Thoughts on Holocaust Remembrance Day

I’m a poor reader. A sleepy reader. Whereas Gilda can sit for hours curled up on the couch, propped up on a beach chair at the seashore, awake on a plane or at the breakfast table with tea near her hand reading books, magazines, newspapers, I have limited patience for the written word in volume, comical really, considering I made my fortune, slight as it is, pounding out or editing copy, the journalist’s jargon for the written word. 

I prefer visual storytelling. Films, mostly older ones carried by TCM (Turner Classic Movies) are my favorite escape from daily reading options. I have no evidence to back up a pet theory, but I suspect I am correct in believing that most people under 40 years old, perhaps even as high as 50, are similarly inclined to prefer viewing movies, playing video games or streaming Internet sites over reading books or intellectual magazines. 

That’s one reason I believe antisemitism has been able to flourish during the last three decades. Simply put, generations after mine have been insufficiently informed by mass media about the evils of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. They have, instead, been fed a never-ending diet of interplanetary villains who, in theory, might espouse bigotry and intolerance but who never actually say they hate Jews and desire their eradication.

Though there have been more than a handful of movies during the last 30 years concerning the horrors of Nazi Germany, the last widely seen picture depicting the depravity of the Holocaust was Steven Spielberg’s 1993 adaptation of Thomas Keneally’s “Schindler’s List” (a book I have read). 

How different these last years have been from the five decades before them, when through countless war movies Hollywood educated Americans to the mass murder of Jews and the oppression of “subhumans” by Nazis and their sympathizers. 

There was no ambiguity in who the victims were. 

Consider today’s cinematic collection of Star Wars- and superhero-inspired films. Is antisemitism ever part of a plot line? 

Today, January 27, the day the Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated in 1945 by Russian soldiers, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Recent studies on the prevalence and knowledge of antisemitism have shown a disturbing, relentless increase in antisemitism, especially among younger generations.

Now, I am not advocating for a dedicated 24/7 Holocaust channel on every streaming service. But clearly as a nation we, as well as many European countries, have been negligent in fully teaching the subject of antisemitism. 

Four days ago The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) released an eight-country study on “Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness.” Countries surveyed included the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary and Romania. Among the  major findings: 

• A majority of adults across almost all countries surveyed believe something like the Holocaust could happen again today. In the U.S., 76% shared that belief;
• Holocaust revisionism and even denial are growing, especially among millennials;
• For more details on the study, here’s a link: https://search.app/a5vAAJVsjyqYwy3M6

This being the day Auschwitz was liberated 80 years ago, I’m re-posting a blog from 15 years ago on our family’s visit to the death camp and the ensuing saga of naming rights for the sports complex where the New York Giants and Jets play their home games:

“A Chain of One-Person Events

“I don’t usually engage in the practice of blowing my own horn. These blog postings from my life are mostly casual musings and remembrances, points of poignancy, interest, sometimes humor, that hopefully evoke in you similar memories and feelings from your earlier days.

“But an Op-Ed piece in Friday’s NY Times, titled “Out of Auschwitz” (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/opinion/29pisar.html?ref=opinion), stirred me to recall one of my most cherished accomplishments—I prevented the new Giants-Jets Meadowlands football stadium from being named after the company that insured Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps.

“Two summers ago my family traveled to Central Europe, visiting Vienna, Budapest, Krakow and Prague. In Krakow, we hired a local guide, a young man who, by coincidence, had grown up in the village of Oświęcim, the Polish name for Auschwitz, some 30 miles outside the main city.

“There are two parts to the concentration camp. Auschwitz I sits on the site of a former military base. Its buildings are mostly brick. But as sturdy as its structures were, Auschwitz I did not provide the Nazis with sufficient scope to expeditiously carry out their mass murders. So they built Auschwitz II, also known as Birkenau. Jews and other undesirables were contained in wooden barracks. Beyond the far end of a long train depot, the Nazis built gas chambers and crematoria.

“On a hot, sunny, late July afternoon as we walked in an open field towards the memorial near the ruins of the killing machines, we came across a small pool of water. I asked our guide what purpose it served. Holocaust deniers would tell you, he replied, that these and others like it were swimming pools the prisoners enjoyed, as if Auschwitz were just a little rougher than a regular summer camp. In truth, the water pools were part of a fire response system mandated by the camp’s insurance carrier because of the extensive wooden buildings. He identified the insurer as Allianz. I was incredulous, but given German fascination with efficiency, not too surprised they would go to the extreme of insuring their extermination property.

“Fast forward one month, to Labor Day. On the back page of SportsMonday in The Times I read a short marketing article by Richard Sandomir that the Giants and Jets were close to signing a naming rights deal with a German “financial services company,” Allianz.

“Whoa! I raced to the computer, checked it was indeed the same Allianz (on its Web site Allianz acknowledges its Nazi links), and sent off letters to The Times, the Giants and the Jets, informing them that far from being just a “financial services company,” Allianz had been the Nazi insurance company. “Surely the Giants and Jets,” I wrote in part, “in their ignoble pursuit of every last marketing dollar, do not need to affront their fans, many of whom lost family in the Holocaust, by placing the Allianz name on their stadium.”

“Not a word back. The Times says it won’t print a letter to the editor without first contacting the writer, so I was caught off-guard the following Sunday, September 7, when awakened by a caller saying he agreed with my letter. I rushed downstairs to find the paper but could not locate the letter in the Week in Review section. The caller, a Scarsdale doctor, said it was in the Sports section. There it was, under the headline, “Checkered History of Allianz.” A few friends called to congratulate me on getting published, but I was not prepared for the next chapter of the story.

“Three days later, Sandomir followed up with a long article, titled “Naming Rights and Historical Wrongs” (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/sports/football/10sandomir.html?scp=4&sq=sandomir%20aLLIANZ&st=cse) and another one the next day (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/sports/football/12sandomir.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=Allianz%20Sandomir&st=cse). Talk radio picked up the story, as did other newspapers. One tabloid ran a drawing of the new stadium topped with a swastika. By Friday, pressure had grown intense enough for the naming rights bid to be abandoned.

“Near the beginning of this piece I wrote I prevented the Allianz naming rights plan. In truth, two others played important roles, as well. First, the unknown editor who chose to print my letter to the editor. Second, Richard Sandomir, who, mutual friends have told me, learned of Allianz’s past from my letter and pursued the story. Of course, thousands more sent in their denouncements once the story became mainstream news.

“Aside from stopping what would have been an affront to decency, my Allianz story demonstrates that one person can make a difference, can start a chain of one-person events that builds on the enlightenment of those before, to right, or prevent, a wrong.

“Auschwitz was liberated 65 years ago, [now 80 years] on January 27. Let’s never forget to speak out and act so that it is always remembered and never allowed to happen again. To any people. Anywhere.”

Taking Issue with Trump's Actions and Nastiness

Of all the actions, directives, executive orders Donald Trump has promulgated during his first six days in office, perhaps the cruelest and most inhumane one has been the order “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program.” The order, according to The New York Times, “suspended a resettlement program that brings thousands of legal refugees to the country each year.” It closed a legal route to the safety of America from the ravages of conflict and oppression in distant lands. 

Most telling in its cruelty and execution is its restriction on Afghanis who risked their lives to aid and assist America and its soldiers during our long war against the Taliban. We owe it to them to save them from the vengeance the Taliban seeks to inflict on them and their families. 

Many have filled out forms, been vetted, investigated and waited for years, often hiding from the Taliban, to secure a flight to America. All their hopes have been dashed by Trump’s cruel and inhumane obsession with painting all who want to come here as burdensome immigrants who would tax our systems, take our jobs, rob and rape us and even kill us ( https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/world/asia/trump-executive-order-immigration-afghanistan.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare). 

I cannot vouch for its authenticity, nor authorship, but the following defense of Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde to the verbal attack unleashed by Donald Trump is a well-written response, purported to be from the Episcopal Church of Washington (I have my doubts) as disseminated by something called Washington Press: 

“This is what the Episcopalian Church had to say about his tantrum on X:

“President Trump,

“1. Much like those who do not want you to be president, you do not get to decide whether a bishop’s office is legitimate. She was chosen by the people of her diocese to be their bishop. Then, she was granted consent to be a bishop by other bishops and standing committees of our church’s dioceses. Beginning by calling her a “so-called” bishop is an obvious low blow to discredit her as a person, rather than what she actually said that you disagree with. The Episcopal Church was legitimate enough to hold your third wedding, the funeral of Melania’s mother, and the baptism of your son, Barron. Barron also attended an Episcopal day school. Now you have an issue with how we do things when it doesn’t go your way?

“2. You didn’t have an issue with politics being brought into the church by the ministers who spoke at your inauguration, or by yourself for that matter. They were blatantly partisan, crediting God for your political success: ‘Mr. President, the last four years there were times I’m sure you thought it was pretty dark, but look what God has done,’ (Reverend Franklin) Graham said.

“3. She wasn’t nasty in tone, plain and simple. I can’t remember ever hearing a homily given in such a gracious manner and calm tone. If you disagree, listen to her speak. You may disagree with what she said, but her tone was in no way “nasty.” Additionally, insulting her intelligence, rather than quoting what you disagreed with, is a very typical play coming from a narcissist.

“4. The vast majority of people who have committed crimes in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. Defending yourself about being asked to have mercy on immigrants by saying a ‘large number of illegal migrants came into our country and killed people’ is a gross misrepresentation and does not make sense. By that logic, we should be locking up or deporting all Americans because the majority of crimes were committed by citizens. We do need to improve our immigration system, but scripture commands us as Christians to have mercy. Mercy is a central tenet of our faith. Matthew 5:7 says, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.’ Leviticus 19: 33-34 says, ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ If you have take issue with this, take it up with God.

“5. Saying the service was boring and uninspiring is a move to discredit the event, rather than what specifically was said. However, it’s worth mentioning that the purpose of a service is not to be ‘exciting.’ There are several purposes for our services, such as honoring God, bringing us closer to God, and being in community with one another. Being ‘exciting’ is not one of them. As far as inspiration goes, that is in the eye of the beholder. You get as much out of it as you put into it.

“6. The bishop does not owe you an apology. Our church does not owe you an apology. All you were asked to do is what scripture directly asks us to do. If you could quote one thing she asked of you that isn’t asked of us in scripture, we would apologize. Someone recently reminded me of something I often heard growing up in church. If you are offended by a minister’s sermon or feel that it was a personal attack, look to see if you can find anything they said that was out of line with scripture and the teachings of Jesus. If you can’t, that feeling is what we call, ‘being convicted of your sin.’  The fact you are so offended by what was said shows you know there is truth in it. To your supporters who also feel offended by it, the same goes.”

 

Legal Experts: Cap Police Can Sue the Pardoned

Legal experts have spoken, well, not directly to me, but to readers who passed along my inquiry in my last posting about the possibility of initiating civil action against those pardoned by Donald Trump for their participation in the January 6 insurrection and assault on Capitol police. 

According to a New York district attorney and a retired dean of a midwestern university law school, the federal pardons Trump extended to January 6 assailants would not protect them from civil suits filed by police officers injured during the invasion of the Capitol. 

From among the near 1,600 arrested for January 6 infractions Capitol police could seek damages from those convicted of physical attacks on them and from those who planned the insurrection. 

“They absolutely can be sued civilly,” the district attorney said. “A presidential pardon only applies to criminal proceedings and can only be granted in federal matters.”

The retired law school dean counseled the Trump pardon/sentence commutation does not prevent filing a lawsuit for civil liability.

Legal fees, I would hope, could be paid on a contingency basis if the pardoned insurrectionists are found liable and assessed damages. Surely there should be sufficient progressive lawyers and law firms interested in setting the record straight concerning events that fateful day by representing one or more of the Capitol police.  

That’s it for my free legal advice. I would hope sharper minds than mine are contemplating this line of validation that January 6 was indeed an attack on our democracy. It is beyond reprehensible that Republican House and Senate members that day who fled from their respective chambers to safety from the mob are now saying they did not witness anything dangerous, that they have seen no evidence. One can argue about Trump’s complicity in sending them to the Capitol, but clear evidence of their assault, available on videos filmed by news crews and private cell phones, cast no doubt about their vicious intent and actions to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, for 224 years a hallmark of our government, so callously rejected by Trump and his delusional supporters. 

 

Looking for Some Legal Guidance

Looking for some legal guidance:

Though Donald Trump extended pardons from federal crimes to January 6 offenders, could Capitol police assaulted that day file civil actions against them, much the same way Ron Goldman’s family sued O.J. Simpson in civil court for his death even though he was acquitted in state criminal court of killing Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson? 

Unlike the O.J. case, evidence of the rioters’ culpability in attacking the police is already on the judicial record, as well as the visual recordings by networks and private cell phones. The pardoned wouldn’t be incarcerated again if found liable, but could financial penalties be assessed? 

It would be an alternate, significant victory for truth and justice if they could be sued, especially considering the Republican House’s intention to convene another January 6 committee to reinterpret events of that day. 

Wait Until the Cows Come Home: Roundups of migrants won’t turn people against Trump until their relatives are detained, sequestered in huge holding facilities and possibly deported. Or housekeepers, nannies or gardeners are taken and they’re forced to clean their own homes, change diapers, cook meals, mow their lawns, weed their gardens. …

If you think food prices are too high now, wait until migrant roundups strip farms of their workers, meat and poultry processing plants of their workers, restaurants of their workers. …

Similarly, housing costs will rise as undocumented workers no longer will be available to construction companies and contractors. …   

Trump’s bluster about grabbing Greenland, the Panama Canal or Canada won’t bother people until Russia and China say they too have lands that should be part of their domain. So Taiwan should be invaded by China, while Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania should be part of Russia, as well as all of Ukraine. …

Boos and Bravo on Pardons: As usual, Trump ruined a generous moment by going to extreme. Even his vice president did not expect violent, police-beating January 6 rioters to be unconditionally pardoned alongside hundreds of more peaceful convicted demonstrators. But leave it to Trump to galvanize opposition. How any policeman, anywhere, can support him now is beyond my comprehension. 

Perhaps Trump acted out of pique in light of Joe Biden’s preemptive pardon of those Trump continually ranted were in his sights for revenge. I take pride in being among the first to advocate for these pardons. 

Here’s a thought—either his much admired chief of staff Susie Wiles either has no influence to temper Trump’s worst instincts or she too has become a Trump zombie. Either way, pity our Republic. 

Profile in Courage: The Episcopal bishop of Washington’s National Cathedral, Mariann Edgar Budde deserves our blessings for calling out to his face during a prayer service Trump’s verbal assaults on all undocumented immigrants, as well as his actions against LGBTQ+ members. 

“I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land,” said Budde (https://www.npr.org/2025/01/21/nx-s1-5270031/bishop-mariann-edgar-budde-confronts-trump-in-sermon).

Keeping in character, Trump later called her “nasty.”

 

On the Eve of Four Fateful Years

It’s going to be a loooooong four years. 

For sure, like many of you, I try to avoid the daily Trump-inspired mania besetting our country, indeed, the world. If I so desired, I could spend each full day reading and writing about another calamity the Orangeman is planning for us. I don’t. 

Today, on the eve of our American version of the nakba, I will make an exception. 

Perhaps the most damning and telling aspect of Donald Trump is the people in his orbit. As Gilda said to me, “What’s creepier than Trump? It’s the people surrounding Trump.” 

Trump is more than a goofball showman. He will have unchecked powers, thanks to majorities, however slim, in the House and Senate, and, most importantly, a solid majority on the Supreme Court which granted presidents absolute immunity for any and all executive actions they take during their time in office. 

So, if Trump wants to order under the Insurrection Act military units to “control” street protests or round up alleged undocumented immigrants, he can. Unlike during his first term, his soon to be confirmed secretary of defense, attorney general and FBI director will not restrain him. 

Backbone is not one of the qualifications for office Trump is seeking for his inner circle. 

Neither is respect for truth and scientific research, adherence to facts, competence and expertise in their designated assignments. 

Fealty, bending the knee, loyalty, and, for many, good looks including good hair. Those are the dominant requirements to work in a Trump administration. 

Don’t get caught up in legal arguments, whether his or their actions will be constitutional. The Roberts court has reimagined the Constitution to fit his and their actions. 

Unless he dies in office, or retires prematurely, Trump’s successor will be the focus of intense speculation, beginning in 2026. JD Vance might think he is a shoe-in as he is his vice president, but I already am on record as believing Trump will seek to install his son Don Jr. at the top of the Republican ticket. Nothing says dynasty more concretely than having your bloodline succeed you. 

Trump, for that matter, most Republicans, gained prominence nationally because of intensive local spadework while Democrats concentrated on national affairs. If Democrats want to take back control of our country’s direction they will have to undertake an extensive ground game addressing issues that matter to local voters on town, city, and state levels, with particular emphasis on education standards. 

Define “patriot.” We might not agree on all the means a patriot might employ, but the basic thought is that a patriot acts in and supports the best interests of his or her country.

How patriotic are you? Do you want peace, or at least a cease fire, to be proclaimed between Ukraine and Russia? Israel and its Moslem adversaries? Even if peace is engineered by a despicable human being? 

Do you want Trump to succeed in taming inflation? Raising the level of quality, well-paying jobs? Solving the border crisis? Preventing Iran from developing nuclear bombs and fomenting radical Islam? Balancing our dependence on Chinese trade? 

The 2026 mid-term elections will be a referendum on how Trump has managed those issues and more. During his first term he lost a majority in the House in the 2018 elections. Will he be less divisive this time? From his campaign rhetoric, the answer is an apparent, NO! 

But—and I admit it’s a big but (that’s but with one “t,” not two, though Trump does have a big butt)—Trump has proven to be a deft politician. As he doesn’t have to court voters for another presidential election he might temper his rhetoric with a more practical, even-handed administration. 

His acolytes, however, the sycophants he has named to head departments and government agencies, might not feel the same restraint.   How he manages their enthusiasm for his MAGA creed will be of pivotal importance. 

We have less than 24 hours before Trump takes the oath of office again. For the last several days I have been absorbed by a 1965 Barry McGuire song that “references social issues of its period, including the Vietnam War, the draft, the threat of nuclear war, the Civil Rights Movement, turmoil in the Middle East and the American space program.” I’m struck by how many of those issues, or reasonable facsimiles, remain with us. 

Title of the song—“Eve of Destruction.” 

Recalling My Encounter with Peter Yarrow

 They walk among us.

No, not zombies. Rather, actors and other notables going about their daily business, walking streets, eating in restaurants, attending events. 

One such celebrity was the singer/songwriter/political activist Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. Yarrow died Tuesday, January 7. He was 86 (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/arts/music/peter-yarrow-dead.html?smid=url-share).

I have a problem remembering names, offset by a talent recognizing faces. Often I press pause while watching TV to point out to Gilda an actor’s role in a different show we’ve seen. I’ve observed numerous notables, most often while I worked in Manhattan, including Steve Allen and his wife Jayne Meadows, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Neil Simon, Johnny Damon, Richard Lewis, David Wells, Jackie Onassis. Usually, I shake their hand, thank them for their work, and try to do so without causing a stir that might alert other pedestrians to their proximity to the famous. 

As a fan of Peter, Paul and Mary since the early 1960s, I had no difficulty recognizing Yarrow as we stood in line during an intermission of a play on, and this is truly eerie, January 8, 2011, one day shy of exactly 14 years before his death (I know the date as I posted a blog on January 9, 2011, about meeting him the night before).  

During intermission of “A Little Night Music,” I wrote, I literally ran into Yarrow. I thanked him for being one of my cultural heroes and told him of the time in 1968 I sat in the first row of a PP&M concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and distracted bass player, Dick Kniss, into missing a beat in one of their songs.

Peter was most gracious, seemingly pleased to be recognized but not revealed to the throngs surrounding him. Ten minutes later, as he passed me on the way back to his seat, he said hello to Gilda and our friends and remembered my name.