Arafat in the Eyes of a Holocaust Survivor

Since my book Light One Candle was published and translated into several languages, I am often invited to the States and Europe to speak about my experiences as a boy during the Holocaust. Recently, I was in Germany. After my lecture on the Holocaust, I was asked by someone in the audience what I thought of Yasser Arafat from the point of view of a Holocaust survivor.

"The first thing that comes to my mind is that Arafat is the only man since Hitler who gave direct orders to kill Jewish children."

"As far as I am concerned, Arafat is the only mass murderer of Jewish children since Hitler."

"Why not? Per haps one can't compare the sheer numbers murdered by Hitler to that of Arafat, but the idea and intention was the same. I am sure that all the Holocaust survivors will agree with me. There is irrefutable written evidence, including copies of checks signed by Arafat to reward the murderers. Arafat sees Jewish civilians, including children, as legitimate targets for murder. I believe that he wouldn't have any problems with murdering all the Jewish inhabitants of Israel and declaring a Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. I further believe that after pushing us out to the sea, he would eventually take over Jordan and declare it as the East Bank of Palestine under his leadership."

"Aren't you exaggerating?" the man asked with open hostility. "Look at the honor verging on veneration he is given by his people and by practically the entire leadership of Europe. How do you account for that? Surely the whole of Europe can't be wrong."

"Remember the Danish story of the king's new clothes?" I replied. "As he was walking naked down the street, the whole population was told that this was the king's new suit. The population lining the street applauded the king, except for one innocent child who exclaimed: 'Look! The king is naked!'

"I am still waiting for at least one courageous person to shout out: 'Arafat is a terrorist, a murderer, and a liar!' But there is no one among the leaders of Europe to do it.

"To list the endless number of international crimes that Arafat committed would fill a thousand pages. To name a few:

"He caused thousands of death among the Israelis, and brought nothing but ruin to his own people:

"On his orders, planes were attacked at Munich, Rome, Zurich and other places. In the TWA plane that blew up over the sea after leaving Athens were dear friends of ours, a couple that left behind two orphans and a large grieving family and friends.

"He brought international terror to unprecedented levels, almost causing the collapse of the international airline industries. Endless billions of dollars had to be wasted in building security checkpoints at airports all over the world. We have Arafat to thank for that. And yet he is considered, in the UN and Europe, a hero.

"But then, the following scenario, as far as Israel is concerned, can show the duplicity of the UN and the Europeans:

"Imagine if the Arabs had won the war against Israel in 1948 and they would have given the whole land to Jordan. Then assume that Arafat would try and revolt against the Jordanian king in a similar Intifada he is presently waging against Israel. What would be the reaction of the UN and the Europeans to King Abdullah's bearing down on the Palestinians? Would the UN and Europe rise en masse to protest the slaughter of the Palestinians?

"We actually don't have to speculate what would have happened. The answer is in the pages of the history of the region.

"In 1970, Arafat decided to hijack Jordan and declare it Palestine. The majority of Jordanians were Palestinians anyway. His plan was to murder King Hussein and take over the country. Once he would be in charge of Jordan, Israel was next on his list. Unfortunately for Arafat, King Hussein's army gave Arafat and his Fatah army a solid trouncing.

"King Hussein mowed down thousands of Palestinians without mercy and Arafat barely escaped with his life to Lebanon. The Palestinians call that battle for Jordan 'Black September'.

"How did the world react to the brutal suppression of the Intifada by the Jordanians? Was there an outcry in European cities with hundreds of thousands marching in the streets shouting anti-Jordanian slogans? Did the 51 Muslim states in the UN scream in protest against the Jordanian king?

"Not only was there no outcry anywhere in Europe or the UN, the majority even sympathized with the king, and approved of his actions against the Palestinians wholeheartedly!

"We can understand why the UN, with its 51 Muslim states is against us, but Europe, a continent soaked with Jewish blood? You have a nerve to apply such a double standard against the State of Israel, where the majority of the Holocaust survivors found refuge after the collapse of the Nazi Empire. An empire that found, among the European nations, not an insignificant number of collaborators for the murder the Jewish people."

"Do you have anything positive at all to say about President Arafat?" the same person asked in a voice heavy with sarcasm.

"I was thirteen years old when Hitler ordered the murder of a million and a half Jewish children. I survived," I said, "but I will never forget it. Whatever positive actions Arafat ever undertook were more than negated by his order to murder Jewish children."

There was a prolonged silence after my rather heated speech. I have a feeling that I won't be invited to that place again. So be it. It was great to return to my own country, Israel. With all its faults, it is home, the best place on earth.

As I watched the news of Arafat's death, I remembered my conversation with the German man in Frankfurt. I am sure he is mourning the passing of that "great Arab leader, Arafat; the person who was given the Nobel Prize for Peace." As far as we are concerned, we can safely say that we have one less deadly enemy. Yimach sh'mo vezichro.

"I was thirteen years old when Hitler ordered the murder of a million and a half Jewish children."

Never have figured out why the Catholic church has never ex-communicated Hitler.

Hitler wasn't specifically ex-communicated, but given that all Nazis were ex-communicated by the Catholic bishops in 1930, I think we can safely say that Hitler, being part of the set of "all Nazis", was indeed excommunicated.

http://www.geocities.com/chiniquy/Hitler.html

Was Hitler a Christian?

The allegation is sometimes made that Hitler was a Catholic - a Christian until the day he died. This claim is based upon the fact that Hitler was born and raised in a Catholic family.

However, as an adult, Hitler specifically rejected the Catholic Church, as well as Christianity in general. He described himself as "a complete pagan".

The book Hitler's Secret Conversations: 1941-1944, published by Farrar, Straus and Young, Inc. (1953), contains definitive proof of Hitler's real views. The book was published in Britain under the title, Hitler's Table Talk: 1941-1944, which title was used for the Oxford University Press paperback edition in the United States.

All of these are quotes from Adolf Hitler:

Night of 11th-12th July, 1941:

National Socialism and religion cannot exist together.... The heaviest blow that ever struck humanity was the coming of Christianity. Bolshevism is Christianity's illegitimate child. Both are inventions of the Jew. The deliberate lie in the matter of religion was introduced into the world by Christianity.... Let it not be said that Christianity brought man the life of the soul, for that evolution was in the natural order of things. (p 6 & 7)

10th October, 1941, midday:

Christianity is a rebellion against natural law, a protest against nature. Taken to its logical extreme, Christianity would mean the systematic cultivation of the human failure. (p 43)

14th October, 1941, midday:

The best thing is to let Christianity die a natural death.... When understanding of the universe has become widespread... Christian doctrine will be convicted of absurdity.... Christianity has reached the peak of absurdity.... And that's why someday its structure will collapse.... ...the only way to get rid of Christianity is to allow it to die little by little.... Christianity [is] the liar.... We'll see to it that the Churches cannot spread abroad teachings in conflict with the interests of the State. (p 49-52)

19th October, 1941, night:

The reason why the ancient world was so pure, light and serene was that it knew nothing of the two great scourges: the pox and Christianity.

21st October, 1941, midday:

Originally, Christianity was merely an incarnation of Bolshevism, the destroyer.... The decisive falsification of Jesus' doctrine was the work of St. Paul. He gave himself to this work... for the purposes of personal exploitation.... Didn't the world see, carried on right into the Middle Ages, the same old system of martyrs, tortures, faggots? Of old, it was in the name of Christianity. Today, it's in the name of Bolshevism. Yesterday the instigator was Saul: the instigator today, Mardochai. Saul was changed into St. Paul, and Mardochai into Karl Marx. By exterminating this pest, we shall do humanity a service of which our soldiers can have no idea. (p 63-65)

13th December, 1941, midnight:

Christianity is an invention of sick brains: one could imagine nothing more senseless, nor any more indecent way of turning the idea of the Godhead into a mockery.... [here he insults people who believe transubstantiation] .... When all is said, we have no reason to wish that the Italians and Spaniards should free themselves from the drug of Christianity. Let's be the only people who are immunised against the disease. (p 118 & 119)

14th December, 1941, midday:

Kerrl, with noblest of intentions, wanted to attempt a synthesis between National Socialism and Christianity. I don't believe the thing's possible, and I see the obstacle in Christianity itself.... Pure Christianity-- the Christianity of the catacombs-- is concerned with translating Christian doctrine into facts. It leads quite simply to the annihilation of mankind. It is merely whole-hearted Bolshevism, under a tinsel of metaphysics. (p 119 & 120)

9th April, 1942, dinner:

There is something very unhealthy about Christianity (p 339)

27th February, 1942, midday:

It would always be disagreeable for me to go down to posterity as a man who made concessions in this field. I realize that man, in his imperfection, can commit innumerable errors-- but to devote myself deliberately to errors, that is something I cannot do. I shall never come personally to terms with the Christian lie. Our epoch in the next 200 years will certainly see the end of the disease of Christianity.... My regret will have been that I couldn't... behold its demise." (p 278)

Was Hitler Excommunicated?

The allegation is sometimes made that the Catholic Church never excommunicated Hitler from membership. It is unknown whether Hitler was formally excommunicated or not, but it doesn't matter. Hitler was already excommunicated ipso facto under the canon law of the Catholic Church for his numerous sinful crimes. He could only have returned to the Catholic faith, even assuming that he would ever have wanted to, by having his excommunication removed by the Pope himself. The lifting of such excommunication is reserved to the Pope, latae sententiae.

Furthermore, the conference of German bishops excommunicated all Nazis in 1930, and in the 1932 elections forbade Catholics to vote for a Nazi. By being the leader of the Nazi party, Hitler had already put himself outside of the Church.

Finally, it should be noted that the whole purpose of excommunication is to help the sinner recognize the enormity of his sins, so he will seek forgiveness. As St. Paul wrote: "If any one refuses to obey our word by this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." (2 Thes 3:14-15). Someone like Hitler, who did not believe in the truth of Christianity, would simply shrug it off.

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