work sets you free.

After our discussion in class I decided to do a little research about the stolen Auschwitz sign. There were two things that caught my attention while searching through various news articles. Firstly, the irony of the fact that the sign was stolen only a few days before the 65th anniversary of the end of the Nazi's Rule. The Times explained that during the commemoration, "

"Speakers said that last month’s theft of the wrought-iron sign from the camp’s entrance served as a reminder that memories of the Holocaust and its victims remained under threat."

The anniversary was held at Auschwitz and was a gathering of many world leaders with the intention of commemorating and remembering the Holocaust and assuring that the events that occurred in camps like Auschwitz are never forgotten. There are only a few Holocaust survivors left at the anniversary and Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, said that

"The need for a more permanent memorial project was pressing because the survivors were now dying out.

It is ironic to think just as people are gathering to assure that the Nazis destruction is never forgotten, a group of neo-nazi's steal one of the major icons of the Holocaust with the intention of selling it to an international buyer. Secondly, the other thing I came across in my reading was the comparing of Iran as a modern day Nazi Germany. In the wake of the 65th anniversary, an Auschwitz survivor explained that "Iran has the same Plan as Hitler" Ronald Lauder, the President of the World Jewish Congress, said:

"I believe another horror is coming to our world. I am talking about what is happening in Iran. We have a man who denies the Holocaust. We have a man who talks about the destruction of Israel. Hitler had these same words and people did not take them seriously. We must take seriously what is happening with President Ahmadinejad. We must take seriously his threats and unless we do, we have a great deal of problems ahead. I only pray the free world will continue to fight against this tyrant.

I Think It is truly scary to think that anything comparable to the Holocaust could occur in our "modern" world. The truth of Lauders statement is debatable yet the idea still evokes much emotion.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7005379.ece

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15403083

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703410004575029341567958912.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8473025.stm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123060125