| BOOK REVIEW |
By Dave Silver
The Center for Jewish History, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, is also a partner of other prestigious research organizations on the Jewish history and culture, immigration, the Sephardic Jews, plus other European authors who did research for this book. But omitted in this book is the question of the Nazi Holocaust – there were other Holocausts as well, not only in Europe but in Israel as well. Why?
Because the research and dissemination of these findings were not informed by particular political movements, organizations or individuals that affected the fight against German fascism or the question of the establishment of a "Jewish Homeland.
Presentations of a pro-Marxist, Communist or pro-Palestinian perspectives were nowhere to be found in this book. We were not informed by these scholars and researchers of Jewish history and culture, for instance that very many of the Herbert Baum Resistance Group in the German, Berlin underground from the years 1937-1942 were Communists and Marxists. We don't see any mention of those courageous "premature anti-fascists" that offered their lives with the International Brigades in Spain, including the Jews in the Ernst Thaelman Battalion. Where are the references to Clara Lemmlich Shavelson, a Communist that spoke on the sound-trucks in Brooklyn NY, USA in Yiddish and English? Or Pauline Newman and Rose Finkelstein were also not mentioned and omitted.
What about the numerous Soviet Jewish Officers and Generals that helped with the Soviet Red Army to liberate these concentration camps!
Also, isn't it a huge moral obligation by these learned researchers and writers with unlimited financial resources to tell the world that there were very ugly episodes that affected the Jews in the US and abroad, but also the disastrous effect on non-Jews as well – political, economic and social -that of poverty, oppression, exploitation and other evils.
Many of these individual Jews that were close to these political rulers also helped to draw up or implement those strategic objectives already in place.
A good example would be the question of Zionism that was formulated by Weizman, Herzel and Ben Gurion. They formulated a very racist perspective of the "Chosen" but also the slogan: "A Land Without A People – A People Without Land – the Jews" (as if Palestine had no human beings living there!).
Many Jewish neo-conservatives in the US served several Presidents for the outcome of civil wars and revolutionary struggles that these US presidents did not like – such as the successful attempt by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who with the help of the Israeli-CIA or the Mossad helped to overthrow the democratically elected President of Chile, Salvatore Allende.
Another one was Elliot Abrams (convicted by US Court of war crimes in the Iran-Contra scandal). Then there was Richard Perle who served three US presidents as a Special Security Advisor – his idea got adopted to train Latin American Death Squads that were trained by USA in the School of Americas.
More recent in helping US Imperialism are Douglas Feith and Irving Scooter Libby.
Any analyses underpinning research, conclusions, or documentation of history and culture of any people cannot be neutral or objective in abstract. Even of what to include or omit is a partisan act. Exploring this giant project t such as Jewish History and Culture or any other people's history and culture, must be explored to the fullest extent that is possible – including its contradictions.
Many thanks to Irina Malenko
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