Positive Holocaust education

How good may come from bad

Too many Jews identify as Jews because of the Holocaust only. Too many would never intermarry only because they never could trust a non-Jew. Sadly, this negative outlook is a very ill and poor representation of Judaism that repelled many young Jews before they even got to learn true Judaism.

The Holocaust was the moral downfall of Western civilization, not of the Jews. The Simchat Torah Pogrom in 2023 and its global uptick of anti-Jewish hatred and lies were the downfall of Islam and Humanity as a whole. Rather than Jewish tragedies, these were Gentile tragedies. As Jews, we must continue to heal our wounds (losses, sadness, shock), but no less must Gentiles grapple with their troubled history with the Jews.

It is still not broadly understood what was so enormous about the Holocaust. It was not its scope—ten times more Gentiles died in WW II. It’s not that it was genocide—unfortunately, we have seen many mass murders on a national scale. It’s not that it tried to exterminate a whole People and its culture—that too is done to many smaller nations. The Holocaust is singular because the supposedly most advanced Christianity-based country tried to exterminate the People whose religion and values it stole (and distorted). It was the ultimate replacement theology. It was not ‘only’ mass murder or genocide but also patricide (father murder). If the Ten Commandments tell us to honor our parents and the Torah teaches us to honor the Jews as holy, then how bad is trying to murder all Jews, the founders of Western civilization and Monotheism? Extremely bad.

Judaism prominently teaches about the holiness of human life, and we must be grateful that we Jews were the victims and not the perpetrators. Yet, the German People and a billion-plus Roman Catholics as a whole now have shown their stubborn repentance and rebirth, and some Muslim countries are walking to that rejection of a dark past too. When you reject the scandals, you pave the way for true humble pride far surpassing the false supremacy and bigotry that once were, secretly rooted in shame.

These enormous tragedies were also dispersed with and followed by the greatest miracles. Don’t overlook the survivors and their stories. The State of Israel was born right after it. In 2023, we finally understood that the policy of appeasement vis-à-vis terrorism doesn’t work. And again, many saw the Hand of G^d—not only in those holy Souls who were murdered but also in those who were spared and saved, sometimes by courageous Jews or Gentiles, sometimes by sheer luck, so to speak, often by those who risked their own lives fighting evil. It showed again the fate and resilience of the Jews and their true friends. We must remember those murdered but also those saved and the saviors. Just like a life-threatening illness may lead a patient to realize what’s really important in life. Physicians are valued for how many patients they saved, not how many patients died.

The eternal and amazing survival of Jews points to how special Jews are, in all their diversity. The world’s fascination and obsession with Jews tells everyone of the great potential of the Jewish People, the importance of this tiny nation and its religious and humanistic messages, and the high hopes and expectations many Gentiles have for us. When will the great Monotheistic leaders ask learned Jews for advice to enhance their faiths?

Besides asking why G^d let it happen, ask how we survived. Ask how it is possible that so many still honestly think it possible to exterminate and eradicate the Jews through violence and lies, after three thousand-plus years of failure. Nations and superpowers came and went, but the Jews are still here. See how countries (and their chauvinist nationals) that were built on slavery and mass murder, colonialism and imperialism, and bigotry and totalitarianism falsely and energetically accuse Israel of their own shortcomings. Look at the hapless Jews who rather support Antisemites than risk being chauvinistic about Jews and Israel, since the Jewish calling is to serve the world and not be self-serving, unlike all other nations, cultures, and regions. That is all so supernatural and miraculous.

Well-meaning sympathy for Jewish victimhood and suffering sometimes sounds too self-congratulatory. Instead of pitying us, tell about our marvelousness and how we were tasked with bringing the highest ethics and realism to Humanity, and see how much we have accomplished already, from religion to humanism, to medicine and science, to equality and democracy, to human and minority rights and the holiness of human life, to the rejection of war crimes—notwithstanding all the lies of those who hate us for who we are and what we represent in this world.

Gentiles first have to copy Jews in being disproportionately successful primarily by working hard. Antisemitism among Gentiles should be cured and ended by non-Jews—we’re simply too busy and easily outnumbered. Thus, Gentile activists must go beyond liking and hanging out with Jews. They ought to confront the bigots closest to them and clean up the mess.

Learning Jewish history is a solid way to separate the truth of Jewish life and ideals of Judaism from the lies of Jew-hatred. That it’s great to be a Jew; that we have and always have had reliable, warm, and close friends; that the State of Israel is to the Jews as what feminism is to women and healing to the sick; that Jewish isn’t a racial or religious notion, but a national one; that our Nation has a rich culture, Judaism being part of it; and that Judaism has a psychological, humanistic, and religious side.

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About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1