[unclear: reply] to the Holocaust Review of Salient [unclear: 9].

[unclear: Your] review of the Holocaust film was [unclear: ameful] piece of insensitive distortion [unclear: ch] made me sick! The writer is obviously [unclear: ce] that his criticism is bond and simplistic [unclear: his] anti Zionism is a disguised anti-sem[unclear: h], as he did not even have the guts to [unclear: his] name.

[unclear: he] writer s perverted criticism of the [unclear: impt] to dramatize the historical events [unclear: re] Nazi fascism purposefully and [unclear: care-] murdered 11 million people including [unclear: illion] Jews (4 of European Jewry) in an [unclear: imanely] cruel atrocity; — to say that is [unclear: zionist] propaganda shows gross [unclear: igno- ce] (of both the European Holocaust and [unclear: ism]) and a complete insensitivity to the [unclear: es] involved. His criticism looks very [unclear: si- r] to some PLO propaganda one reads.

[unclear: The] writer's ignorance comes up in a num [unclear: of] completely imbecille comments.

[unclear: His] lack of intellectual capacity comes [unclear: in] his perception of the message — "It [unclear: t] not happen again....." Surely even [unclear: a] minimal perception one can see how [unclear: lar] things have happened to people in [unclear: nt] history. Consider the Vietnamese [unclear: ation] today. The Chinese Boat people [unclear: xpelled]" from a racist Vietnam - and re[unclear: ed] if not neglected by most of the world [unclear: t] really generosity for NZ to take 2000[unclear: 2] years ?).

[unclear: Further] to this the reviewer has a rather [unclear: nge] and ignorant analysis of that mes— [unclear: s]:— "of two diverse camps Zionism and fascism".

[unclear: Surely] for Jews (not necessarily Zionists) [unclear: message] will be more significant, sub[unclear: ive], and specific than for others; the [unclear: n anti] semitism and the attempt to an[unclear: late] us must result in a much more [unclear: spe- personalized] message than for other [unclear: ple] who are just observers.

For many the Holocaust was a direct [unclear: sub-ive] experience, the only answer was [unclear: offer ed] by Jewish nationalism - to live [unclear: some- ere] as normal human beings without [unclear: r] of the intolerances of anti semitism [unclear: in] their own state - so Zionism was [unclear: objective] lesson. However this does not [unclear: in] that they could not objectify this le[unclear: n] to a general level of anti fascism, which [unclear: y] naturally find extremely repugent.

Non Jews fortunately are not, and were [unclear: subjected] to Nazi anti semitism in the [unclear: m] of an ideology which demanded to[unclear: annibilation], so they can only interpret [unclear: Holocaust] in terms of the general [unclear: ob— tive] message of anti fascism.

The two are not diverse, as the writer [unclear: su- sts], he/she shows his/her obvious lack of [unclear: bility] to understand the relationship be[unclear: een] the subjective and the objective in [unclear: aning].

The writer's understanding of anti semi[unclear: m], Zionism and Israel is juvenile and [unclear: pro-bly] indicates the influence of some per [unclear: ted] propaganda.

Anti semitism is historically a product of [unclear: ristianity] (it has only recently appeared in [unclear: Muslim] world.) It is rooted in the myth [unclear: at] the Jews killed Jesus of Nazareth. As [unclear: esult] of that the Council of Nicea passed [unclear: vs] separating Jews from the christian [unclear: wor- in] various ways (eg no intermarriage - [unclear: for- d] to live in ghettos, wear distinctive [unclear: clo— ing], and do only certain occupations.) [unclear: aring] the 1500 years since then, Jews [unclear: ve] been continually persecuted in the [unclear: va- ous] christian countries (blood libels, [unclear: po- oms], expulsions etc.) Thus it was quite [unclear: gical] in the period of 19th C. European [unclear: tionalism] that the Jews too should see [unclear: e] only solution as being a national home[unclear: nd] where they would constitute a [unclear: majo- ty] and thus be able to live normal lives:— [unclear: hat] is Jewish Nationalism (which is [unclear: Zio- sm].)

With the rise of Nazi racist fascism, the [unclear: uremburg] laws (1935) the complete [unclear: re- ction] of German Jews, request for help [unclear: the] Evian Conference (1938) by the [unclear: in- rnational] community: — and the [unclear: subse- uent] Holocaust of two thirds of European [unclear: ews] - made the ideal promoted by Zionism [unclear: en] more obvious and logical a solution to [unclear: hem].

Similarly in no way has Israel ever "killed off" Arabs, christians or Muslims, nor has it ever followed a programme of driving them out (there is substantial evidence to support this) — the writer has read too much PLO propaganda and not enough factual resources.

Zionsim is Jewish Nationalism to say it is a form of fascism is to show complete ignorance and an imbecile belief of PLO propaganda. If he/she calls Jewish Nationalism fascism, then she/he must apply the same label to any other nationalism including Palestinian.

The writer suggests that anti semitism does not exist in NZ — well let me assure him/her that it does. I have personally been subjected to blatant anti semitism on quite a number of occasions. The daubing on the synagogue and the Liberal Temple, and the descretion of the cemetery, according to reliable and informed soucres, was not the work of an isolated and single nutter but unfortunately was the work of a small organized group.

I suggest that before the writer attempts to write such garbage in future he/she make sure he/she knows what he/she is talking about. To suggest that the Holocaust film is just Zionist propaganda is imbecilic, insensitive stupidity.

Unlike most NZers some of us cannot sit back and talk of happy times with several generations of our family, some of us are faced with family members who went through the Nazis' Holocaust of murder, persecution and atrocity even to grandparents or parents etc. As the son of German Jewish refugees, I found your review a gross and ugly distortion.