Mocking The Holocaust
It is not only Iran's ayatollahs who mock the reality of the Holocaust. Its victims also allow themselves to participate in events which trivialize that unspeakable horror. Reminiscent in a way of what occurred in Rwanda after its UN-unstoppable genocidal war between the Hutsis and the Tutsis when a beauty pageant was initiated as a form of unguent to smooth over hatreds by the illusion of acceptance of various physical characteristics to prove that beauty has many faces.What exactly was to be proven by the director of Helping Hand, a private group dedicated to the assistance of the estimated 200,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel is puzzling indeed. The beauty contest, however, seemed to appeal to some who agreed to participate. Its organizers call it an affirmation of life. Its critics consider it an appalling example of cruel stupidity.
Fourteen elderly women who managed to survive the Holocaust took their place on the pageant stage in the city of Haifa, well attended by supporters and admirers of the event. The contestants each regaled the crowd with their personal stories of survival. Those who approved felt that this event served to assist these women with a positive self-regard. Many Holocaust survivors living in Israel, live in poverty.
If any manner of event were to have been contemplated perhaps it might have been more appropriate to stage an event that would highlight the obligation of others to ensure that these elderly survivors live the last days of their lives in peace and comfort. Relieving them of the burden of living in poverty. If government agencies are not adequately funded to achieve that end, then the organization Helping Hand might find a way to make that a reality.
"There were one thousand survivors there [at the event] who enjoyed the event", according to Shimon Sabag, director of Helping Hand. "People don't have to see Holocaust survivors mainly as a group of wheel-chair-bound victims", he explained. Certainly they do not, but on the other hand, those individuals who are survivors of one of life's worst demonstrations of hatred gone amok, could find comfort in other examples of regard for them as survivors.
The event was described as "macabre" by one of its detractors, someone who herself is a head of another survivors' organization. The 79-year-old contest winner wore a blue and white sash and a tiara. Beauty contests are peculiar social constructions, emphasizing physical appearance and ostensibly social talents. They appeal to those who appreciate facade rather than depth and meaning.
The contest winner, Hava Hershkovitz, looked at her having won the pageant as "her revenge, showing how despite the horrors her family went through, her beauty and personality have endured", said Mr. Sabag. "We should never forgive and forget what they went through, but I find this a very constructive way to show these people remain beautiful."
How utterly pathetic as a yardstick of what has meaning and importance in life. The contest winner was gifted with a family weekend at a resort. All of the one hundred contestants were magnanimously given electronic distress buttons. A fitting end would have been a concerted effort to press those buttons simultaneously.
Jews do have a sense of humour. They pluck at one another's elbows to recount absurdities to relieve the tension of life. They are capable of finding amusement in the most bleak of circumstances. Books have been written documenting the Holocaust as fictional accounts replete with sinister dark humour of victims rising above their plight through hope and humour.
Nothing very amusing about this story, however.
Labels: Health, Heritage, Heroes and Villains, Holocaust, Israel
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, June 30, 2012
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