Why does time heal some blame and not other blame?

When is ‘you must see it in the context of its time’ a valid defense?

This historical examination is not for the faint of heart.

Ending WW II, the US threw two atomic bombs on two huge Japanese cities. The damage was not collateral. The population was targeted. After the Nuremberg trials, this would be called a war crime and a crime against humanity—and racism. (No nuclear bomb was tested on German cities.) Three things may have prevented such condemnations. It’s too easy to look back in time and condemn something normal at the time. Also, the Allied Forces won. And last, the Japanese know best what monsters their soldiers were, so they shut up in shame. In any case, until today, 78 years later, no apologies and no restitution came forth from the US.

Nazi Germany started WW II, which cost 50M people their lives and, in particular 6M Jews, who were industrially murdered per bullet and gassing. Post-war trials dismissed the validity of ‘orders are orders’—we had to obey. No one has permission to execute an immoral order. But this was only established after the war. Still, it was enough to convict the mass murderers. It didn’t matter that this became a norm after the war. How can you be convicted of violating a law before it was established? What may have helped might be that Germany lost the war and that no proof was needed for all decent people to see that the Holocaust was pure evil.

Brave Allied soldiers landed in Normandy, leading to the defeat of Nazi Germany. Nazi soldiers killed huge numbers, which didn’t stop the Allied soldiers from moving forward. At the 75-year commemoration, surviving Allied and Nazi soldiers met. All differences were forgotten? Everyone had just done their duty? Not: some soldiers were heroes, and some agents of evil? Did these soldiers realize they were all sent by the rich to fight in a war that made the wealthy richer and the poor hurt and die? Or was it the mildness that often comes with time that made them meet like equals?

The Dutch government recently finally apologized for the role the Low Countries played in shipping Africans to the Americas to be sold as slaves, whereby a third died on board. Yet, many Dutch people now say: ‘It’s so long ago. I should feel guilty? I did nothing wrong. And it was normal then. What do you want from me?’ Why are they wrong? Young Germans take responsibility every day that the 20% Nazis in their country will not ever get political power again. They don’t say: We did nothing wrong. It wasn’t me. Germany seems the only European country that honestly examined itself and where Jews can walk around safely. Not in the Netherlands.

Currently, Trump is sued by an elderly woman who alleges that he raped her 30 years ago. She didn’t go to the police. That’s not what you did in those days. You just tried to forget and move on. Then came #metoo and bragging Trump. Suddenly, she thought: Wow, we really can get justice? But Trump has replied in kind: Those years, that was normal. It happened to every woman for millions of years. Why now come and accuse just me? That’s not fair. She is getting away with saying: it was normal, but he isn’t? One explanation may be that still is not recognized it happens to every female, and she described very well how one assault can haunt one ever since. If her pain is not over yet, why should his guilt be expired? You could say that this explanation is faulty. It used to be normal not to complain, which doesn’t mean that rape itself was normal. Let the jury speak!

I wish I had all answers. Maybe you have. But aren’t the questions valid?

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