The Holocaust. What were the lessons?

[TooBigForMyBoots]

I'm from the Cold War generation but WWII loomed large in our consciousness. Our grandparents were part of the war, so it wasn't just history, it was the story of our families. It was personal.

At this time of the year we remember what happened. It is said that the lessons from the industrial destruction of humankind should be learnt. But what lessons?

What did it teach you? What did you learn?

Pointless trauma? That is the kind of idle attitude that can lead down a dark path.

Teaching your kids about the holocaust in an age appropriate way is importantly. The same way 9/11 or 7/7 were important or the conflict between Israel and Palestinians now.

Shame on you. Seriously. I wonder if the million plus children who were tortured, starved, beaten and gassed during the holocaust consider it a pointless trauma.

I'm in my 50s now so that boat's well sailed.

I remember asking why? Why did anyone think it was OK to do this to Jews? When I found out it was because of Jesus I was shocked. I remember thinking how mental it was to blame a whole religion for the death of someone who died 1900 years before they were even born.

Someone on another thread said that non Europeans are often dismayed at the Eurocentric, Jewish commemorations of the end of WWII. I think part of the reason is that following the liberation of the death camps, many Europeans started to examine their own personal views of their Jewish neighbours.

Regarding the Holocaust, it taught me from early teens to read every victim account of it that I could get my hands on. The people, their stories, everyone possible should be heard. To this day I’m still finding books and reading. People always just forget that this happened to actual normal everyday people. I read and hear everything I can. I've also read around it. After that, I'd far rather continue to read real accounts from those who suffered but managed to tell their stories and those of others there too. This is too important to ignore. The accounts should be read by every person possible.

@TooBigForMyBoots

The holocaust wasn't because of jesus. Hitler wasn’t one for religious belief. Jewish people were persecuted very long before the Holocaust. I hope you know that.

Clearly she was unable to process it at that age and just came to the conclusion that Germans are all monsters. That isn't really helpful to anyone.

I think this is a really important point. People who support and take part in atrocities aren't monsters, they're ordinary human beings.

The Rwanda genocide was neighbour turning against neighbour and the perpetrators are now living amongst the survivors.

I've heard people justifying war crimes such as destroying hospitals, targeting aid workers, mass starvation and slaughtering children. I've also seen victims mocked on social media.

I'm sure those individuals think they're justified in their views because the victims have been systematically dehumanised. Propaganda is very effective. We're all capable of evil.

Children suffer trauma because trauma happens to them. Not because they learn about others' suffering.

Clearly she was unable to process it at that age and just came to the conclusion that Germans are all monsters. That isn't really helpful to anyone.

It wasn't unhelpful to anyone either given that the war was over and I was a child at the time. Learning does not happen all at once. It is a process.

It didn’t start with death camps.

That marginalisation, dehumanisation and hatred of groups, particularly by race, makes people more accepting and even supportive of appalling evil. Racism will never be ok.

The rule of law and a rules based international order matter. Plenty of imperfections in the current domestic/international system but diffusing power across the state protects us as citizens from dictators and their worst instincts. The people currently attacking institutions like the judiciary, civil services, international human rights law standards are doing so to limit checks and balances to their power. We’re all vulnerable if the frameworks binding us get ripped up.

If politicians are offering up simple solutions to complex problems it’s because they have run out of ideas or trying to hide how they are hoarding wealth and privilege for themselves. Zero examples of states sponsoring propaganda against part of its own populous which have gone on to be prosperous and socially free. As someone said above it’s also a sign that no one is safe.

A man making a nazi salute is a nazi.

That we need to keep reminding ourselves of how evil, debased and sickening that time was and confront what happens to reduce the chance of it happening again.

Except that wasn’t a nazi salute. At least get your facts right and look at exactly why Elon Musk is not a nazi

How compliant people are

Why does he support far right political parties which include Nazi sympathisers?

Yeah, right. We're not idiots here.

What we learned from the holocaust obviously hasn't been learned by an American education system focussed purely on stating that America is wonderful.

Hence we are in the process of repeating the mistakes of 1930's Germany...

I disagree. I think children should spend their time being happy and imagining a bright future for themselves and for humanity. I don’t understand where this push to burden children with trauma is coming from.

As a Jewish person I’m not concerned with Elons nazi salute. I don’t personally think he meant it as that but that’s just my opinion. He’s not our problem. Our problem is that a Jewish daycare centre in Australia was set on fire that very same day and no one batted an eyelid. We are hearing death to the Jews chanted by a terrorist group and we are not hearing enough people condemn it.
What I have learnt from the holocaust is to always see the humanity in people. Once you dehumanise a certain group, awful things can happen.

The way things are going on in the world NOTHING. The very people that say "never again" are the very same people who don't even bat an eyelid to the current genocide in Palestine.