in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1940." He said he survived due to one person's kindness and "several miracles," which led him to question why the Holocaust happened and why he was not among 1.5 million Jewish children who died. "Those who were in a position of power to make decisions to stop what was happening knew," Foxman said. "They knew every day how many Jews were being killed. They knew, and for years previously, they knew what was happening." He said American leaders also knew but did little to stop it. "It's extremely important to know, but knowing is not enough," he said. "Wherever good people stood up to hate and said, 'No,' Jews lived, gays lived, Roma lived." The event concluded with a lighting of remembrance candles by members of the U.S. military. Daily readings of Holocaust victims' names Daily readings of the names of those murdered in the concentration camps are scheduled from 10 a.m. EDT to 4:30 p.m. at the Holocaust Museum's second-floor Hall of Remembrance through Friday. "Reading the names of Holocaust victims during Days of Remembrance is an especially meaningful way to honor those who were killed," the National Holocaust Museum's event notice says. "Museum visitors are welcome to read names from their own connections to this history or names provided from historical records," the event description says. "You may also listen to names being read and light a memorial candle." The free event is open to the general public throughout the week with no registration required. National Day of Remembrance President Donald Trump earlier marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland on Jan. 27 by declaring a National Day of Remembrance. "Between 1940 and 1945, more than one million Jews, religious leaders, disabled persons and other innocent victims were viciouslyand mercilessly executed in Auschwitz at the hands of the evil Nazi regime - culminating in one of the darkest chapters in human history," Trump announced. "On this solemn day, America joins the Jewish community, the people of Poland, and the entire world in mourning the lives lost, the souls battered, the heroes forgotten, and the countless men and women who gave their lives for the cause of freedom." Trump on April 25, 2017, also held a Days of Remembrance commemoration at the White House to honor the millions of victims of the Nazi atrocities in European concentration camps. Congress in 1980 established the Days of Remembrance as an annual commemoration of Holocaust victims to help affirm the atrocities that occurred and created the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council to oversee annual remembrance activities. The National Holocaust Museum is located at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, in Washington, D.C.
