Editorial (September 4, 2009)
Remembering a dark September
IT is exactly 70 years this week since World War II broke out on September 3, 1939, changing the world forever. It was the day that the murderous, fanatical Nazi regime in Germany had been preparing for since it came to power in 1933 in an economically mired world of national conflicts, racism and closed borders.
Adolf Hitler’s brutal invasion of Poland was challenged by Britain, the challenge went unheeded, and for the second time in the 20th century, the world was at war.
Soon after the war broke out, the Nazis’ systematic genocide of European Jewry began to unfold in an operation so vast and evil it could barely be contemplated at the time.
Only after six million Jews had perished — among a staggering death toll of almost 50 million combatants and civilians who died in World War II -— could the Nazis’ heinous vision be seen in its totality, from the German book burnings and race laws of the 1930s, to Auschwitz, Treblinka, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald and Sobibor.
These are just some of the addresses of hopeless death seared into the psyche of a generation of Jewish survivors, their children and grandchildren.
When the guns fell silent in 1945, the world was a different place. The first nuclear bombs, developed during the war, had been dropped on the civilians of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, signalling an even greater price to be paid if ever there were a World War III.
Global empires of Allied countries weakened by war and Nazi occupation crumbled and new countries emerged.
The remnants of European Jewry, huddled in the displaced persons’ camps, began their journeys to far-off destinations, including Australia -— transforming the local Jewish community.
In 1948, the dream of re-establishing Israel after 2000 years of Jewish exile came true; an independence that had arrived too late for millions who were still alive in September 1939.
For Jewish communities, the words “never again” summarise feelings about the Holocaust, and more broadly, about world wars. Is there another Hitler on the horizon? Who knows? But one thing is for sure. If there is, this time he will have a nuclear arsenal at his disposal.
Sport vs Shabbat
IT is always going to be tough for Jewish sports lovers living in Australia. On one hand you have football fans questioning their faith when their favourite team is scheduled to play finals on the high holy days.
Is it a matter of ducking into shul early in the morning, saying a few quick prayers, and then hightailing it to the sports stadium, hoping no-one catches you out?
Or is it a matter of putting your foot down and saying God comes before sporting glory? Of course, it is a matter of personal choice.
But for many Jews, religion comes before sport every day of the week.
Maccabi recognises this and many of its teams play in weekday or Sunday competitions. One such team is the Maccabi Victoria tennis team, which all season has played on Sundays. With talent in its ranks, the team has made it all the way to the grand final.
But in a move that defies logic, Tennis Victoria has scheduled that final on a Saturday.
A Tennis Victoria spokesperson told The AJN the move to a Saturday was a matter of scheduling. This seems bizarre logic considering every other match this season has been played on a Sunday.
An appeal to Tennis Victoria yielded no results and the club has now turned to the Equal Opportunity Commission for assistance.
In the meantime, the team has made the heartbreaking decision to forfeit its grand final so as not to desecrate Shabbat.
In the early 1970s, Australia introduced a policy of multiculturalism to promote the unique culture of Australia’s diverse minority groups. One of the most important things about Judaism is our day of total rest, our Shabbat.
For decades now, there have been umpteen policies, documents, roundtables and discussions initiated by all levels of government to promote a society where all groups can live in harmony.
The sporting world, in particular, has been a field for these discussions, with many codes now having specific policies against racism, vilification and intolerance.
While it would be unwise to call Tennis Victoria racist, it appears it is showing intolerance in denying Jewish tennis players the right to contest their final.
It is incumbent on Tennis Victoria to reschedule the grand final on a day other than Shabbat to give Maccabi players a chance to put up a contest. If they do not, it is an unfortunate indictment on the failure of tolerance in some parts of our community.
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