Those of you who read my stuff regularly know that I have covered a great deal of Jewish history including much about the Holocaust. But one thing I always try to emphasize, and my recent reading of the classic history of Nazi Germany, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich emphasizes this, is that the Holocaust is about more than just the Jews. Roughly (and the numbers are debated, but are unquestionably large and horrific) 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Roughly 5 million others, including Gypsies, homosexuals, Catholics, communists, Eastern Europeans, liberals, etc. were also killed in the Holocaust. The first concentration camps did not house Jews, but rather political dissidents including Catholics, communists and liberals. Racial genocide was aimed to a large degree against Jews, but also Gypsies and Slavs. Plus the mentally ill of all races were targeted for genocide.

Those are facts, and they are pretty harsh and brutal facts. Nazi Germany targeted a wide range of humanity in their insane, disgusting attack on civilization.

Well, some people, sadly fellow Jews, including Assemblyman Dov Hikind, seem to want to rewrite history so that only Jews were affected by the Holocaust. They actually seem to think that Jews own the Holocaust, thus denying the millions of victims of Nazi brutality who were homosexual, mentally ill, Slavic, communist, liberal, Catholic...but not Jewish. From the Daily News:

Holocaust Memorial Park doesn't need addition - Assemblyman Dov Hikind
BY Bill Egbert NY DAILY NEWS Sunday, June 7th 2009,

A plan to honor gays and other non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution in Brooklyn's Holocaust Memorial Park was blasted Sunday by critics as political pandering...

"The Holocaust is a uniquely Jewish event," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), whose mother is a Holocaust survivor.

The city Parks Department has proposed adding five new markers to the memorial at West End Ave. and Shore Blvd. to honor homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, the disabled, Gypsies and political prisoners targeted by Adolf Hitler and his henchmen...

Parks Department officials have already approved adding the five new granite markers to the existing 234 honoring the eternal memory of the 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi death camps.

Dov Hikind is showing an amazing amount of just plain stupid ignorance here. ANYONE who has read even a small amount of genuine history of the Third Reich knows that Dov Hikind is full of shit here. The Holocaust is by NO MEANS AT ALL A UNIQUELY JEWISH EVENT. The Holocaust STARTED against political dissidents and from beginning to end included millions of non-Jews. Dov Hikind should read his history before making such an ass of himself.

And Dov Hikind is denying the 5 million non-Jews five out of 234 granite markers. He won't even allow 5 markers out of 234 for 5/11 of the victims of Nazi atrocities.

And remember this is the same Dov Hikind who is helping City Council Candidate Brad Lander in the Hasid community. Dov Hikind has previously expressed support for racial profiling and segregated neighborhoods and now denies the right of anyone but Jews to consider themselves victims of Nazi Germany. I am now calling Brad Lander out on this one. Does Brad Lander condemn the racism and intolerance of his political ally Dov Hikind? How does Brad Lander feel about Dov's vilifying of Muslim-Americans and African-Americans? How does Brad Lander feel about Dov's Holocaust denial. And let me be clear on this: Dov's version of Holocaust denial is JUST as disgusting as that of Iran or neo-Nazis who deny that Jews were targeted for genocide.

I call on Dov Hikind to apologize and read up on his damned history before spouting off. And I call on Brad Lander to reject the intolerance and Holocaust denial of Dov Hikind. Come on Brad. You make all sorts of claims about being liberal and progressive and tolerant. So put up or shut up. If you ally with Dov Hikind, you are allying yourself with a very disgusting brand of intolerance.