After all the German NSDAP or Nazi Party on seizing power in 1933 persecuted the Jewish population of Germany resulting in the Holocaust, 1942-45. The persecution began when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany proclaiming his “one-thousand-year Reich” known as the ‘Third Reich.’ The ‘Third Reich, to avoid complications was the successor to the ‘First Reich’, the Holy Roman Empire which lasted around one thousand years and the ‘Second Reich’ which came about after German unification of 1871 under Otto von Bismark, known as the ‘Iron Chancelor’ at the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Hitler had made no secret of his hatred for Jewish people, a hatred which no sane person would hold for any racial or ethnic group, from a very early stage. Hitler was not by any stretch a sane person.
The persecution of the Jewish population began almost immediately after his succession to power though, in the early days, it was confined to persecution with only the odd murder carried out by Hitlers brown shirted thugs, the SA. Hitler had one problem, and he was the president, Paul Von Hindenburg who refused to hand over total power to “a party as intolerant” as Hitlers. When the President died in 1934 Hitler made himself supreme leader, the ‘Fuhrer’, and in 1935 the ‘Nuremburg Laws’ were enacted by the now one-party Reichstag. These laws were far reaching and targeted Jewish people in particular, banning marriages between German and Jewish people. Any marriages between Germans and Jews were to be null and void and Jews were stripped of their German citizenship, and this was just the beginning! What followed was a catalogue of discrimination culminating in mass murder of Jews in Germany and the countries the Nazis occupied during the Second World War.
The discrimination of the early Nazi years gathered momentum throughout the 1930s and in 1938 an event happened which should have woken up even the doubters of Hitlers intentions. What became known as ‘Kristallnacht’ or ‘Night of Broken Glass’ was the night the SA Stormtroopers, the SS and Hitler Youth rampaged against Jewish businesses and people. Synagogues were smashed and burned to the ground as firemen looked on laughing, Jewish men were carted off to concentration camps. Later these camps would be joined by death camps, and women were raped by drunkard SA men occurring on the 9-10 November 1938 in Nazi Germany and Austria. Hitherto anti-Semitism was far more rampant in Austria than Germany itself. The pretext for the attacks on Jewish people and property including arson, looting, mass arrests of Jews and kidnapping, was the assassination of a German diplomat, Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old German born Polish jew living in Paris. This was only the start of what became the Holocaust when these persecutions were taken a stage further from exiling the Jews from German society to eliminating them from Europe and, where possible, beyond. So, given this track record of Nazi atrocities against Jewish people is it possible for a Jewish person or persons to hold Nazi style views? In the earlier years of persecution Hitler had the idea of “sending all German Jews to live on the island of Madagascar”. A serious option he thought until more ‘practical ideas’ were planted in his already warped mind.
In January 1942 a policy was formulated by the Nazi leadership, in particular Reinhard Heydrich, at a conference just outside Berlin, the ‘Wannsee Conference’. This policy which became known and called “the Final Solution” meaning the end of what the Nazis considered the “Jewish problem” was to involve the ‘industrial genocide’ of all Jews living in German occupied Europe. It very nearly succeeded but for the allied victory consisting of the Soviet Union, USA, Britain, Free French, Free Poles, Free Czechs and, later on, Italian forces after the deposing of their fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. Fascist Italy was what Hitler based much of his Nazi party’s ideals on but with much more severity and cruelty. The two ideologies are often confused as being the same thing - they are not. Closely related, first cousins yes, twins no. Nazism and fascism are often spoke of in the same sentence and perhaps in its generic sense, (generic fascism) it is a reasonable description, but on closer examination the differences are plain to see as well as their similarities.
The persecution of the Jewish population began almost immediately after his succession to power though, in the early days, it was confined to persecution with only the odd murder carried out by Hitlers brown shirted thugs, the SA. Hitler had one problem, and he was the president, Paul Von Hindenburg who refused to hand over total power to “a party as intolerant” as Hitlers. When the President died in 1934 Hitler made himself supreme leader, the ‘Fuhrer’, and in 1935 the ‘Nuremburg Laws’ were enacted by the now one-party Reichstag. These laws were far reaching and targeted Jewish people in particular, banning marriages between German and Jewish people. Any marriages between Germans and Jews were to be null and void and Jews were stripped of their German citizenship, and this was just the beginning! What followed was a catalogue of discrimination culminating in mass murder of Jews in Germany and the countries the Nazis occupied during the Second World War.
The discrimination of the early Nazi years gathered momentum throughout the 1930s and in 1938 an event happened which should have woken up even the doubters of Hitlers intentions. What became known as ‘Kristallnacht’ or ‘Night of Broken Glass’ was the night the SA Stormtroopers, the SS and Hitler Youth rampaged against Jewish businesses and people. Synagogues were smashed and burned to the ground as firemen looked on laughing, Jewish men were carted off to concentration camps. Later these camps would be joined by death camps, and women were raped by drunkard SA men occurring on the 9-10 November 1938 in Nazi Germany and Austria. Hitherto anti-Semitism was far more rampant in Austria than Germany itself. The pretext for the attacks on Jewish people and property including arson, looting, mass arrests of Jews and kidnapping, was the assassination of a German diplomat, Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old German born Polish jew living in Paris. This was only the start of what became the Holocaust when these persecutions were taken a stage further from exiling the Jews from German society to eliminating them from Europe and, where possible, beyond. So, given this track record of Nazi atrocities against Jewish people is it possible for a Jewish person or persons to hold Nazi style views? In the earlier years of persecution Hitler had the idea of “sending all German Jews to live on the island of Madagascar”. A serious option he thought until more ‘practical ideas’ were planted in his already warped mind.
In January 1942 a policy was formulated by the Nazi leadership, in particular Reinhard Heydrich, at a conference just outside Berlin, the ‘Wannsee Conference’. This policy which became known and called “the Final Solution” meaning the end of what the Nazis considered the “Jewish problem” was to involve the ‘industrial genocide’ of all Jews living in German occupied Europe. It very nearly succeeded but for the allied victory consisting of the Soviet Union, USA, Britain, Free French, Free Poles, Free Czechs and, later on, Italian forces after the deposing of their fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. Fascist Italy was what Hitler based much of his Nazi party’s ideals on but with much more severity and cruelty. The two ideologies are often confused as being the same thing - they are not. Closely related, first cousins yes, twins no. Nazism and fascism are often spoke of in the same sentence and perhaps in its generic sense, (generic fascism) it is a reasonable description, but on closer examination the differences are plain to see as well as their similarities.
After the war and defeat of Hitler many survivors of the Holocaust moved to Palestine. In 1948 the state of Israel was set up as the Israelis fought a long war of independence against their Arab neighbours in the former British mandate. Conflict between Jew and Arabs has been simmering ever since. In 1967 Israel scored a lightening victory over the Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait in just six days! Israel scored this lightening victory, against the odds, proving itself the major military power in the region. The Arab States of Egypt, Syria and Jordan tried again in 1973 and once again the Israelis won, this time taking a little longer.
In 1948 around 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes by Zionist militias never to return. The right of return is a major demand of the Palestinian people to this day. In 1967, after the ‘six-day war’ in the newly captured territories another 300,000 Palestinians fled their homes in the now Israeli occupied territories. These forced expulsions were not dissimilar to the German SA militias exiling of Jews during the early years of the Third Reich! At this juncture it may be appropriate to point out that both Jew and Arab are Semite peoples and the term ‘anti-Semitism’ can be applied to both. Generally speaking, and certainly since the end of WWII and before the term has been applied almost exclusively, and misleadingly, to Jewish people, a false assumption.
On 7th October 2023, as most people will be aware unless they have been in a coma, the Palestinian terror group, Hamas, invaded Israel killing civilians and taking hostages. The Israeli response, as expected, has been brutal and disproportionate, it has been argued by some including me. The Israelis are continuing to blow the shit out of Gaza, the base where Hamas have planted themselves, and the casualties are overwhelmingly Palestinian civilians. Hamas, for their part are continuing to fire rockets at Israeli cities particularly the capital, Tel Aviv. There have been many sensible calls for a humanitarian ceasefire by both sides to allow aide to get into Gaza but the Israelis and Hamas both seem entrenched in their positions, caring fuck all for the Palestinian civilian casualties. There has been a little headway in this area by Israel who are now putting in place short pauses of four hours upwards to allow humanitarian medical supplies and food into Gaza. As 26 county Independent TD, Cathal Berry a former soldier and ‘Special Forces’ fighter in the Ranger Wing of the 26 County Army asked “if a ceasefire were called would Hamas abide by it and also would Israel”? A fair point and as the Israelis are clearly winning and care nothing it seems for Palestinian civilians, why should they?
Recently an Israeli far-right politician and Minister, Amihai Eliyahu, said “attacking Gaza with nuclear weapons is an option and that Palestinians can go to Ireland or the desert”, not dissimilar to Hitler wanting to send all Jews to Madagascar. The member of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) and member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party went on to back Israel “taking over Gaza, restoring Israeli settlements there and expelling Palestinians. The monsters in Gaza (Palestinians) should find a solution themselves” (Irish Daily Mirror 6th November P.6). Such statements are akin to those made by Hitler against Jewish people who he described as “vermin”. Politicians around the globe have voiced opposition to such statements as these which, even by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extreme views, are frowned upon. Netanyahu himself holds what could be described as ‘para-fascist’ views bordering, like Margaret Thatcher in the UK, on full open fascism. However even by his extreme standards the comments by Eliyahu are more akin to what would have been expected from Hitler rather than Mussolini!
Nazism is an ideology, albeit a very sick one, and by this criteria and Eliyahu’s Nazi style comments it is possible to be a ‘Jewish Nazi’, only the target of hate needs adjusting. Nazi ideology, in Germany, as we have briefly discussed was anti-Semitic, in its anti-Jewish sense. What this man in Israel is saying is also anti-Semitic in its anti-Palestinian sense. His views are not held by the vast majority of Jewish people both inside and outside Israel, many of whom are Holocaust survivor’s descendants. Perhaps Eliyahu’s only problem with Nazism is that it was not a Zionist idea to eradicate the Arab. Ccould this be his reasoning? If it is he would never dare say it publicly. The Gaza Strip is made up of 86% Arab and 13% Jewish peoples both of whom are Semites. It appears to me some in the Israeli cabinet, past and present, are taking their cues from a bygone day in another country when they themselves were a persecuted people. Will humanity ever, ever learn? It appears not!!
Fascism originated in Italy as a political force during the immediate post WWI years becoming that country’s government in 1922 after the well documented ‘March on Rome’. Around the world various fascist parties have sprouted up. In Chile for example the fascists under Augusto Pinochet, a personal friend and trusted confidant of later British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, overthrew by force the elected left-wing government of Salvador Allende in 1973. Earlier in Spain the fascists of Francisco Franco won the ‘Spanish Civil War’ 1936-39 toppling the elected republican government with military and financial help from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Fascism's first cousin, Nazism or misleadingly termed ‘National Socialism’ originated in Germany. Like fascism it has migrated well outside the country of origin, so why not Israel with a few adjustments?
In 1948 around 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes by Zionist militias never to return. The right of return is a major demand of the Palestinian people to this day. In 1967, after the ‘six-day war’ in the newly captured territories another 300,000 Palestinians fled their homes in the now Israeli occupied territories. These forced expulsions were not dissimilar to the German SA militias exiling of Jews during the early years of the Third Reich! At this juncture it may be appropriate to point out that both Jew and Arab are Semite peoples and the term ‘anti-Semitism’ can be applied to both. Generally speaking, and certainly since the end of WWII and before the term has been applied almost exclusively, and misleadingly, to Jewish people, a false assumption.
On 7th October 2023, as most people will be aware unless they have been in a coma, the Palestinian terror group, Hamas, invaded Israel killing civilians and taking hostages. The Israeli response, as expected, has been brutal and disproportionate, it has been argued by some including me. The Israelis are continuing to blow the shit out of Gaza, the base where Hamas have planted themselves, and the casualties are overwhelmingly Palestinian civilians. Hamas, for their part are continuing to fire rockets at Israeli cities particularly the capital, Tel Aviv. There have been many sensible calls for a humanitarian ceasefire by both sides to allow aide to get into Gaza but the Israelis and Hamas both seem entrenched in their positions, caring fuck all for the Palestinian civilian casualties. There has been a little headway in this area by Israel who are now putting in place short pauses of four hours upwards to allow humanitarian medical supplies and food into Gaza. As 26 county Independent TD, Cathal Berry a former soldier and ‘Special Forces’ fighter in the Ranger Wing of the 26 County Army asked “if a ceasefire were called would Hamas abide by it and also would Israel”? A fair point and as the Israelis are clearly winning and care nothing it seems for Palestinian civilians, why should they?
Recently an Israeli far-right politician and Minister, Amihai Eliyahu, said “attacking Gaza with nuclear weapons is an option and that Palestinians can go to Ireland or the desert”, not dissimilar to Hitler wanting to send all Jews to Madagascar. The member of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) and member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party went on to back Israel “taking over Gaza, restoring Israeli settlements there and expelling Palestinians. The monsters in Gaza (Palestinians) should find a solution themselves” (Irish Daily Mirror 6th November P.6). Such statements are akin to those made by Hitler against Jewish people who he described as “vermin”. Politicians around the globe have voiced opposition to such statements as these which, even by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extreme views, are frowned upon. Netanyahu himself holds what could be described as ‘para-fascist’ views bordering, like Margaret Thatcher in the UK, on full open fascism. However even by his extreme standards the comments by Eliyahu are more akin to what would have been expected from Hitler rather than Mussolini!
Nazism is an ideology, albeit a very sick one, and by this criteria and Eliyahu’s Nazi style comments it is possible to be a ‘Jewish Nazi’, only the target of hate needs adjusting. Nazi ideology, in Germany, as we have briefly discussed was anti-Semitic, in its anti-Jewish sense. What this man in Israel is saying is also anti-Semitic in its anti-Palestinian sense. His views are not held by the vast majority of Jewish people both inside and outside Israel, many of whom are Holocaust survivor’s descendants. Perhaps Eliyahu’s only problem with Nazism is that it was not a Zionist idea to eradicate the Arab. Ccould this be his reasoning? If it is he would never dare say it publicly. The Gaza Strip is made up of 86% Arab and 13% Jewish peoples both of whom are Semites. It appears to me some in the Israeli cabinet, past and present, are taking their cues from a bygone day in another country when they themselves were a persecuted people. Will humanity ever, ever learn? It appears not!!
Fascism originated in Italy as a political force during the immediate post WWI years becoming that country’s government in 1922 after the well documented ‘March on Rome’. Around the world various fascist parties have sprouted up. In Chile for example the fascists under Augusto Pinochet, a personal friend and trusted confidant of later British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, overthrew by force the elected left-wing government of Salvador Allende in 1973. Earlier in Spain the fascists of Francisco Franco won the ‘Spanish Civil War’ 1936-39 toppling the elected republican government with military and financial help from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Fascism's first cousin, Nazism or misleadingly termed ‘National Socialism’ originated in Germany. Like fascism it has migrated well outside the country of origin, so why not Israel with a few adjustments?
In 1933 the NSDAP, Nazis, under Adolf Hitler became that country’s largest party in the Reichstag. As we know, the main target of Nazi hatred was the Jews. Since the end of WWII and the defeat of both these related ideologies smaller fascist and Nazi Parties have appeared around the world. In Britain during the 1950s Colin Jordan headed the openly Nazi ‘National Socialist Movement’ aiming his hatred once again primarily at the Jews and immigration in general. Later openly fascist groups like the National Front (NF) and the British National Party (BNP) have made temporary small gains in local authority politics. Combat 18, named such after the first and eight letter of the alphabet (A and H signifying Adolf Hitler) are active in Britain with contacts to six county loyalists. Today the clandestinely Nazi ‘Britain First’ are around aiming their hatred at Muslims more so than the Jewish community, for now. So, why not such a party or grouping springing up in Israel? The only difference between them and their former Nazi tormentors in Germany being the target of their hate. For people like Amihai Eliyahu their target of hate, using Nazi style ideology and orations, are the Palestinians! Such talk of using nuclear weapons in Gaza and sending the Palestinians to “Ireland” is the kind of lunacy expected from the vile mouth of Hitler. So, yes, and despite the evils of the Holocaust it may be possible to become a Jewish Nazi just shift the target of hate is all that is necessary!! The ideologies of fascism and Nazism can, and have, sprouted in many countries outside those of origin and perhaps Israel is no exception despite the genocide committed against the Jewish populations of Europe.
Finally, it is perhaps time, to remain objective, to look at the flip side of this dirty coin. If neo-Nazi ideologies are present among individuals inside Israel the same must ne said of Hamas. On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Sunday 12th November, the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, claimed copies of Adolf Hitlers book, Mein Kampf, translated into Arabic has been found on dead Hamas fighters. He said; “let me show you something unique, this book which started the Second World War and outlines Hitler’s ideas has been found on Hamas terrorists”. This would indicate, or certainly suggest, Nazi sympathies within Hamas who do, after all is said, vow to “eradicate Israel off the map”. This can only suggest to Jewish people the eradication of themselves as a people, just as Hitler intended. Hamas did not have six million people murdered by the Nazis of the Third Reich so, it would be thought, such ideologies would be easier to formulate inside their organisation than in Israel. Nazism, like its first cousin fascism, is a set of sick ideas based on hatred. That hatred in the case of Hitler was the Jews but could just as easily be applied to the Palestinians or any other group or ethnic minority anywhere in the world.
Maybe it is time for British politicians to look seriously and critically at the policies coming out of Israel and Hamas. Instead of calling former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, an anti-Semite which is nonsense, they should look at the other side of anti-Semitism, that aimed by sections within Israel at the Palestinians and the same by Hamas against the Jewish state. Perhaps the biggest potential problem for the Middle East in the future is the possible rise of such neo-Nazi ideologies taking centre stage if a solution is not found and soon. That solution can only be a two-state scenario based on equality for both peoples living in peace side by side. Failure to reach this conclusion may have disastrous affects which could possibly influence and threaten the entire regions political theatre!
Finally, it is perhaps time, to remain objective, to look at the flip side of this dirty coin. If neo-Nazi ideologies are present among individuals inside Israel the same must ne said of Hamas. On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Sunday 12th November, the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, claimed copies of Adolf Hitlers book, Mein Kampf, translated into Arabic has been found on dead Hamas fighters. He said; “let me show you something unique, this book which started the Second World War and outlines Hitler’s ideas has been found on Hamas terrorists”. This would indicate, or certainly suggest, Nazi sympathies within Hamas who do, after all is said, vow to “eradicate Israel off the map”. This can only suggest to Jewish people the eradication of themselves as a people, just as Hitler intended. Hamas did not have six million people murdered by the Nazis of the Third Reich so, it would be thought, such ideologies would be easier to formulate inside their organisation than in Israel. Nazism, like its first cousin fascism, is a set of sick ideas based on hatred. That hatred in the case of Hitler was the Jews but could just as easily be applied to the Palestinians or any other group or ethnic minority anywhere in the world.
Maybe it is time for British politicians to look seriously and critically at the policies coming out of Israel and Hamas. Instead of calling former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, an anti-Semite which is nonsense, they should look at the other side of anti-Semitism, that aimed by sections within Israel at the Palestinians and the same by Hamas against the Jewish state. Perhaps the biggest potential problem for the Middle East in the future is the possible rise of such neo-Nazi ideologies taking centre stage if a solution is not found and soon. That solution can only be a two-state scenario based on equality for both peoples living in peace side by side. Failure to reach this conclusion may have disastrous affects which could possibly influence and threaten the entire regions political theatre!
 |
| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
