data-content-type="article"
In December, 2014, I visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem. [1] While the entire experience was sobering, two parts of my visit made particularly lasting impressions. The first was the shoes—the glass case set in the floor containing the shoes of Jews killed in the concentration camps of World War II. The shoes so numerous and yet so individual in wear, size, and style demonstrated the intimate and personal nature of the Holocaust. The second was a scaled-down model of one of the death camps. The industrial scale of the operation was astounding and depicted the massive scope and dehumanizing nature of the Holocaust. The soul-piercing sorrow of the historical exhibits culminating in the sacred silence of the Hall of Names listing the millions of victims of the Holocaust left me with one overwhelming thought: “We can never let this happen again.” I stepped outside and began to breathe in the cognitive dissonance that permeates the Israeli air.
3 Min Read
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage=
overrideTextColor=
overrideTextAlignment=
overrideCardHideSection=
overrideCardHideByline=
overrideCardHideDescription=
overridebuttonBgColor=
overrideButtonText=
overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"
For most of the Second World War, the public knew very little about the scope of Nazi atrocities committed against European Jews. American media had printed a few articles about mistreatment of Jews in Germany as the War went on, but it wasn’t a front-page issue. The U.S. government frequently denied such reports and even actively suppressed corroborating information. [1] As the war came to a close and greater evidence came to light, Americans were astonished at the scale and cruelty of the Holocaust. Suddenly the harsh restrictions placed on Jewish and other immigrants in years leading up to the war looked much more inhumane. [2] Today it seems unbelievable that something so awful could happen and so few people know about it. Unfortunately, in the past few years in Yemen, millions have died, millions more are starving, and few in the world seem to know or care. Yemen is now the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and one of its least known. [3] But, while the Greatest Generation fought to end the atrocities of World War II, the U.S. has been enabling them in Yemen.
6 Min Read
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage=
overrideTextColor=
overrideTextAlignment=
overrideCardHideSection=
overrideCardHideByline=
overrideCardHideDescription=
overridebuttonBgColor=
overrideButtonText=
overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"
This summer, as Americans anticipated a slate of Supreme Court decisions involving the freedoms of religion, speech, and association, Israel was busy limiting all three. [1] In July, Israel passed the Nationality Law defining Israel as a Jewish state and the Breaking the Silence Law prohibiting groups critical of the Israeli Defense Force (I.D.F.) from speaking in schools. This October, the Knesset is set to pass a law essentially outlawing the Palestinian flag. While Israel’s Basic Laws, its de facto constitution, do not name the freedoms of religion, speech, or association, they do declare that Israel is a democracy. [2] But these three laws clearly violate fundamental democratic freedoms and thus undermine Israel’s claim to be a democratic nation.
5 Min Read
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage=
overrideTextColor=
overrideTextAlignment=
overrideCardHideSection=
overrideCardHideByline=
overrideCardHideDescription=
overridebuttonBgColor=
overrideButtonText=
overrideTextAlignment=
