As Rabbi for Trump I have constantly fought for Mr. Trump. I have been attacked for this and won’t back down. There is no need for him to be repeatedly asked about anti-Semitism; he is certainly a dedicated friend to Israel and I believe to the Jewish people. A religious reporter, in my opinion, recently asked a rambling incoherent question regarding anti-Semitism. Mr. Trump has repeatedly answered this question and should merely have answered that he supports Israel and the Jewish people.
One issue which disturbs me greatly is the statement the White House released regarding Holocaust Remembrance Day in which Jews were not mentioned in reference to the Holocaust.
When the vice president visited the Dachau concentration camp recently, at least he mentioned the Jews. President Trump, you need to do the same.
I understand that in light of the world’s problems there are other significant issues. But for me, an immigrant and refugee born in a displaced person’s camp, the child of Holocaust survivors who lost their entire families in the Shoah, this is a fight I must continue. I grew up as an only child in Kansas City, Missouri, and knew most of the Holocaust survivors there. Most, including my parents, are now deceased. I edited “Echoes of the Holocaust: Survivors and Their Children and Grandchildren Speak Out Volume II,” published in 2015, to keep the memory of these survivors alive.
I was one of the first to complain about the presidential statement that omitted mention of the 6 million Jews on Holocaust Remembrance Day. There are some who believe the term Holocaust is all-inclusive. They are wrong. I predict within a few years after the death of the last Holocaust survivor the term Holocaust will be integrated with the term genocide.
I petitioned the White House asking that President Trump tweet a message stating that Holocaust means 6 million Jews. I don’t know why Jared Kushner remains silent nor why the White House won’t correct their statement.
If you are satisfied with the term Holocaust meaning any genocide, remain silent. Most teachers of Holocaust studies are not Jewish and most programs dealing with the Holocaust, in order to receive state funding, must broaden their teaching to include other genocides. It is obvious the revisionists, KKK, neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers are focusing on this. They can state that even the U.S. president cannot be convinced to specifically mention 6 million Jews in reference to the Holocaust.
There are people who will disagree with me, but I promise you unless we fight now, there will come a time when Holocaust memory will be nothing more than a date in history.
Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
Edison