@Setanta,
Setanta wrote:
NO ONE gave a **** about the Jews of Europe in that war--NO ONE.
We finally agree on something. Plus, in my opinion, one needs to be quite an iconoclast to be willing to say that then or today.
For all intensive purposes you are correct, in my opinion; however, the only verifiable "true" help to the Jews were the Danish Jews (12,000 in number) that were given assistance to get out of Denmark, just before the Nazi occupation. One author did say that there was a high degree of intermarriage between Christian Danes and Jewish (Danes). Perhaps, that had something to do with the Danish largesse? And, interestingly, Franco did give Jews passports to get to a neutral country.
And, Trujillo in the Dominican Republic did take in some Jews. Some countries in South America also, and Singapore was an open city.
But, I believe there was an effort by French nuns to hide Jewish children that had moved from Poland to France with any remaining relatives. I know of a child that went to school during the day, in a French parochial school (in Paris no less), all under the eyes of Nazi troops on patrol just outside. So, one can say that these nuns did not compromise their morality, even with the occupation. Quite fearless those French nuns. I know this from knowing the child that survived this way. She was told to stand up during the singing of morning prayers, so the passing Nazi soldiers outside the school would not have their suspicions raised. And, the Jewish child was told by the nuns (in her language no less), "You don't have to sing along; we know it is not your religion; we just want you not to raise the suspicions of the soldiers passing by, so please stand up when we stand up to sing." Talk of not taking advantage of a small child; it would have been a perfect time to attempt to bring a child into the flock, yet their ethics would not allow it, apparently. We do not hear of any of this, I believe, since the parents of the other children might have been very upset to think their children were at risk for retribution for a Jew being protected.
So, the concern for Jews was minimal. That is known by the few, or no relatives remaining for those that were living in the U.S., and tried to make contact after the war.
The opinion that people did this or that, or didn't do this or that, is over-shadowed, in my opinion, by an idea being promulgated by some folks of German ancestry that "if it wasn't for the Jews, people would love Germany today." Tell that to a Pole.
