I am the granddaughter of a German lady who immigrated to the Netherlands in her teens. I am also the granddaughter of a half-Jewish woman whose nieces and nephew were killed upon arrival in Auschwitz. Therefore, I am the eldest daughter of people who were children in the Netherlands during the occupation. My mother-in-law lost a fiancé to WWII—he died in the Netherlands. My father-in-law carried shrapnel from a WWII injury incurred while rescuing soldiers in Japan.

“THE war,” as it is known in England where I lived for fifteen years, has had a significant impact upon my life. Certainly, the trauma experienced by my parents affected much of my childhood. On the most fundamental level, science tells me that even my genes have been changed. And I am not Jewish!

The most frequent written response to my recent article detailing how my father’s cousins were taken by the Nazis has been, “We should never forget.” And “Never again.” Agreed. And yet, I feel uncomfortably guilty. Allow me to explain.

As we all know, Hitler promoted the view that Jewish people were responsible for the woes of Germany. He also wrote that they are a genetically inferior “race” and eventually commanded that they be eliminated. Given that some people believed the propaganda and others were too frightened to speak up, the death camps seem almost inevitable. 

BUT let’s look at what has happened since.

Immediately after the war, it was said that the Dutch could “drink the blood” of ALL Germans. Some still feel this way. Totally understandable. They suffered terribly. But how is it different? The Nazi party hated all Jews. My mother, who was a small child during the war, was deprived of her dream of becoming a physician due to residual anti-German sentiment in her country. The story is in the upcoming book, Brave Face: Overcoming the Jackboot. But not ALL Germans were or are to blame for the Holocaust and the war. In fact, many of them are delightful people, especially my nieces and nephews. Perhaps I am biased—in a good way.

Currently, in the USA, some blame the woes of the country on all illegal immigrants or on all the Mexicans who “infest” our land. Of course, it is easy to point fingers—but I am well-aware that not ALL of these people are bad. In fact, very few are. Most are understandably desperate. And, just like my grandmother’s German relatives did nothing, even though they knew of the death camps, I am doing nothing about what is happening at the border where innocent children are being subjected to inhumane conditions. Yes, I do know that it is a complex situation, and I am so glad that I am not a politician—but…

Then, what about the whole genetically-inferior claim? My grandfather was deprived of medication because he had myasthenia gravis, leaving my dad without a father when he was only nine-years-old. We’ve been hearing much about how people of color struggle with unemployment, inferior housing, less access to medical care, more police brutality, etc. It seems that the country is at least trying to make progress towards a more just society. Here maybe we have begun to learn the lessons from WWII. But we have a long way to go and how to get there is not yet clear.

Then what about the ones who can neither speak up nor defend themselves: the unborn and even those who are born, but deemed imperfect? Statistics show that the numbers of babies born with Down’s syndrome has dropped by 54%. Again, it is a complex situation, and my heart bleeds for parents whose child may not be in good health or even survive. I would not stand in judgment on their decisions—but… 

I do not pretend to have the answers to the complex social issues we face today. Rather I am saying that, for me, when I say, “never again,” it makes me think. That can‘t be bad.