Because They Hate -- a Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America

I recently read "Because They Hate", an autobiography by Brigitte Gabriel.  This is a must read for today's times.  Brigitte shares her personal story of her childhood as a Christian living in Lebanon during the  genocide of the Christians committed by the Palestinians from 1975-1982.  In her story she quotes the Koran to show how it preaches hatred towards infidels. All non-Muslims are considered as infidels by Islam and the Koran.    Islam's goal is world domination, just as the Nazi's sought racial purity as Aryan domination. "In the Muslim world extreme is mainstream."

There is "no free press in the Arab world", it is government controlled and biased against Israel and the western world.  Their children are programmed from birth to believe Muslim is the only way and anyone who is not Muslim is their enemy.  They are brainwashed by their biased 1-sided, distorted news and television broadcasts.  They are masters at PR - since they control the press so only favorable coverage of Palestinians and hateful demonization of Israel is preached. 

Brigitte writes, "the Arab Muslim world, because of its religion and culture, is a natural threat to civilized people of the world." On page 79, she writes "I had been sold a fabricated lie by my government ... about the Jews and Israel that was far from reality."

Because Muslim men take up to 4 wives and have a higher birth rate, "Islamic communities worldwide outproduce Christians and Jews by 7 to 1."  The demographic shift is scary. "Muslim Arab societies don't have to create anything, just destroy what others have done, terrorize them into submission, and ...take it over for Allah."

Page186 "When you don't stop evil in its tracks you end up with a monster force that will...affect the lives of millions. Because we did not want to judge ...Palestinians bombing innocent Israelis, the Taliban, Saddam Hussein gassing his own people, we have helped create the monsters we are dealing with today."

Brigitte is a terrorism expert and has founded americancongressfortruth.com

Eugenie Mukeshimana speaks about the Rwandan Genocide

This week I had the honor of listening to Eugenie Mukeshimana speak about her experience as a Rwandan genocide survivor.  She was a speaker this week at Bergen Community College, sponsored by the Center for Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation .

She was 8 months pregnant when the genocide began in 1994: same year my own daughter was born. One million Tutsis were killed in just over a month. She talked about the hateful propaganda on the radio and how all citizens had to have their ethnicity identified on their residency cards.   Being a Tutsi was a death sentence.  She was fortunate to find a family who hid her under a bed for weeks.  Even after she was discovered with her baby, the family continued to protect her identity.  

According to Eugenie "Conflict is like a tsunami, it effects everything”.   All traces of Tutsi life were eradicated: the people, their livestock and property.  The small number of survivors in Rwanda continue to live side-by-side with those who slaughtered their families.

Eugenie is the Founder and Executive Director of GSSN Genocide Survivors Support Network

Launching Speakers Bureau for Center for Peace Justice Reconciliation

As a member of the Center for Peace Justice Reconciliation (PJR) at Bergen Community College, I have initiated a Speaker's Bureau to help carry out PJR's  mission within Bergen and beyond. PJR’s mission is to foster awareness of mechanisms of social conflict, political and ethnic violence, and genocide through educational initiatives, exhibitions, and dialogues. The center develops skills in conflict resolution and ethical decision making to promote social justice and global citizenship.

Speakers include PJR team members, BCC faculty and staff. 

Website: http://bergen.edu/pjr/speakers 

As first generation survivors of genocide age, it is up to us as educators and/or as second-third generations to spread the word so the world never forgets.  In addition to Genocide, topics include: issues of social justice, anti-bullying, character development, conflict resolution, totalitarianism.

Our goal is to partner with our faculty as they plan lessons for next semester.   Our speakers will tailor topics to meet the needs of our classrooms.

Alica Jurman's Story

"Alicia - My Story" by Alicia Appleman-Jurman.  Another incredible survival story of a young teenager in Poland during the Holocaust; 13 year-old Alica. She survives the Ghetto in Buczacz, escapes from the cattle car on way to concentration camp, escapes prison cell, survives alone after her father, brothers & mother are murdered one by one.... becomes a courageous hero.... faces fierce Antisemitism even after Poland is liberated....
tragic, poignant, miraculous .... http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-12-16/features/8803120502_1_alicia-appleman-jurman-brothers-holocaust

The Children of Willesden Lane – Beyond the Kindertransport

The Children of Willesden Lane – Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival – by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen  

This is the memoire and life journey of  a child prodigy, Lisa Jura, who escaped from Austria to England via the Kindertransport.

Here is a Holocaust story that can be shared with middle schoolers.  Teenagers would be able to relate to 14-year old Lisa's struggle and inspirational story. I read it in just 2 days.   I recently learned that the the author, Mona Golabek, is now performing her mother's story through her piano music. I am hoping she comes back to perform in the NYC/NJ area.    

Read the Chicago Tribune article from 2013 

1st Armenian Genocide Website - BCC's Center for Peace, Justice, Reconciliation

April 2015 was the 100th anniversary of the Armenia Genocide.  In my role as Web Designer I created the first Armenian Genocide website for BCC's Center for Peace, Justice, & Reconciliation (PJR).   http://bergen.edu/PJR 
The site features embedded videos from BCC's inaugural TEDx event.  Another page features the Armenian artwork slide show from the Bergen Gallery. Events and links are also posted. Please visit the site. Feedback is welcome.
Other college genocide programs in Northern New Jersey:

• Ramapo College Holocaust & Genocide Studies  http://www.ramapo.edu/holocaust/ 
• Rutgers  Newark Genocide Program http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/center-study-genocide-conflict-resolution-and-human-rights/genocide-program
• Kean College Holocaust Resource Center  http://www.kean.edu/academics/human-rights-institute/holocaust-resource-center-hrc 
• College of Saint Elizabeth Holocaust Center  https://www.cse.edu/holocaustcenter/
• Drew University Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study  https://www.drew.edu/chs/ 

Twitter Follower turns out to be long lost cousin!

another connection….This one through TWITTER:

When people follow me on Twitter, I often wonder why. Sept 17, 2014 Twitter alerted me to a new follower: Remy. After checking Remy's profile I saw we shared a surname & PARIS.  I had been searching for my dad's French cousins Maurice and Albert for 20+ years and my Twitter follower turns out to be their nephew!

May 2015 Remy connects me to his cousin Nathalie Simonne, or rather she emails me.   Nathalie is the niece of Albert & Maurice.  She shares some valuable family tree info, adding names of extended family I did not know existed.  We exchange details of our families.
Originally I had thought that the 2 brothers had perished in the Holocaust.  I had discovered that Maurice's 8 year old son Robert was deported from Paris and murdered. Here is a link to a picture of him I found on the Serge Klarsfeld's website. Caption: Robert  Binsztock with Lucienne & Fanny Lerner:  http://www.holocaust-history.org/klarsfeld/French%20Children/html&graphics/T0951.shtml   Now I know that the 2 girls in the photo with him were also cousins: Fanny & Lucienne.  The 3 of them were deported from France and murdered in the Holocaust.

La Conscience des Francais - book authored by Rene Duschler

Like a detective, I often search  back through my old Genealogical email correspondence for clues I may have missed.  I also repeat prior google searches to see if something new is posted about a specific person.

Last week I googled "Rene Duschler" as I have many times before.  But this time,  I had an exact match on his name,  a book he authored was listed for sale:  "La conscience des Français".  Although it was published in 1987, this was the first time I noticed it in my search results.  I immediately placed my order.

I believe the author, Rene Duschler, was my dad's best friend and neighbor growing up in Paris. In 1939 Rene was a year older than my dad and Rene was enlisted in the French army.  Rene was captured by the Germans and somehow escaped. When Rene returned home to his apartment in Paris, his dad was concerned that the Germans would come looking for him.  My dad's family hid Rene in their apartment for several weeks.  My dad described this unique scenario of his family as "Jews hiding a Gentile".  

In June 1942  my dad and his family were forced to wear the  yellow star of David that identified them as  "Juif" Jewish.   My dad described the panic in the Jewish community, the pandemonium.  Jews became hunted animals, desperate for an escape route.  

Rene Duschler's dad was a peddlar with many connections.  When the time came, Mr. Duschler provided the name and address of a "cheminot", a railroad worker in Vierzon.  The railroad station in Vierzon was one of the largest in France, strategically located on the boundary between zones.  At the time France was divided into a Northern Nazi-occupied zone and a Southern free zone.

This Cheminot became my family's courageous savior.  He smuggled members of my family, and other desperate Jews, onto railroad cars headed south, all while German soldiers patrolled the area.  My dad could not recall this cheminot's name, but often talked about him.  He was eventually captured by the Germans and killed.    

When I came across Rene Duschler's book on Amazon, I felt that this book could provide  answers and details from my dad's story. Who was this cheminot? What was his full name? Wouldn't it be something extraordinary if Rene mentioned my dad in his book?  I am trying not to hold impossible expectations as I anticipate the precious content that this book may hold.