Holocaust: Hatred’s Pointing Finger
By Jessica Schott
Sept. 17, 2001

 Few would refute the fact that the Holocaust was a brutal, inhumane genocide of the Jewish people. The suffering both physical and mental was unimaginable and indescribable. Some survivors are at a loss for words, when they are asked to recount their experiences in the concentration camps. “It is not the limit of the language but also the figure of 5.8 million itself that hides the unspeakable suffering of the one individual human being in the Nazi inferno,” (Hoffmeister 48). After witnessing the horror and the heinous crimes against America on Tuesday, it is important that we as Americans, step back and take note of history. Instead of standing by and letting history repeat itself, we must unite as a strong nation and together we can defeat evil. During World War II, Germany as a whole, instead of just the Nazi party, was unjustly blamed for the persecution of the Jews. For years, people expressed their anger and hatred towards the German people, but they can not be solely responsible for the actions of a single group. As national outrage is ensuing surrounding the attacks on America, we as freedom loving and compassionate people must look to avoid hatred directed toward a nation because they can not be held responsible for the misdeeds of a single terrorist group.

 As many Americans mourn for the victims and their families, we must try to focus on supporting and rebuilding our nation, instead of pointing our fingers and blaming our neighbors. We are all Americans and as such we must make sure that we do not persecute our fellow Americans. Americans have to beware of the media, who tend to fuel national hatred and place blame on anywhere they can in an attempt to answer the cries for a culprit. Americans should avoid hasty military decisions, which could potentially cause the slaughtering of millions of innocent lives. As Americans, we are seen as being civilized and we should live up to this notion by making wise decisions.

 I fear for the members of the American Muslim-Arabic communities because I can see that Americans would like them to be the scapegoats in this time of tragedy. The members of the American Muslim-Arabic communities are Americans just the same as any other American. The foundation of the United States was formed around a mixture of European immigrants from all different countries and backgrounds. People have to be tolerant of one another, especially in this time where tensions are high. We must avoid placing the blame on these people as a whole and focus on finding and identifying the terrorist group who was responsible.

 The Holocaust and the events that occurred Tuesday have several similarities. Today, many people in all parts of the world still believe that all Germans are responsible for the actions and beliefs of the Nazi party. Those who believe in the Germans’ responsibility involving the Holocaust have some justification for their convictions, in that, a lot of German people were bystanders of the Holocaust; however, they should not be punished for the deeds they did not commit. At this very moment, people are beginning to point their fingers at a community of people that quite feasibly have absolutely no involvement in the attacks on America.

 It is our responsibility to not allow history to repeat itself, by preventing the reproaching of innocent people. Our nation needs unity in this time of need. At this time, war seems inevitable, but we must define the appropriate enemy. We must avoid placing neighbor against neighbor. Americans are all Americans, no matter what religion, race, or nationality. Peace and understanding are what our nation needs right now. Hatred and outrage will tear us apart. Hand in hand, we as a nation can come together and abolish our enemy.
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Works Cited

Hoffmeister, Gerhart & Tubach, Frederic C. Germany 2000 Years. Vol. III: From the Nazi Era to German Unification, New Edition, New York: Continuum, 1992.