OTHER VIEWS

Jewish Holocaust, Armenian Genocide

114, henever something of
significance happens,
most of us share the
story with others. When
there is a joyous event, we call friends
and invite them to celebrate with us.
When something sad happens, we
inform those close to us and they
,comfort us. Sharing the experience
changes our own experience and
affects the way we feel. When others
react as we do, it validates us and
forges a connection.
Since the end of World War II,
Jews began to tell the story of their
experiences during the war. For the
majority of survivors, it took many
years, until life' had a chance to be
restored to some balance, before they
could speak about what they experi-
enced.
As the stories unfolded, a process of
response began; at least a part of the
world became aware of the horrors of
the Holocaust and of the capacity of
mankind for evil.
Although nothing can mitigate the
pain of suffering and loss, our experi-
ence as Jews has been acknowledged.
Israel's creation was, in part, recogni-
tion that the Jews need a safe place
where they can call home.
There are many museums that doc-
ument life before the war and the

Janice Starkman Goldfein is a psy-
chotherapist in private practice in
Southfield. She is a member of Young
Israel of Southfield.

Kosovo from page 27

rang out, and we were told that fight-
ing was occurring in Gilo, a neighbor-
hood of Jerusalem. The gunshots
splintered the silence with consistent
bangs, but David explained there was
no danger; we were far from the con-
flict.
While I was afraid, I returned to
Hod Ha'Sharon and again I felt safe.
Nothing could happen in our haven
of security, or so I thought. I was
scared, but I was more fearful for the
future of Israel and for the fate of my
people; I was never really scared for
myself.
I suppose I should have been. I
wasn't in Israel to confront the terror

4/20
2001

28

JANICE
STARKMAN
GOLDFEIN

Community
Views

atrocities corn-
mitted during
that time. The
U.S. Office of
Special Investiga-
tions was estab-
lished to pursue
Nazi war crimi-
nals. The Ger-
man government
created a system
of reparations,
albeit inadequate,
and took some
ownership in
acknowledging

their responsibility.
Books, movies and television pro-
grams have educated those who have
not known about the Holocaust.
There is the March of the Living-
Detroit Teen Poland/Israel Unity
Experience over Yom HaShoah (Holo-
caust Memorial Day) to commemo-
rate the suffering in the camps and to
show the world that despite efforts to
annihilate the Jews, we have tri-
umphed.

Overcoming Adversity

Imagine that the horrors, the concert-
ed effort to destroy the Jewish people,
had not been acknowledged by the
world. Imagine that the government
that perpetrated these atrocities denied
the events. Imagine that we had to
deal with these truths entirely on our
own, and felt that no one else consid-
ered or cared about our wrenching
experiences.

enacted in my town, in Hod
Ha'Sharon, but I easily could have
been. It was luck that the bomb went
off a day after, not a day before
because it might have been me walk-
ing along the street; it might have
been my world shattered. How real it
all became — this is my Kosovo, the
Vietnam of my generation.
Israel, the land of my brothers, is in
danger, and as a result, so am I. My
experience in Israel, amidst the history
I can finally comprehend, was incredi-
ble beyond words. I learned more in
two months than in all four years of
high school.
I learned to appreciate my past, and
to enrich my future with a Jewish
pride that comes only with knowledge
of my heritage. I made friends that I

This has been the Armenian experi-
ence. Just as Jews were a religious
minority and important contributors
to the culture and development of
their communities, so were the Arme-
nians a religious minority who were
talented and creative members of
Turkish society.
From 1915 to 1916, the Turkish gov-
ernment set out in systemic fashion to
annihilate the Armenians. First, Armen-
ian soldiers were disarmed and killed.
Their political and intellectual leaders
were rounded up and murdered.
Finally, the remaining Armenians
were marched off to concentration
camps in the desert where they starved
and thirsted to death in the burning
sun. A million-and-a-half Armenians
perished.
The Turkish government denies the
genocide, though it was confirmed by
the American ambassador, Henry
Morgenthau.
We share with Armenians not only a
commonality of persecution and creativ-
ity, but also a history in Jerusalem. The
Armenians converted to Christianity in
301 C.E.; since then, they have main-
tained a strong presence in Jerusalem.
Before 1989, the route used from
Jaffa Gate to the Kotel (Western Wall)
was through the Moslem Quarter.
Once the intifada (Palestinian upris-
ing) started, this route became danger-
ous. Since then, the alternate route is
through the Armenian Quarter.
We have enjoyed peaceful relations
with this minority who have a quarter
of the Old City of Jerusalem.

miss dearly, and I formed a connec-
tion with my homeland that is ever-
lasting. Israel is my home now, I feel
that fact deeply, and my heart pangs
for the country I had to leave, for my
country in peril.

Israel Needs Us

Despite my fear, despite the uncer-
tainty of the current situation, I
would not hesitate to go again, to go
now, even. The Palestinians want us to
be afraid; they want the Jews of Israel
to feel alone, to feel like the outside
world doesn't care enough to provide
support in person.
Monetary help is quite familiar to
American Jews; so are solidarity rallies
and banquet-style dinners to aid
worthwhile Jewish charities.

In Search Of Justice

In the prayer Aleinu, we are com-
manded, Etaken olam b5nalhut shadai
-- to perfect the world under the
reign of the Almighty. It is difficult for
individuals to perfect the entire world,
but we can each simply do what is
right, to make small efforts which lead
to bigger changes.
We can begin by learning about the
Armenian genocide, and by acknowl-
edging that April 24 is the Armenian
Memorial Day. When we visit
Jerusalem, we can stop at the Armen-
ian Museum, which is in a courtyard
just past the Church of St. James near
Zion Gate.
We should encourage our govern-
ment to seek from Turkey an acknowl-
edgement of their wrongdoing and to
begin a program of reparations. And,
if asked, we should help the Armeni-
ans develop strategies to disseminate
information. In so doing, we demon-
strate to the world that we care not
only about our own experience, but
also justice for all.
Had the world known of and
believed the capacity of the Turks at
that time to attempt to annihilate the
Armenians, perhaps the world would
have been more prepared to deal with
Hitler. In the U.S. Holocaust Memor-
ial Museum in Washington appears
Hitler's quote: "Who will care about
the slaughter of Jews? After all, who
talks about the deaths of a million and
a half Armenians?"
We are obliged to talk, and to
care. ❑

These are all good causes; I am not
discounting the effort or the impor-
tance of the organizations. But Israel
needs us now more than ever, and our
fellow Jews need us face-to-face, fight-
ing beside them, not continents away.
Never should any Jew be afraid to
travel to our homeland.
Israel is the only place we can
count on in a time of need. Surround-
ed by enemy nations, Israel fights our
battles and endeavors to make peace
for our children. The least we can do
is show up every once and awhile to
prove our concern. We are Americans,
but we should be Jews first, and the
history of our people, and thus the
heart and soul of our Jewish identity,
lies in Israel. We must never forget
that. ❑