From Viktoria Hertling, Director
Last summer, I thought I was imagining things. Waiting for a taxi, riding on a bus, getting on the subway, walking along a street, I saw quite a few of “them” storming toward me, rushing past me, or making themselves obnoxiously known to everybody. Loud-mouthed, rude, coarse, willfully bumping into other pedestrians, pushing themselves through crowds, I saw what I considered to be an alarming number of young people in bomber jackets and steel-toed boots.
Repulsed and alarmed by what I witnessed right in the heart of Germany, where I was born, I wondered, “Would I be safe here if the color of my skin were a few shades darker? If my hair were tightly curled? Or if these bullies knew that I had books on the Holocaust in my briefcase?”
When I opened my German newspaper Die Zeit last week, an ugly photograph stared out at me: an oversized pair of combat boots with white shoelaces. The caption underneath read: “Nazis are chic.” Attire once exclusively associated with skinheads and neo-Nazis is now considered to be “in” by many young Germans. Racial, right-wing inspired violence increased by 60% compared to 1999. Anti-Semitic attacks rose by 69%. Yet, Otto Schilly, German Secretary of the Interior, warned against “dramatizing the situation.”
Right-wing extremism has turned mainstream. Despicable words like “nigger” and “filthy Jew” can be heard frequently when young people gather. According to a recent poll, more than 70% of German students under the age of 14 don’t know what the word “Holocaust” means. Nazi songs and new racist rap music are considered “cool.” Neo-Nazi activity on the Internet has increased exponentially, with heavy support from hate organizations right here in the United States.
The German government wants to take strong measures against those who commit hate crimes, and should be praised for increasing police security. But are they and we doing enough to reverse this resurgence of Nazi culture? In Reno, we too are not immune to hate crimes. On January 1, 2001, Temple Emanuel was firebombed for the second time in 14 months.
When I learned about the attack on the synagogue, I immediately pledged a redoubling of my efforts as a peace and human rights educator. I have taken a more proactive stance in my classrooms. I want to instill peace consciousness in the minds of my students. I want my students to respect people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Diversity is what makes America great. I want my students to be sensitive, and to speak up when they hear racist, misogynist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic jokes or demeaning remarks. I want my students to learn the art of mediation, so that they may intervene to prevent potentially violent confrontations.
Holocaust education is not about the past alone. It’s about our common future. To pretend that hate organizations and neo-Nazi groups are just a bunch of crazies, is to accept violence as part of our social and political landscape. If we do not teach our children about the Holocaust and other genocides, if we do not teach our children about respect and tolerance and peace, we will have only ourselves to blame for a complacency that may encourage hateful behavior.
At the Center for HGPS we are fortunate to have two committed young Austrian Gedenkdienst interns. [See our feature on p. 5] They are promoting Holocaust awareness in Nevada schools. Last week, Martin and Michael drove to Winnemucca. They stayed for two days and spoke to eight classes. Last year HGPS interns traveled around northern Nevada from school to school. They spoke to 93 classes and taught more than 3000 Nevada students. UNR’s Silver & Blue magazine described the interns in the November/December 2000 issue: “They use their voices to remember the innocent dead, so that none will forget what so few lived to tell.”
Martin and Michael make it their responsibility to speak out, to do all they can to prevent anything like the Holocaust from ever happening again. They have prepared a terrific PowerPoint presentation and are ready to speak to your students, your service organization, your church, or your synagogue. They, and others like them, represent our best hopes for a peaceful future. Call them today! Tel: 775-784-6767. Email: center@unr.nevada.edu.

Viktoria Hertling is the founder and director of the
Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Peace Studies

Download this article 1,25 Mbyte