The Spirit Of History

What else, if not individual acts of complicity, like that of that neighbor—or acts of defiance, like that of my grandfather—form the historical waves, the irresistible current of events that shapes the foundation of every human society.  Where wind carries the smell of the crematorium And a bell in the village tolls the Angelus The Spirit of History is out…

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Nazis and the layers of shame

The Polish Nazis—with swastikas tattooed in their armpits—were quiet. No one knew they existed until it was too late. We must tell our children about how this evil was allowed to happen—because so many people succumbed to their darkest instincts; because so many others stood silent. But let us also tell our children about the Righteous among the Nations. Among…

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