Archived Opinion

By Sol Koenigsberg
Guest Columnist

 From 1845 to 1848 Mexico American war was fought following Texas’s 1836 war of independence from Mexico. As a result of its victory, the U.S. annexed Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington, and Oregon. Portions of what became Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana were also annexed.

If we forget the Holocaust we are doomed

To me, the Holocaust is much more than a tragic event in Jewish and World history. To me, it was a wake-up call. In the pre-Holocaust era, European Jewry was rapidly looking to assimilate. Jews were holding some of the most prestigious positions in society, ranging from doctors to musicians to professors and even politicians, some Jews were so wrapped up in their social ranks that they did not even identify with their Judaism anymore. It’s said that the Jewish Germans were Germans first then Jews. They were more loyal to their country than their G-d.

Love and friendship

Marvin Fremerman’s entertaining article in which he mentions how much he enjoyed spending time with his older brother Bernie (who recently passed away) and Bernie’s friends at the old Center on Linwood touched a poignant memory for me.  Marvin forgot one of Bernie’s friends, my very handsome, funny, caring and intelligent uncle. Mel Planzer, younger brother of my father Ben Planzer. Only seven years younger than my Uncle Mel, I spent quite a bit of time at my grandmother Clara Planzer’s home, with Uncle Mel and his friends who dropped by, Milton Firestone, Ned Kane, Harold Klopper, Jack Krashin and Steve Price. 

Robert Fuller and Malcolm Harsch, two black men, were found hung from trees in Palmdale and Victorville in Los Angeles County, Ca. First considered suicides, their deaths are now being investigated as lynchings. If so, their names will join a horrifying list of martyrs to black freedom over the last 150 years.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “Few are guilty, but all are responsible.”

We recognize diverse perspectives throughout both the Jewish and broader communities. JCRB|AJC has and will always remain vigilant in its effort to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination and bigotry.  

A 100-year-old Auschwitz survivor showed up to a Black Lives Matter protest in Chicago on June 6, telling protestors “They’re all sons of bitches… You should see what they did to my brother,” holding up her arm to display her camp tattoo. Seven days earlier, a young Jewish woman died in Columbus, Ohio, after taking part in BLM protests. Initial reports suggest that she was tear-gassed by police which could have triggered a respiratory condition.

I just received my copy of the “100 Years” magazine produced by The Chronicle and it made for some very interesting reading – especially for some of us alta kockers.

The June 11th Chronicle published four views regarding the Black Lives Matter movement.

Bob Cutler is irritated with Jewish agencies supporting Black Lives Matter. He declared that “Our country provides opportunities and justice if they chose to take advantage of it.” He also wrote that “No amount of money or programs are going to solve today’s societal problems.”