Monday, July 12, 2010

An Offensive Video?



[Note: As Will S. kindly pointed out in the comments, this video has been yanked due to a copyright complaint. You can see it excerpted in this news show clip, but of course the excerpt completely lacks the emotional whallop of the original video. A shame.]

This is 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Adolek Korman dancing with his grandchildren at various Holocaust related sites: Dachau, Theresienstadt, the Arbeit Macht Frei gate of Auschwitz, the memorial at the site of the Lodz ghetto, the cattle cars, the synagogue that Hitler had intended to make into a museum about the extinct race of the Jews.

This video brought tears to my eyes. Many people though claim to be (and I have little choice but to believe them) angered and offended by it.

I saw it as something like dancing on Hitler's grave (which unfortunately is not possible). None of the people you see here would exist if he had managed to force his vision on the world.

What, I can only wonder, is the view of those who are offended?

That perfect evil should be an object of inverted reverence, like a photographic negative of the reverence that is due to perfect good?

That it is a sin to celebrate that you survived when so many did not?

That survivor guilt is not a mental health problem but a moral duty?

I wish Mr. Korman another 89 years, this time with nothing but peace and plenty.

(Hat-tip to David Kramer.)

7 comments:

Jeremy said...

Truly uplifting video! I wonder if the people who are so offended and angered by the film do not forget that, while there was much pain and suffering in the Holocaust, in the end, the persecution failed, people survived, and this is something to be grateful and joyful about. Perhaps they think it in bad taste to celebrate just because you were one of the lucky ones. But if you cannot celebrate surviving such a grotesque situation against all odds, what can you celebrate?

Lester Hunt said...

Thanks, Jeremy. I think you've put it very well.

Ann said...

Wpw, Lester. Brought tears to my eyes, too, That's all I can say.

Anonymous said...

I loved it. It reminded me that dancing is kindred to prayer.

Will S. said...

Seems to have been pulled, apparently over a copyright issue. (Curse Google's buying of YouTube! Anyway...)

Lester Hunt said...

Hm. I guess that renders this post kind of pointless. Oh well, I guess I'll leave it there.

Will S. said...

Maybe some other site may be hosting it, like DailyMotion. I haven't looked to see, but I hope so.