Jul. 19, 2006 - 21:13 MDT

WISE SURVIVOR

This was in our Rocky Mountain News June 30, 2006. An article by Jean Torkelson of that paper. Relating the words of Elie Wiesel, pertaining to today's world. In full then, here it is:

"Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, Nobel laureate and suthor, drew on another of his myriad talents -- storyteller -- when he addressed a crowd of nearly 1,900 at the Paramount Theater on Thursday night."

"I'm here to tell stories, and I will," said the spry 77-year-old, who laced his tales of life after World War II with somber calls of alarm against present-day terrorism."

"His visit was sponsored by the Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center and the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado."

"Just as the 20th century was threatened by Nazism and Communism, Wiesel said the return of an "ancient religious fanaticism," in this case terrorism, threatens this century."

"Speaking to reporters earlier, the longtime U.S. citizen and New York resident said he makes a constant appeal during his lectures."

"Later he told the rapt crowd that solving this new brand of 21st century hatred "could take years, but we have to try."

"A native of Romania, Wiesel lost his family in the death camp at Auschwitz and was himself liberated from Buchenwald. He's now enjoying a fresh surge of popularity from the younger generation since his 1958 book Night, the story of Holocaust survival, was picked last month by Oprah Winfrey as a "must read."

"The crowd applauded Denver teenager and audience member Lexi Dufficy, for writing one of Oprah's 50 winning essays on the Holocaust, as inspired by Wiesel's book."

"He also recalled world leaders, saying that popes John XXIII, in the early 1960s, and john Paul II, who died last year, helped make the relationship between Jews and Christians its strongest in history. But he said something important was forgotten: "We should have thought about Islam -- we should have brought the great Islamic leaders into the picture, (too)."

"Things became not only promising but miraculous," he said, starting "a long embrace" between the two men. "Then they talked about soccer games."

"But grim reality intruded."

"Hamas (thePalestinian government) got in between, and now we're back at zero," Weisel said, referring to the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier in recent days. "Well we'll just have to start again."

+++++++++++

And, I think starting again is better done now than later. The question in this Wondering Jew's mind is where to start and by what method to reach real progress in world relationships.

Seems as if we are surrounded by radicals from all sides which precludes much of a sensible resolution.

It has been very plain that to the Islamic radical types the only solution is to wipe Israel and Israelis off the face of the earth - - a final, final solution. How utterly difficult it will be to persuade them to listen to reason. Syria and Iranian governments back the terrorism, while standing back with hands folded.

We ? I think are in danger of being the bad guy in a ferocious barroom brawl without knowing a real damn thing about what it's all about.

Perhaps we should take heed and listen to a very WISE SURVIVOR . . . . . . . . .

Blog