Nazi Legacy

IN Ottawa, Canada, recently, a 98- year-old Canadian of Ukrainian descent, who was a soldier during the World War Two , was given a standing ovation in the Canadian parliament for fighting against the Russian during Second World War.

He was one of those invited by the House speaker during Ukrainian President Zelensky’s state visit to Canada.

After the speech by Zelensky, the House speaker announced that among the guests present was a veteran Ukrainian hero who fought the Russians for the Ukraine.

“He was a Ukrainian hero, and also a Canadian hero,” announced the House speaker.

Then the whole parliament was vibrating due to the thunderous applause by the MPs and other dignitaries.

The next day all hell broke loose when it was discovered the man was actually a soldier under the command of the Nazis; to be exact he WAS a Nazi. It was reported that his platoon had massacred many innocent people, mostly Jews under their watch.

The Speaker of the House is an independent entity. He can invite anyone he deems proper for any function at the parliament house.

However, the Opposition leader insists that the buck stops at the prime minister’s office when it comes to vetting anyone who should be invited to attend such function.

As we speak, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to assuage those critics.

Diaspora

Well, I think I have deviated far enough from the central theme of my article. This is about the Jewish Diaspora and how this resilient group of people made an impact on this world, ranging from politics economics, to military.

Let me cut to the chase here! I have always been interested in the plight of the Jewish people since I visited the concentration camp in Dachau, near Munich in Germany, many years ago.

Hundreds of thousands of people were decimated at Dachau concentration camp. There were many, many more such camps that have taken over reportedly 6 million lives, the majority being Jews, in a very short span of time.

Dachau

I was working with the American Club, in Bonn-Bad Goodesberg, back in the 1970s.

The club is under the jurisdiction of the American Embassy. I was granted a Blue Card by the Embassy, which allowed me to work in German without work permit. With the Blue Card, I was also entitled to an immunity status. I could buy anything at a much cheaper price at the PX or post exchange.

During one of my off days I went and visited Dachau.

I saw conclusive proof of how humans can inflict horrible acts on other human beings in the name of their twisted ideology.

At Dachau, on that fateful and foggy morning I saw proof of atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazis against the Jews and other ethnic non-Germanic groups!

The spirit in me, after watching the graphic photographs and horrible illustrations in this concentration camp, made me placed our Malaysian flag on behalf of all Malaysians, as a sign of respect, on the plaque among others who also placed their own.

After the war, the Jews were scattered all over the world.

The present conflicts between the Jewish and the Arab world, namely with the Palestinians, has renewed my dormant interest in the Jews and their inherent ability to survive as a race.

Over the many centuries that they have survived countless persecutions and prosecutions, yet rise again, in the eyes of their persecutors.

If Darwin’s theory of natural selection is to be taken seriously, then the Jews may just well be at the top of the dominant gene pool, a race of people that can master the art of survival of the species and then thrive.

Over the last two millennium the Jews have been forced to go underground, even hiding their true identity from the majority where they happened to be living, be it Constantinople, Greece, Asia, and in Europe.

In Europe under the Nazi Occupation and prior to that, many became, or declared themselves Christians.

Sadly, many have brought their secret to the grave in the attempt to be spared living in shame for being Jews.

During medieval times, the Spanish forced the Jews to be converted to Roman Catholics, and then called them Marranos or swine in Spanish.

While the conversions were only on the surface, these Marranos practised Judaism in the secret of their “confinement”.

Today, pockets of Jewish communities thrive in such places as Iran where a few became Members of Parliament and some were accused of being agents of the Zionist regime of Israel.

Assimilated Jews?

At the turn of the last century Jewish people of Russia and eastern Europe, who had faced the dreaded pogroms in late 19th and early 20th centuries, have managed to escape and trickle across through Asia minor through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Indian sub-continent.

Some made it through to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore.

And get this some of the Jews have settled down in such places as Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangkok, Rangoon, and Singapore. Many even settled down in such places as in the Hill Tracts of the Cochin region, which is now a part of India.

In the Cochin region, one of the Jewish lost tribes was discovered and repatriated to Israel. A special division, or an authority, in Israel is in charge of searching for the lost tribes, took DNA samples of a particular tribe in Cochin and recorded their Jewish practices, and have concluded these Asiatic looking people were indeed Jews.

On the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, Jews also live a small thriving community in Manado. They came complete with a synagogue. The Jews living in India are called Bane Israel.

It was said that these were the descendants of those who found their way into the Indian sub-continent while fleeing persecution. Many of them have since migrated to Israel after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.

Many also found their way to South-East Asia, settling in countries like Myanmar, where a high ranking general of this country’s armed forces is/was a Jew. There are also recorded Jewish communities in Thailand, Malaya and Singapore.

The Sephardic Jewish community of Singapore has produced such prominent persons as David Saul Marshall, who briefly became the island republic’s chief minister, and later Singapore’s ambassador to France.

Marshall must have been the descendent of the Sephardic Jews who found peace from persecution when his ancestors made that bold journey to anywhere around the world where a synagogue could be erected. I believe Singapore is the only country in this region where one can find a Jewish synagogue.

Another prominent Jewish lawyer, who was also a Member of Parliament under the PAP banner when Singapore was part of Malaysia, was also well noted in the history of our country. In Parliament he locked horns with a Malay politician of Arab descent.

The debates between them almost led to fisticuffs that were well recorded.

After Singapore separated from Malaysia, a group of Israeli military personnel gave Singapore a hand in establishing this island republic’s own armed forces, which has now grown into the most robust and disciplined armed forces in the south east Asian region.

Debunking Innuendoes

Admittedly I must exercise caution in tracing origins and must refrain from disseminating innuendoes.

In Penang there exists a Jewish cemetery. The cemetery is well kept.

I do wonder if there exists Malaysians of traces of Jewish descent.

Wouldn’t it be nice if they could find it within themselves to come out of their “hiding” and from their fear mindset of being persecuted so that we can embrace them as our fellow Malaysians?

It is a known fact that the Jewish community under Islamic rules of yesteryear has thrived. In Turkey there are Jewish communities and many synagogues and they have been living in Turkey since the beginning of time, unimpeded!

Zionism

President Erdogan of Türkiye spoke in his Pariament recently condemning the Zionist government of Netanyahu.

He also said the Jewish people in Türkiye have been living in peace for over a century.

Yes the Zionist doctrine that keeps Netanyahu and his right wing religious fanatics in his cabinet that is causing the problem.

Public opinion at the international level will no longer condone Zionism and the extremists in Israel, inflicting genocide on Gaza.

Finally…

Admittedly I am writing this at a time when public opinion is clearly not in favour of Israel and the Zionists. Justifiably so, in my reckoning.

Now, back to the central themes of my narrative and back home in Malaysia, it would be great for the Jews to come out and to cry it all out together with the rest of us after all of these centuries of shame and to convince themselves that they are not going to hide anymore.

Personally, I would be more than happy to give them moral and emotional support if they decided to come out and face the beautiful people of Malaysia.

It is illogical to believe that while the Jews have managed to set a stronghold in all parts of this region, there are none in Malaysia.

Shalom!