Today is a day to remember the Holocaust, as if it was a one time thing, and over. The aim is to prevent it from recurring again--to any people, by any people. Lofty ideal that hasn't really come to fruition. There have been mini--midi--major annihilations since 1945 around the world--all reported on worldwide media. Rwanda is the worst example that I can think of--but I'm not really a fan of such events--my family's history has limited my focus .
I was born a Jew at the end of WWII. My immediate family had been in America since the 1890s, having first settled in Kansas (peddlers) and eventually living in Brooklyn. Before the war, my maternal grandfather became a successful businessman--owned a bus line going from Newark to NYC (before such services were combined into Public Service).
However, by late 1938, they realized family members still in Europe were at risk. They paid $500/head to ransom them out of the coming Holocaust--using checks from American banks. This last tidbit is important--American banking authorities--and American government agencies, knew what was going on, knew that Germany was getting the money--and why. This is not what my diary is about, however, just necessary background info.
The idea was to save family members by bringing them to the US--not to eventually have them settle in Israel. Being Russian Jews, they were aware of Zionism--and they feared it. Having all Jews in one location would make it easier to kill all Jews. It must be remembered that almost all Christian religions,at the time, blamed all Jews for the death of Jesus. Anti-semitism was not just a German disease--it was a Western civilization reality. America was not immune--but it was the best option available.
Anyway, enough background, what I want to say is that, to my heroic grandparents, Israel was seen as the Final Solution, part 2. When Europe couldn't kill off all its Jews, it figured they could be sent to Palestine, where the Arabs would finish them off. Israel was the way to get the remaining Jews out of Europe, and even if they survived, they would no longer be a daily presence. BTW, did Europe try to militarily save fledgling Israel? My temple used to display this sign--Arms are sent to the Arabs, sneakers are sent to Israel.
Although I lived near, and was very close to Italian Catholics, every Easter, my friends would come home from church and accuse me of killing Christ--not as a joke. The day before, I had lunch in their house--and the week after again,but on Easter, I destroyed their world. Insane--but annual.
Israel never should have been formed in Palestine--a Jewish homeland should have been formed out of the Sudetenland--where they were from--land taken away from their murderers. But that justice was inconceivable to bigoted Europe--it still wanted to rid themselves of the Jewish problem.