Feb. 25, 2007
Brundibar: How The Nazis Conned The World
Used A Children's Opera To Deceive International Observers
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Nazi Ruse Covered Up Holocaust
In Full: With the help of a children's opera, "Brundibar," the Nazis managed to deceive the Red Cross and delay the world's knowledge of the Holocaust. Bob Simon reports.
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The Children Of Nazi Leaders
In Full: In a story that originally aired April 14, 1991, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Morley Safer reports on the children of Nazi leaders, living in the shadow of the sins of their fathers.
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Lessons Of Auschwitz
A look back at the notorious Nazi death camp where some 1.5 million people perished.
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World War II
Remembering the more than 50 million lives lost.
Reports had begun circulating in allied capitals that the Nazis were exterminating Jews. The Nazis wanted to refute those reports, so they took this one camp and turned it, if ever so briefly, into a model town. They shot a movie there to prove how good they treated the Jews and invited the Red Cross to inspect it.
Central to the deception was the performance of a children's opera called "Brundibar." The opera survived the war and so did a few members of its cast. They are in their mid-70s now and a few months ago, they invited 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon to spend some time with them.
Every summer, a remarkable reunion takes place in the Czech Republic. A group of friends come together from all over the world, who all have one thing in common: they grew up in the shadow of death in a concentration camp in the lush mountains outside of Prague. They grew up quickly.
Helga Kinsky couldn’t speak about the horror for a full 40 years. "Because actually whatever you did, you didn't have the right to live. You were sentenced to death. And it is something you can't get over," she explains.
The survivors' friendship began in Theresienstadt, a transit camp. From here, a garrison town before the war, Jews were sent off to the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Nearly 140,000 Jews from all over central Europe passed through the camp, including many of Europe’s most prominent artists who left a record of what it was like. Much of the art has survived, some of it by children. They portrayed how cold and crowded they were, sleeping 30 to a room, how typhus epidemics swept through the camp. The dead were brought to catacombs before being incinerated. Bodies were carried on the same wagons used for bread. Jews weren’t gassed at Theresienstadt but more than 30,000 died of disease and hunger.
Music flourished in the camp—it was like a Julliard for Jews. There were classes and concerts in cellars and attics. The hottest ticket in town was Brundibar, written by a Czech Jew and smuggled into the camp.
"It wasn't easy to get tickets," remembers Dita Krause, who was in the choir in Brundibar. She says tickets were printed for every performance and were maybe the most difficult to get.
The opera was performed 55 times by children in Theresienstadt. It’s a fairy tale of sorts, the story of a young brother and sister who with the help of a cat, a dog, a bird and the children of the village defeat an evil organ grinder named Brundibar. The opera ends with a victory song.
Back in the camp, the Nazis filmed the performance in 1944. The lead role, the part of Brundibar, was played by a boy named Honza Treichlinger, who wore a fake mustache.
"Everybody loved him. And everybody adored him," remembers Ella Weissberger, who played the cat.
"I wore my sisters ski pants and my mothers sweater. Black sweater, this was my costume," she recalls.
Wearing a costume was a relief from what Ella and the other kids had to wear all the time in the camp. "This was the only time that they said we don’t have to put on the Jewish star. A couple of minutes of freedom," she explains.
A couple of minutes of freedom for Ella the cat.
Produced By Paul Bellinger and Michael Gavshon
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See all 77 CommentsWhy does suffering nearly always have to be portrayed as a Jewish occurrence? The Second World War saw 60 million dead. But only 10% seem to matter.
Because the Ukrainians haven't learned to milk their tragedy for all it's worth. There is a certain skill at that you know. Even slavery isn't milked as much as the holocaust.
I wonder too why the holocaust ever occured? How could a whole nation turn against a whole race of people? Could it be because of centuries of accumulated bad karma?
And it seems to be what is happening in Israel is continuing in that same tradition of creating bad karma. And it's all going to end in some huge disaster sooner or later.
I don't intend to respond to, or even read, any responses to this response, but I wanted to make my point. Those who think the Holocaust is such an unimportant distraction might ask themselves, how would you feel if it had happened to you?
To solve the Jewish Question, he maintained %u201Cwe must, above all, make it an international political issue.%u201D[1]He wrote that Zionism offered the world a welcome %u201Cfinal solution of the Jewish question.%u201D[2]In his %u201CDiaries%u201D, page 19, He stated %u201CAnti-Semites will become our surest friends, anti-Semitic countries our allies.%u201D
Adolf Hitler? David Duke? Alfred Rosenberg (supervised all death camps in E. Europe)?
No, it was Theodor Herzl, the man who formalized Zionism as a political party in 1897, as it is today.
Zionists were the founding members of the German Nazi party, so it is easy to see how German Nazis could have been seen as Zionists' allies.
Mainly because they were.
Adolf Hitler is the father of modern day Israel.
Reference: http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/antisemitism/nazisupport.cfm
Posted by HawkSprings at 07:58 PM
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"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Hermann Goering - Nazi
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State." - Joseph Goebbels - Hitler's Minister of Propaganda
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Now tell me, Hawk. Is it over the top? George W. Bush is a very dangerous man.
Did anyone else ever wonder how it is that if Nazis killed so many Jews, where did all those immmigrants to Palestine come from? You would think they would have had a very difficult time forming a state. Or even wanting a state with so few people to populate it.
Or, maybe the numbers have been dramatically inflated.
"Jews are prohibited from acquiring, possessing, and carrying firearms and ammunition, as well as truncheons or stabbing weapons.
Those now possessing weapons and ammunition are at once to turn them over to the local police authority.
Firearms and ammunition found in a Jew's possession will be forfeited to the government without compensation.
Whoever willfully or negligently violates the provisions...will be punished with imprisonment and a fine.
Berlin, 11 November 1938
Minister of the Interior
Frick" - Nazi Weapons Law of November 11, 1938
http://www.jpfo.org/NaziLawGerman.htm
Hitler made sure the Jews were defenseless before he butchered millions of them!
"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to
possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry
arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing."
-- Adolf Hitler, Hitler's Secret Conversations 403 (Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens trans., 1961)
"Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA - ordinary citizens don't need
guns, as their having guns doesn't serve the State." -- Heinrich Himmler, Hitler's SS leader
http://www.a-human-right.com
Posted by themooniac at 10:18 PM : Feb 25, 2007
That is a very likely possibility.
But, how did you conclude I denied the holocaust, am a drunken, Catholic movie producer or friend of Iran?
I noticed you avoided the underlying question in your haste to launch meanignless ad hominiem attacks.
Which is a typical Zionist response. Which is further evidence that promoting the holocaust is more important than the facts.
Thank you also, CentristDem, for articulating what frustrated and angered me enough to post here for the first time. You cannot quantify human suffering. Is one group's pain somehow more worthy of our sympathy than another's? What amount of death is acceptable or justifiable? If we begin to look past the numbers and place value on the individual lives, we become more able to comprehend and be appalled by the horror of it. Does it really matter whether is is 6,000 or 600 or 60 who were tortured and murdered? If it was our son, daughter, sister, brother, father, mother or friend, or our own experience, the only number of significance would be that "1".
If certain people want to play the numbers game we could apply it to our own "statistics" in Iraq. Does less troops dead in Iraq than in Viet Nam or WWII make it less tragic? I hope no one thinks so.
"One death is a tragedy. One million is a statistic." Stalin
Thank you also, CentristDem, for articulating what frustrated and angered me enough to post here for the first time. You cannot quantify human suffering. Is one group's pain somehow more worthy of our sympathy than another's? What amount of death is acceptable or justifiable? If we begin to look past the numbers and place value on the individual lives, we become more able to comprehend and be appalled by the horror of it. Does it really matter whether is is 6,000 or 600 or 60 who were tortured and murdered? If it was our son, daughter, sister, brother, father, mother or friend, or our own experience, the only number of significance would be that "1".
If certain people want to play the numbers game we could apply it to our own "statistics" in Iraq. Does less troops dead in Iraq than in Viet Nam or WWII make it less tragic? I hope no one thinks so.
"One death is a tragedy. One million is a statistic." Stalin
Posted by CentristDem at 09:30 PM : Feb 25, 2007
I supposed this justifies stealing land from others, and creating a Palestinian ghetto in their own land.
The law of karma is cause and effect. Things happen for a reason. Where there's an effect, there's a cause.
Blaming irrational europeans is just taking the easy way out. It is always easier to blame others. Why not look at what the Isrealis are doing right now and ask yourself if that's creating good karma?
Dr. Robert Hawkins, Santa Barbara
www.JPFO.org
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
"Jews are prohibited from acquiring, possessing, and carrying firearms and ammunition, as well as truncheons or stabbing weapons.
Those now possessing weapons and ammunition are at once to turn them over to the local police authority.
Firearms and ammunition found in a Jew's possession will be forfeited to the government without compensation.
Whoever willfully or negligently violates the provisions...will be punished with imprisonment and a fine.
Berlin, 11 November 1938
Minister of the Interior
Frick" - Nazi Weapons Law of November 11, 1938
http://www.jpfo.org/NaziLawGerman.htm
This is not comfortable to post, but once you find yourself on a roll, there may be a reason.
Something compelled me to ring my Dad. I told him I was watching the Oscars, but also that I was curious about my Jewish heritage.
My Dad replied he was watching 60 Minutes. No mention of the story. Then he said he had to go. We don't have the best of relationships, and initially I was sad -- one more time he disconnects. I thought.
Then I changed the channel. To 60 Minutes. Holy ***. Here are kids acting in a play that will never be on the Oscar Channel.
I watched and saw things that helped me understand some things a bit more.
I Googled the show because I did not get to see the entire episode.
Here I find anger and sorry to say this, but stupidity.
The Stupid Stupid Stupid thing I see is that people are still allowing old hurts to make things worse. Peeling scabs makes scars. And here I'm going to say please do not hate me or think anything about me good or bad, you don't know me.
Why not give a different perspective a chance? Why not take a step back and take a breath before a knee-jerk reaction. What could it harm?
Do they approve of the United States supporting these Terrorists and members of the US Government calling them their friend Israel?
Do they support the NON-Investigation of the alleged massacres committed by the Zionist Terrorists? Do they know how many people are buried in the Zionist Enemies Cemeteries?
Have they had an open, free, uninhibited visit with the Palestine people to see how they are being treated? How the Palestine homes and livelihoods are bulldozed and replaced with Zionist Terrorists illegal homes?
Will any of the United States Media do an honest and open documentary on how the Palestine Land was taken over by the Zionist Terrorists and how the Palestine People have been treated since then?
www.CitizenAmendments.org
Posted by rudy654 at 11:08 PM : Feb 25, 2007
It is always convenient to use the "antisemitic," the "neo-nazi" and the "white supremacist" label to attack anyone who would dare to question the unjust policies of Israel.
What Israel is doing in Palestine is an outrage to civilized society and nothing, not even the holocaust, justifies it.
For a people who has suffered so much and yes, I have never denied the holocaust, I would expect more compassion and understanding of human suffering.
Go ahead, use that same old tired line again, if you're against the policies of Isreal, you're a neo-nazi. If you're against the injustice done against the Plaestinians, you're a white supremacist.
Why was this program shown during Oscar Awards program when a minimal viewing audience was available? You have reshown some other past programs, how about this one?
tonii2
Right on - that would be NEWS. I'd bet the AIPAC phones would be ringing Cheney^s office within seconds.
If the American people knew what really was happening everyday in the Occupied Territories to the Palestinian people, there would be an uproar!
Sign this Appeal.
This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.
An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.
It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.
The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.
Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
http://www.appealforcourage.org/
http://www.aipac.org/forms/join_aipacClubs.htm
Blind support of Israel is hurting American interest abroad. For years no one would say anything against promoting the Israeli agenda for fear of being labeled an anti-Semitist but now America is learning it is also acceptable to disagree with Israeli promoters like these AIPAC members who would gladly sell thousands of American soldier%u2019s lives to promote Israeli interest! America did not perpetrate the wrongs of Europe against its people over 70 years ago and are not responsible for correcting them now! The longer we interject American military and money in the Middle East the longer the problems will exists.
Who cares if a country doesn%u2019t recognize Israel%u2019s right to exist? For years America did not recognize Peoples Republic of China%u2019s right to exist either!
have all banned their subjects from owning weapons - rendering their victims defenseless before butchering millions of them during the 20th century just because of their race, religion, or political affiliation.
Here is Adolf Hitler's racist gun control law from 1938 banning Jews from owning weapons:
"Jews are prohibited from acquiring, possessing, and carrying firearms and ammunition, as well as truncheons or stabbing weapons.
Those now possessing weapons and ammunition are at once to turn them over to the local police authority.
Firearms and ammunition found in a Jew's possession will be forfeited to the government without compensation.
Whoever willfully or negligently violates the provisions...will be punished with imprisonment and a fine.
Berlin, 11 November 1938
Minister of the Interior
Frick" - Nazi Weapons Law of November 11, 1938
http://www.jpfo.org/NaziLawGerman.htm
Hitler made sure the Jews were defenseless before he butchered millions of them!
"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to
possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry
arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing."
-- Adolf Hitler, Hitler's Secret Conversations 403 (Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens trans., 1961)
a-human-right.com
Posted by bluestardad
I agree with you - BUT fact is Israel doesn't want their recognition - they have Uncle Sam.
And since they don't want to give back the land they've stolen from the Palestinians, and America is willing to send their boys to fight for them, what the hell - we'll just keep all of Palestine!
C. Susewind
C. Susewind
C. Susewind
I did not complain. I just stated how I see it. Milking your tragedy is a right, covered under freedom of speech. In fact maybe other groups should take a clue and start milking their tragedies too. The down side is if you milk it too much there can always be some sort of backlash.
It has always been this with the French, the Spanish and the English. Just ask the native Americans what they think of manifest destiny. Do you remember the Alamo? That was just another excuse for a "land grab." The problem is that we Americans have been so successful in that -manifest destiney - that others have taken up the idea only we condemn them for it.
Just a thought.
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't Jewish.
Then they came for the trade unionist,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant,
Then they came for the homosexuals,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a homosexual,
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one left to speak for me."
-- Rev. Martin Niemoeller, German Lutheran Pastor
http://www.aipac.org/forms/join_aipacClubs.htm
Blind support of Israel is hurting American interest abroad. For years no one would say anything against promoting the Israeli agenda for fear of being labeled an anti-Semitist but now America is learning it is also acceptable to disagree with Israeli promoters like these AIPAC members who would gladly sell thousands of American soldier%u2019s lives to promote Israeli interest! America did not perpetrate the wrongs of Europe against its people over 70 years ago and are not responsible for correcting them now! There is starting to be a backlash against Israel and other Middle Eastern countries among the American Public for meddling in the politics of our nation and fighting their proxy wars. The longer we interject American military and money in the Middle East the longer the problems will exists. Who cares if a country does not recognize Israels right to exist? For years America did not recognize Peoples Republic of Chinas right to exist either!
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