JANUARY 13 • 2022 | 9

ed even before the 2020
election, has weakened
democracy. Sixty percent
of Republicans, according
to polls, do not believe that
Biden was elected in 2020.
That shows the power of a
lie, delivered by a trusted
source and repeated endless-
ly by a segment of the news
media.
“Should we see the expan-
sion of antisemitism after
the elections of 2022 and
2024 (an official celebration
of an act of antisemitic vio-
lence?), then it may be time
to make an assessment. I
would first want to see if the
country’s democratic institu-
tions hold.”

WRITING ON THE WALL
Charles Silow
holds a Ph.D.
in psycholo-
gy, founded
the Program
for Holocaust
Survivors and
Families at
Jewish Senior
Life and serves as its direc-
tor. He writes: “Are we
approaching a 1930s model
of Germany now? Some
survivors that I know believe
we are. They see the hand-
writing on the wall; they see
the rise of the radical right
taking over as being similar
to the rise of Nazism. Many
of the second generation
want to make sure that their
family’s passports are up to
date, just in case. The Jews
in Europe were, for the most

part, trapped.
“It’s complicated: Many
love the former president
and think nothing of a risk.
Or they see the risk com-
ing from the Left. They see
America as becoming a law-
less, Socialist country. They
are on guard.
“If we see more and more
violence and the unraveling
of our democratic institu-
tions and a civil war-type
scenario, we will see increas-
ing movement of people
thinking of leaving.”
Guy Stern is a decorated
member of the
secret Ritchie
Boys World War
II military intel-
ligence interro-
gation team. His
recent memoir
is titled Invisible
Ink, and his response
focused on the options peo-
ple have. “Obviously, the
individual circumstances of
the would-be emigrant are
one of the additional fac-
tors. Has he/she been able
to decide on the country of
refuge and is bound by the
restrictions laid down by
that nation?
“I would like to add an
anecdote, describing the
difficulty. An elderly Jew
is ready to emigrate and
goes to a travel agency to
book passage. He points
to a country on a globe of
the agent’s desk. The agent
tells the old Jew: ‘No, that
country does not accept

Charles
Silow

Guy Stern

continued on page 11

“AND THIS IS HUMAN NATURE
— TO WAIT AND SEE AND THINK,
‘THIS CAN’T HAPPEN HERE.’ IT CAN
HAPPEN EVERYWHERE AT ALL

TIMES, AS WE CAN SEE.”

— GUY STERN

C
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c
k
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C
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G
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A
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