Refutation of Holocaust Revisionism
The entire Ohio State
University community reacted to the
outrageous Bradley Smith article which ran in the January 18, 1992 issue of The Ohio State University
“Lantern” Student Life Newspaper claiming to offer “proof” that the Holocaust
was a hoax. When the Bradley Smith article appeared in the Ohio State
University Lantern, The Columbus Bible Students responded with the following
full-page paid advertisement.
Cursed Memory
Every American school kid has heard of D-Day — the day when
a million Allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy,
to kick Hitler out of France.
It looks glorious in the movies and newsreels. But it was a terrible and tragic
day, when thousands of soldiers lost their lives — many of them before they
even stepped ashore. Yet the commanding general, Dwight Eisenhower, did not
speak of D-Day as the worst day of the war in the soldiers’ memories. He
recalled that his men suffered the most anguish, not when they were under fire
and being killed, but when they discovered “the Nazi horror camps”.1
These were no bleeding hearts, the American soldiers who
liberated the Nazi death camps. They were tough veterans. Many of them had seen
their own buddies blown up in the terrors of combat. But nothing had prepared
the soldiers for the horror they saw at Ohrdurf, Nordhausen, Buchenwald,
Dachau,
or Bergen-Belsen, or any of the HUNDREDS of camps they
found.
These men were speechless in the face of this horror. Silent
tears and rage, at the people who committed these crimes, were the reaction of
our soldiers.2 If there was anti-German
feeling after the war, it was not because some imaginary Jewish conspiracy had
tricked American soldiers into feeling sorry for them. It was because the Nazis
were beasts.
The Greatest Crime in History
It was such a monstrous idea — the destruction of an entire
people. Why? Certainly not because they were a threat to the
war effort. Many Jews were loyal
subjects, working in weapons factories or making needed materials for the
“Fatherland”. It was not because of their politics, because while a few Jews
were Communists, most were merchants, traders, commercial workers who
contributed to the free enterprise system of Germany.
It was not because of their ethnicity, because they had wide differences of
speech, dress, and customs. It was not their nationality,
they were Germans, French, Poles, Hungarians, Russians, Ital-ians, Ukrainians, etc.
It was not because of their race, they were dark and light,
with every kind of facial feature.
The Jews of Europe were not even exterminated because of
their religion, many of
those murdered did not practice Judaism. The Nazis killed Jews
who had converted to Christianity, as well as some Christians who tried to help
the Jews. The Jewish massacre was unique ... it was aimed at a particular
family of man — a single blood-line, a single gene pool. It was GENOCIDE.
Yes, Disbelief
Belief can only flow from understanding. And no one can
understand the full scope of the Nazi crimes. No one can understand even one
baby skewered on a bayonet, let alone the brutal murder of millions.
German and Polish people who daily lived with the stench of
burning bodies claim they did not believe it — though it was happening
literally “under their noses”. Jews who had heard
stories of death camps, did not allow themselves to believe it. Many of them
came out of hiding to buy fake title deeds to land in Israel,
only to be shipped to the gas chambers instead.
American and British officials did not believe the reports of death
camps which began to appear early in the war. Were they willfully ignorant? Very likely, just as the Germans, and the Poles, and the
Ukrainians, and the Hungarians were. But remember — there were many
influential people, including Christian leaders from several denominations,
telling outsiders not to believe the stories they were hearing.3
Even after the war ... after photographs taken by the Nazis
had been published in LIFE ... after films of the living dead had been shown in
newsreels ... returning American soldiers who were eye witnesses, and who
brought home their own snapshots of the camps, were still met by disbelief.4
“No one would do that”.
And so, today, it is understandable that anyone who does not
force themselves to confront the overwhelming, horrifying evidence, could not
fully BELIEVE the Holocaust took place. People are so accustomed to finding a
logical CAUSE behind every action, that they look for a REASON to explain why
the Nazis exterminated the Jews. The very magnitude of the Nazi action seems to
give credence to their slander of the Jews. Somehow the victim gets blamed for
the crime.
Even the eyewitness accounts of Holocaust survivors are very
hard to accept at face value. We are used to discounting all extreme
statements; we assume these people are exaggerating. But they are NOT. The
horror is broader, deeper, and darker than their feeble words could ever make
us see.
Outrage is NOT Hate
Evelyn Irons, a French Journalist, who was decorated for
courage under fire, interviewed hundreds of camp inmates as the Allied forces
moved through Germany.
She recalls one emaciated man, hoarse with rage: “It is too late,
they killed my wife and my children, my parents and my sisters.” Then he wept: “I am a man with nothing to
lose. The only thing I have left is my hate.”5
But that poor victim was mistaken. What he felt was not
hate. The passion that motivates other Holocaust survivors to keep their
memories alive, IS NOT HATE. It is righteous
indignation. Anger. Wrath that is appropriate in the
aftermath of the most monstrous crime of human history. A
legitimate anger that flows from the morality of the people who feel it.
A Remarkable Comeback
How did the Jews handle their anger? Did they spend the next
50 years bombing German factories? No, they reacted with hard work and
diligence and created one of the most productive nations on the face of the earth — the State of
Israel, born in the ashes of the Holocaust. Despite the fact that Nazi hatred
robbed the world of many of its greatest thinkers, artists, musicians,
scientists and doctors, those who survived have contributed greatly to the
intellectual and moral vitality of the world. Under their leadership, Israel
has become the only true democratic state in the Middle East.
Israeli settlers purchased worthless swamps and deserts, transforming a
barren rocky wilderness into rich agricultural land which supplies much of Europe’s
citrus fruit from an area the size of New Jersey. Israeli agriculturalists redefined the
science of desert farming. Israeli teaching teams now share this knowledge with
“Third World” countries all over the globe. Israeli scientists have pioneered the medical
use of lasers, and are at the forefront of theoretical mathematics.
Jewish scientists are now found at the top ranks of almost
every discipline.
How has the world reacted to Israel’s
success? With
jealousy, anger and bitterness. Israel
has been attacked repeatedly on all sides.
On the day Israel
gained its independence, the Arab states, which surrounded Israel declared an
all-out war. Outnumbering the poorly equipped Israeli citizen-soldiers 100 to
1, these massive armies attacked on three fronts. Then in 1967, Israel
was again threatened by the Arab world. Nassar vowed to “drive Israel
into the sea” and mobilized along Israel’s
borders. This time Israel
struck first, and won a decisive victory in six days. Once again, Israel
forgave its enemies and gave back the oil rich Sinai to Egypt.6 Today, we see world leaders demanding
that Israel
give back still more of their land.
What more will the world ask of Israel.?
What makes Israel
special?
God does not play favorites.
He is not a racist. Four thousand years ago, He promised to bless ALL
THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH. More than
that, He swore
He would do so.7
But sooner or later, every human being is going to have to
come to grips with the fact that Israel
is the nation GOD CHOSE to bless the world.
“Israel
is my son, my firstborn.”8 “I will give you (Israel)
praise, and a name, in every nation where you have been put to shame.”9
"I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that
curses you. And in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”10
“God has NOT cast away His People.... they are beloved for
the Fathers’ sakes.”11
Do Christians need to stop treating Jews like errant
children, and recognize that God has not cast away his people?
We think so.
Does the world need to relax its demands, and live with Israel
in peace? We think so.
Do all people need to read the promises of Israel’s
prophets, to catch a glimpse of the heart of God? We think so.12
“When the Most High divided to the nations
their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the
people according to the number of the children of Israel.”13
Notes
1. Dwight D. Eisenhower, The Last Crusade, p. 441
2. The Liberators, p. 4, 13.
3. Arthur D. Morse, While 6 Million Died.
4. The Liberators, p. 14
5. The Liberators, p. 9
6. Terms of the Camp David Accord,
1978
7. Genesis 22:16-18
8. Exodus 4:22
9. Zephaniah 3:14-20
10. Genesis 12:1-3
11. Romans 11:2, 26-29
12. For a good starting list, try Isaiah chapters 35, 42,
& 60; Ezekiel
chapter 36; Hosea 2:14-23; Jeremiah 31:29-34; Zechariah chapter 14
13. Deuteronomy 32:8
He Who Forgets the Past is Condemned to Repeat it
Smith: “...the Nazis also saw them as being an
influential force behind international communism. During the Second World War, Jews were
considered to be enemies of the state and a potential danger to the war
effort.”
FACT: Prior to the events of WWII, Germany
was required to pay reparations to France,
Belgium, and England
according to the Treaty of Versailles.
This created national unrest in Germany
which, due to economic hardships, escalated during the Great Depression of
1929. 8p 707 This
unrest afforded Hitler with the opportunity to gain a political audience and to
falsely accuse the Jews of being the source of Germany’s
political and economic woes. Far from
being radical communists, the German Jews made up a class of people who were
mainly conservative entrepreneurs and small businessmen.
Historically, the Jewish sentiment in Germany
reflected a message of devotion and loyal service to Germany. During the pre-WWI buildup, the German
Zionist Weekly stated “recognize that our Jewish interest is exclusively on the
side of Germany.”
9p96 Mr. Smith
portrays the Jewish population as a threat to the war effort, when in actuality
the Nazi party used Jewish assets to fund their war efforts. All Jewish businesses and assets were seized
during the course of the war and in 1923 a collective fine of 1.25 billion
dollars was imposed on the Jewish people. 7p44 Far from existing as revolutionaries,
the Jews remained conservatively loyal even to their own deaths...
Smith: “...revisionists deny that the German
State had a policy to exterminate
the Jewish people (or anyone else) by putting them to death in the gas
chambers...”
FACT:
• Quoting a 1927 Nazi Party
Nuremberg Rally Leaflet - “Never forget that our day of reckoning with the Jews
will not come about when we have the power of the state in our hands to carry
out a thorough annihilation of this international racial parasite.” 10p218
• From the CSSD Operational Order No. 8, dated July 17,
1941 -“...in addition to communist officials, all Jews were to be included
among those Soviet Russian prisoners segregated for execution.”10p63
• A military report from the German Unit Einsatzgruppe A, stationed in occupied Russia,
on October 15, 1941,
stated “the cleansing operations being carried out by the security police, in
accordance with basic instructions, have as their objective the total
elimination of the Jews.”10p63
• Figures reported to Heinrich Himmler regarding the execution of non-political persons in
the Ukraine and
South Russia by the Einsatzgruppe
occupational units: Einsatzgruppe A, July 4, 1941- 365,473 killed, Einsatzgruppe C, Dec.
1941 - 95,000 killed, Einsatzgruppe B, Nov.
14, 1941- 45,467 killed, Einsatzgruppe D,
April 8, 1942- 92,000 killed
10p63
Smith: “There was no German policy at any of those
camps to deliberately kill the internees. . .no
execution gas chambers existed in any camp in Europe
which was under German control.”
FACT: “I have a vivid memory of the gassing of 900
Soviet prisoners of war, this took place shortly afterward in the old
crematorium. . .as the Russians were getting out of the train several holes
were drilled in the roof of the mortuary of the crematorium. The Russians undressed in the entrance hall
and then filed quietly into the mortuary, having been told that they were to be
deloused. Once they were inside the
room, the doors were bolted behind them and the gas was turned on through holes
in the roof. I do not know how long they
took dying, but they made quite a din for some time. As the gas was fed in, some of the prisoners
shouted ‘Gas’, which was followed by prolonged shouting and a furious battering
on the door, but the door held. After
some hours, the mortuary was opened up and aired. I have to state quite frankly that I was
quite satisfied with the gassing of this convoy, because we had soon to begin
with the mass extermination of the Jews and up to that day neither Eichman nor I had any clear idea how to set about the task
of mass executions. . . thanks to this experiment we
had found both the gas and the method of use.”
Confession of Rudolph Hoess, the Commandant at
Auschwitz 7Ap125
Smith: “During the war, and in the post-war era,
Zionist organizations joined with the Allied Governments and became deeply
involved in creating and promulgating anti-German hate propaganda.”
FACT: The true relationship between Zionist
organizations and Allied Governments is well documented. In mid-May 1939, the freighter boat St.
Louis carrying 1128 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi
persecutions was turned away from the United
States and sent back to Europe
where the majority perished under the German reign. 6p230 The Allied powers were well aware of
the death camps but refused to bomb the railroad tracks leading to the death
camps. “To the American military effort
the Jews represented an unwanted burden.” 11p307 The Allied powers were sympathetic to
the Jewish plight, but refused to significantly increase the immigration quotas
into their country.
Smith: “It is certain that if there had been,
‘killing factories’ . . Roosevelt,
Eisenhower would have known about it and mentioned it.”
FACT: Eleanor Roosevelt, Dec. 14, 1943, “... the atrocities have
continued and are continuing day by day.
In Poland
it is estimated that between 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 Jews have been massacred,
starved or worked to death by unspeakable sadistic measures.” 5p165 “Of all the
distressing memories that will live forever with the American veterans of war,
none will be more sharper or enduring than those of the Nazi horror camps.”,
Dwight D. Eisenhower 4p441.
Smith: “Revisionist arguments have never been
evaluated or judged by the courts.”
FACT: A Jan. 6, 1986, Los Angeles Times article
states that Mr. Mel Mermelstein sued the Institute
for Historical Review of the Holocaust regarding the accuracy of Revisionist
dogma stating that the Jews were not gassed to death at Auschwitz. The article states, “...this case is
historically important. . .in that it was the first in
which a Nazi death camp survivor successfully sued those who deny that the
Holocaust occurred.” The February 1988 issue
of MacLean’s states that in 1985, a Toronto
court found Ernst Zundel guilty of disseminating
false information with a pamphlet entitled, “Did Six Million Really Die?”
Smith: “British
historian David Irving . .states that ‘there were no
gas chambers at Auschwitz’. . . Fred Leuchter,
America’s
leading execution expert . . .concludes that no mass
gassings ever could have taken place in the so called gas chambers.”
FACT: The following book reviews of Irving’s
book, The Trail of The Fox, aptly describe Irving’s
credentials. “This book is dangerous
besides being historically inaccurate.”3 “Irving
here attempts the seeming impossible, to exonerate Hitler. Depending heavily on the lack of written
commands from Hitler, Irving acquits him of responsibility for the Nazi’s most
egregious sins. . .”1 An October 22, 1990 Newsweek article
sums up Mr. Leuchter's impeccable engineering
credentials, stating that “Leuchter is scheduled to
be arraigned on charges of practicing engineering without a license. .
.Holocaust survivors complain that Leuchter is
passing himself off as a scientist to lend credibility to his revisionist views
of World War II. Leuchter
has a B.A. in History.”
Smith: “Holocaust historians depend increasingly on
‘eyewitnesses’ to support their theories.
Many of these testimonies are ludicrously unreliable.”
FACT: Eyewitness testimony is the single most
credible tool our courts hold to administer justice. The concept of a jury of the people, deciphering
between false and true witnesses, is at the foundation of most of the world’s
legal systems for one reason --it works.
Most people are poor liars. The
legal provisions of discovery and cross-examination allow the legal system to
separate true testimony from false.
Granted, the system does not work perfectly and a few false witnesses
are credited as being truthful. But not
thousands! With a brief wave of his
casual hand, Mr. Smith has brushed aside the detailed accounts of thousands
upon thousands of vivid, dramatic, and truthful accounts. The Nuremberg Trials alone consisted of 403
public hearings in which eyewitness testimony was used as the main source of
information. Perhaps the need for truth
is best summed up in the following statement issued at the Nuremberg
Trials. “We are here to define a
standard which in the future can properly be applied to men and officials of every
state. Any other approach would make a
mockery of law and result in wrongs as serious as those which were sought to be
remedied.”2 Is there no standard for truth?
Notes
1. Allen J.S., “Saturday Review, March 19, 1977.
2. Benton W.E. et al (eds.), Nuremburg, 1955.
3. Chapman S, “The New Republic”, Nov. 1977.
4. Eisenhower D.,Crusade
In Europe, 1948.
5. Gilbert M, Autchwitz & The Allies, 1981.
6. Jones D.P., NY Times Book Review, Nov. 20, 1977.
6A. Kraus O., The Death Factory,
1966.
7. Krausnick H.M., Anatomy of the
SS State, 1968.
8. Palmer R.R.,A History of the
Modern Man, 1984.
9. Sachar H.M., A History of Isreal, 1979.
10. Taylor S., A Prelude To
Genocide, 1985.
11. Wyman D, The Abandonment of the
Jews, 1985.
The Columbus Bible Students is a non-proselytizing friend of
Israel and the
Jewish people. We urge all Christians to re-examine their views of Israel,
and encourage all Jews to keep trusting in God's promises. P.O.
Box 24271. Columbus,
OH 43224
