Christophobes Lie about the Holocaust; Ban Corrie ten Boom in a Publicly Funded School

Readers of "Bieganski" know that ideologically motivated lies about the Holocaust are rampant in media and education. 

Now this: Christophobes have banned Corrie ten Boom's Holocaust books from a publicly funded school. Why? Corrie ten Boom, the books' author, was a Christian, motivated by Christian ideals to attempt to save Jews from the Nazis. And you cannot say that, at least not in this publicly funded school. I'll bet you can equate Nazism with Christianity in that school, though. 

Read more about this scandal here. 

Read more about Nazism's intellectual and ethical foundations here. 

Rosh Hashanah Humor

Alexander Gierymski. Source

I did not write the following and I don't know where it come from originally. 

On the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, there is a ceremony called Tashlich. Jews traditionally go to the ocean or a stream or river to pray and throw bread crumbs into the water.  Symbolically, the fish devour their sins. Occasionally, people ask what kind of bread crumbs should be thrown. Here are suggestions for breads which may be most appropriate for specific sins and misbehaviors.

For ordinary sins...................White Bread

For erotic sins......................French Bread

For particularly dark sins......Pumpernickel

For complex sins.....................Multi-Grain

For twisted sins......................Pretzels

For tasteless sins...................Rice Cakes

For sins of indecision..............Waffles

For sins committed in haste....Matzoh

For sins of chutzpah..............Fresh Bread

For substance abuse...........Stoned Wheat

For use of heavy drugs...........Poppy Seed

For petty larceny......................Stollen

For committing auto theft........Caraway

For timidity/cowardice.............Milk Toast

For ill-temperedness...............Sourdough

For silliness, eccentricity.........Nut Bread

For not giving full value............Shortbread

For jingoism, chauvinism.Yankee Doodles

For excessive irony..................Rye Bread

For unnecessary chances........Hero Bread

For telling bad jokes/puns.......Corn Bread

For war-mongering................Kaiser Rolls

For dressing immodestly.........Tarts

For causing injury to others......Tortes

For lechery and promiscuity.....Hot Buns

For promiscuity with gentiles....Hot Cross Buns

For racist attitudes.....................Crackers

For sophisticated racism...........Ritz Crackers

For being holier than thou..........Bagels

For abrasiveness........................Grits

For dropping in without notice....Popovers

For over-eating............................Stuffing

For impetuosity.....................Quick Bread

For indecent photography......Cheesecake

For raising your voice too often..Challah

For pride and egotism..............Puff Pastry

For sycophancy, ass-kissing.......Brownies

For being overly smothering........Angel Food Cake

For laziness.........................Any long loaf

The Death of Klinghoffer; The Life of Bieganski

Jews and others are protesting the production of "The Death of Klinghoffer," an opera that, it is alleged, celebrates and even promotes antisemitism and terrorism.

I share the protestors' concerns. I find the opera offensive. I wish it would not be shown.

I also find Bieganski, the Brute Polak stereotype, offensive.

Just as I am troubled by "Death of Klinghoffer," an opera that, ultimately, will be seen by relatively few people, I am troubled by "Generation War," "Sophie's Choice," "The Painted Bird," "Mila 18," "Maus," and too many other books, television shows, and high school and university Holocaust curriculum materials to mention here.

I share your concern about Klinghoffer.

Do you share my concern about Bieganski?

Below please find the text of just one document protesting the production of "The Death of Klinghoffer."

***

Friends and Fellow protesters:

In joining you today to protest the New York Metropolitan Opera production of this opera, I echo the silenced voice of my son, Daniel Pearl, and the silenced voices of other victims of terror, including James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and including thousands of men, women and children who were murdered, maimed or left heartbroken by the new menace of our generation, a menace that the Met has decided to accept and orchestrate as just another activity of normative civilized society, just another phenomenon worthy of artistic expression.

They tell us that the composer tried to "understand the hijackers, their motivations, and their grievances."

I submit to you that there has never been a crime in human history lacking grievance and motivation. The 9/11 lunatics had profound motivations, and the murderers of my son, Daniel Pearl, had very compelling "grievances.”

In the past few weeks we have seen with our own eyes that Hamas and ISIS have grievances, too and, they, too, are lining up for operatic productions with the Met.

Yet civilized society, from the time of our caveman ancestors, has learned to protect itself by codifying right from wrong, separating the holy from the profane, distinguishing that which deserves the sound of orchestras from that which deserves our unconditional revulsion. The Met has smeared this distinction and thus betrayed their contract with society.

I submit to you that choreographing an operatic drama around criminal pathology is not an artistic prerogative, but a blatant betrayal of public trust.

We do not stage operas for rapists and child molesters, and we do not compose symphonies for penetrating the minds of ISIS executioners.

What we are seeing here in New York today is not an artistic expression that challenges the limits of morality, but a moral deformity that challenges the limits of the art.

This opera is not about the mentality of deranged terrorists, but about the judgment of our arts directors. The New York Met has squandered humanity's greatest treasure — our moral compass, our sense of right and wrong, and, most sadly, our reverence for music as a noble expression of the human spirit.

We might be able some day to forgive the Met for de-criminalizing brutal minds, but we will never forgive them for poisoning our music -- for turning our best violins and our iconic concert halls into mega-phones for excusing evil.

Mr. Peter Gelb, Let me repeat what I wrote to you on Thursday:

"May God give you the courage to admit that this was a hasty, shortsighted decision that can be reversed.”

May Danny's last words strengthen your heart to say: "I erred."

Thank you.

Judea Pearl

President, Daniel Pearl Foundation.

Source of this text is here. 

Bieganski Lives; A Facebook Encounter

I recently had a "Bieganski Lives" experience.

"Rob," a man, wrote to me to compliment my writing. I responded with a brief thank you. He read more of my writing and discovered that I am a Christian and Polish American. He wrote again, and his subsequent emails were insulting rather than complimentary.

He sent me lengthy emails attempting to "educate" me about how bad Christianity is, and what bad things Poles did to Jews.

Here's a cut and paste example:

"My grand parents, aunts, uncles and father told me from first hand experience that there was a lot [of antisemitism in Poland].

Chmielnicki was Ukrainian and a Cossack but didnt he get a lot of help from Polish Cossacks in the Polish army?

Wasnt he himself in the Polish army and speaking Polish?

Didnt he get a lot of help from local Poles?"

My point is not about historical facts, though Rob's "facts" are sketchy. Chmielnicki can hardly be depicted with any accuracy, as Rob so wanted to depict him, as a Polish Catholic carrying out Polish Catholic ends in murdering Jews. 

Chmielnicki lead an uprising against Poles that is widely credited with ending the golden age of Polish history. Thousands of Poles were murdered in gruesome ways. Rob, in short, doesn't know what he's talking about. But that is not my point. 

My point is that it's more than a little odd for a complete stranger to begin sending lengthy emails to a woman he doesn't know berating her faith, Christianity, and her ethnicity, Polish-American, especially since his initial emails were complimentary.

This is yet further proof that Bieganski lives. If you announce in a public setting in the West that you are Polish, chances are you will confront a similar experience. You will be asked to prove that you aren't an antisemite like all the rest.

You can read a more detailed experience of Rob's emails at the blog post linked here. 

Very Positive Experience with Dr. Paul B. Winkler, of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education

Bieganski the Blog recently reported on controversy surrounding Holocaust education in NJ.

Frank Milewski of the Polish American Congress addressed this controversy, and so I wrote to Mr. Milewski. 

In the previous post, I included an email that I sent to the Polish American Congress. I identified myself as the author of Bieganski and an educator in NJ. I offered to be part of the Polish American Congress' efforts to address flawed Holocaust education in NJ. 

I received no reply to this email to the Polish American Congress. 

Late last week, I phoned New Jersey Acting Commissioner of Education David C. Hespe several times. I left messages and spoke to a secretary. I left my phone number and asked for a reply. 

The last time I spoke to a secretary there was Friday. This morning, Monday, I received a phone call from Dr. Paul B. Winkler, Executive Director, State of New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education. 

Dr. Winkler was *lovely.* 

Dr. Winkler was attentive, informed, and concerned. He gave me every impression of being committed to addressing Polonia's concerns. He did not hesitate to make a date to meet with me in the near future. He provided me with his email address which I used to send him my CV and an offer to speak to any group he could get together, no matter how small. 

He promised to get a hold of "Bieganski" and read it. 

I am very positively impressed with Dr. Winkler, and grateful for his attention to my concerns, and Polonia's concerns. 

I hope I can speak to Dr. Winkler soon about the main ideas in "Bieganski" and I hope that he and I can work together. 

You can see the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education webpage here.

You can read the previous Bieganski the Blog post on this matter here.

You can read about the Polish American Congress' specific objections to NJ Holocaust education here.

September 1, 1939. Nazi Invasion of Poland; WWII Begins. LIFE Magazine Color Photos

Color photos of the September 1, 1939 Nazi Invasion of Poland that sparked WW II. From LIFE magazine. Here.