Premium Essay

Jewish Civil Rights Speech

Submitted By
Words 1668
Pages 7
Hello everyone! I’m gonna start by telling you a story.

An old man walks along the shore of a beach everyday, and everyday he sees a young boy also walking along the each. As the Boy walks he picks up starfish that have washed up along the shore and he tosses them back into the ocean. The old man sees this happen everyday for months and finally he asks the boy what he’s doing. “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?,” he asks. The boy responds “They die when they are left on the beach to long. They need to be in the ocean to live!”The old man is confused. He looks up and down the beach, seeing all the starfish that have come a shore. He says “Boy, don’t you realize it doesn’t matter what you do? there are miles and miles of beach, …show more content…
This year’s theme, appropriately, is ‘Taking a Stand in History.’ For my topic, I wanted to do something related to Jewish History. There are countless examples throughout history of Jews taking a stand against injustice. At Masada, demonstrating that some principles are worth dying for, Jews chose mass suicide as the alternative to being killed or enslaved by the Romans; Jews were heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s. But I was drawn to the many stories of the Jews and non-Jews who took a stand against the Nazi’s during World War II. My favorite of these stories (and the topic of my National History Day project) is the story of the …show more content…
He was quoted as saying, “It’s not enough what you do for yourself. You have to try also to do something for people who are less lucky than you are or need your help and support.” Norbert survived the Holocaust, but sadly his wife and child perished.

Norbert Wollheim and the other coordinators of the Kindertransport showed tremendous compassion for the innocent Jewish children whose lives were put at risk by the Nazis. It took intelligence, courage, and heart to secure the freedom of the approximately 10,000 children they were able to save. They no doubt would have continued their work if the borders had not closed in 1940.

When I asked my mom if I could have a Wizard of Oz themed Bat Mitzvah she told me that if I could find a way to connect it to my Jewish journey I could do it. I wasn't sure at first that there was a connection, but when I thought about the personal qualities emphasized in the Wizard of Oz, I realized that the quest for justice and compassion means seeking knowledge like the scarecrow, opening our hearts like the tin man, and finding our courage like the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

German's Participation During The Holocaust

...To what extent were the German public active participants in the persecution of the Jewish population during the Holocaust? Throughout the timeframe of the holocaust, people wanted to know if Germans were active participants throughout the holocaust. Most of the old Germans currently admit that they knew about the holocaust. Most did not want to know about it even after the war. Living life form in Denmark and Bulgaria could of effectively stand against the Nazis. People tried in Germany however it was not enough. In Germany back in the time of the Holocaust many of the Germans were not expecting such a horrifying event, in fact they thought it was going to be good as Adolf Hitler claimed that he was going to make Germany great again. Through the time of the holocaust there was specific laws to follow. Laws...

Words: 915 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Universal Declaration Of Human Rights In Elie Wiesel's Night

...biblical rule, of treating others as one wishes to be treated, represents the basic principle people have been taught to act upon in society - fairness. After the horrifying acts that took place during WWI and WWII, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was established in order to better assure fairness in the world and to declare the basic rights and freedoms all human beings are obliged to have. Additionally, it states that human rights are to be enjoyed by all people, regardless of who they are or where they live; while also including civil and political rights such as the right to live, freedom of speech, and privacy. In Elie Wiesel’s Night, Wiesel shares an impeccable account and the overlying theme of the dehumanizing macabre that is referred to as the Holocaust- particularly the idea that if one is treated as subhuman, death overrules innocence, the fight for survival results the loss of feelings, and extreme starvation outweighs all....

Words: 534 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Global Wine Wars

... Jr Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was not only a prominent American civil rights activist, but also a social reformer and an author. He is often referred to as the human rights icon since he called for equal rights for all without resorting to violence or aggression. Read on to know about the accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr. "Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them." Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta to Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. King's original name was Michael King, Jr. His name was later changed to Martin after the German protestant leader Martin Luther. Martin Luther attended Booker T. Washington High School in Georgia and graduated in sociology from Morehouse College in Atlanta. After studying theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, he pursued his doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston University. King was awarded the Doctor of philosophy on June 5, 1955. Achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. The greatest achievement of King was undoubtedly as a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. He defended the Americans with African descent and fought for their rights. Martin Luther was greatly influenced by Howard Thurman, a civil rights leader, theologian and educator. He was a classmate of Martin Luther's...

Words: 995 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Mlk Ethos Pathos Logos

...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest leaders in the civil rights movement, if not the greatest. About a century after slavery was abolished there was still segregation for African Americans, and MLK was not going to stand for that. He did a lot of work to help get the segregation laws removed. One way he did this was by using his amazing talent of public speaking and using logos and pathos. There are many different ways he used logos and pathos. Dr. Martin Luther King did a great job of using pathos in his letter while in Birmingham jail and in his “I Have a Dream” speech. As he stated, “It was illegal to aid and comfort a jew in Hitler’s Germany. Even so I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers” (MLK, 278). He would have helped the jewish people even though he could’ve gotten in a lot of trouble, this shows how he felt that he could change horrible things, which would arouse emotions. “When you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who...

Words: 424 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

African-Americans Struggle

...Africa-Americans Ever since African Americans were slaves, the population of the African Americans during 1860’s in the northern America was about 1% after American Revolution. They experienced discrimination since the beginning based on the color of their skin. This race was perceived to be inferior compared to the whites. Because of discrimination, they were not given some civil rights such as voting. The illogical premise to support this claim was given by the state that the law forbade in certain areas. During this period, the New York Convention stated that only those African Americans with property had the right to vote (Dagbovie, 2007). In essence, during this time they were struggling to get employment and most of them were not financial stable. African Americans have undergone a lot in history and in the present American some of them hold political positions (The president of the United States), manage large firms, and have equal rights like other citizen. In fact I has never been this way, they were unjustly treated and undergone through difficulties that the today’s generation may not understand. The black generation has undergone various challenges in their history that the current generation can never believe to be true and valid. This paper explores the historical background of the conditions this community undergone and how they overcame the racial discrimination, segregation and isolation to acquire equality. Segregation The term segregation denotes...

Words: 2568 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

To Catch a Dream

...Floyd Ogle Instructor: English 1A 11 September 2008 To Catch a Dream On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., possibly one of the most eloquent, and certainly one of the most passionate men to ever share his heart, delivered a stunning and earth shaping speech. He delivered this speech not only to over 200,000 people in attendance at the Lincoln Memorial, and not even to a nation struggling with the perils of racism and equality, but to generations of people who share in a dream and strive for freedom; a dream that many still dream today. Even though we are closer now than at any point in history, we have yet to experience the freedom of which Dr. King dreamed. Racism is not a problem only in America, most every nation deals with racial issues on some level. Though none of us could ever forget the tragedy of the Holocaust, we tend to forget that it was racially motivated. Hitler’s goal was to exterminate the Jewish people. “Anne Frank was murdered by the Nazis in Bergen-Belsen [concentration camp] for being a Jew, just one of over one million Jewish children to be killed in the Holocaust” (Melchior). The Holocaust, while the most prominent, is not the only example of ethnic cleansing that the world offers. Darfur, the Sudan, Croatia, and Kosovo, just to name a few, have all dealt with this racial horror. South Africa, as well, deals with racism. As the political power shifts toward black South Africans, white South Africans face continual racial violence...

Words: 1864 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Major Historical Events

...and 20th centuries. Social systems are essentially systems and patterns of behavior, patterns of thought, patterns of action, and patterns of speech. All of these patterns are reflected in a system?s economy, education, politics, religious practice, law, and entertainment. Hence, it is difficult to talk about history and psychology without discussion of the single priority objective of the world?s most dominant social system: white supremacy. In discussing history and medicine, we cannot ignore that in the 19th century and nearly half of the 20th century, disenfranchised groups were not given the right to be educated, were not given the right to vote, were not given the basic human freedoms as white men. Hence, science was dominated by by a particular lens, while history proved to benefit certain groups over others. It would be na?ve to think that personality theories were developed with the inclusive of all groups considered. For example, while the works of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalytic thought have been widely praised, it is important to contextualize the development of psychoanalysis and the foundation of this particular school of thought. Freud grew up in white supremacist social systems, where persons of color were oppressed and not treated as equal. Freud himself was of Jewish decent, but his theories did not touch on why Jewish people historically had been attacked and oppressed in Europe. Instead, it is possible that Freud chose to focus on non-cultural issues with...

Words: 828 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Gke 1 Task 2

...Mandela was known as a world leader for his role in fighting apartheid and being the first multi-racial president of South Africa. His presidency created a significant change in the perception and building of a multiracial society in South Africa and around the world. Nelson Mandela was also known to be a leader of a civil rights organization known as the African National Congress. The purpose of the African National Congress was to demolish racial segregation and discrimination. The two most significant social changes made by Nelson Mandela was his uniting of a fiercely divided country and his creation of a truly democratic society in South Africa. A great leader will always fight for what they believe in. Nelson Mandela's dream was building a society in which all South Africans could live in freedom and prosperity. He wanted a free, non-racial, and non-sexist society for all South Africans. In Mandela’s early years he was raised by the Thembu tribe located on South Africa’s southeastern coast. He wanted to escape the Thembu traditions of marrying a woman of his regent’s choice so he fled to Johannesburg. In Johannesburg, Mandela was able to find work at a Jewish law firm in 1942. His entry level position encouraged him to obtain a bachelor’s degree in law. Through this law firm, Mandela was introduced to many different ideas, communists, politicians, and the African National Congress. During this time, South Africa was ruled by a white government which believed in racial...

Words: 1292 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Free Speech

...David Guy Professor Adams English 102 January 30, 2013 Free Speech Since the birth of this great nation, free speech has been among the key facets that hold it together. The founding fathers felt the need to restrict the government’s power by sharing that power with the people through the passing of the First Amendment. This amendment states that the government can pass no law limiting the freedom of speech or press (“Freedom of Speech”). After all, if it hadn’t been for religious persecution, the pilgrims would not have left England to found a new nation. As Americans, we can express our opposition of the government’s actions and goals without repercussion. One form of free speech, elections, allows us to cast a vote for the candidate we see best fit to have a roll in our government. The idea of free speech suggests an equal partnership between government and citizen rather than an oppressive relationship seen in Communist countries like China and Cuba. Countries like these have developed using Communist methods, and for the most part relinquishing free speech rights from their citizens. Free speech guarantees the absence of tyranny and provides the most beneficial relationship between government and citizen. In the early 1620s, the first pilgrims came to the New World seeking religious freedom, but they ironically did not implement that idea into their culture. They had been denied the right to free speech in England because they held different beliefs than the Church...

Words: 856 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Comparitive Religions

...one God and they feel they have a covenant with that God. What the Jews mean by covenant is “the covenant between God and Jews is the basis for the idea of the Jews as the chosen people.” Roman Times There was a certain time period where the Jewish People pretty much governed themselves and were able to come to peace with the Roman Empire. “But internal divisions weakened the Jewish kingdom and allowed the Romans to establish control in 63 BCE.” After this the Jewish people were being taxed and “oppressed” by a series of rulers who pretty much forgot and did not care for the practice of Judaism. At the time the priests or “Sadducees” were friends or allies with the rulers and forgot who they really were. After this the Jews turned to the Pharisees or scribes, these people were also called Rabbis, which means teachers. When the Rabbis came in they encouraged the Jewish people to look at new ethical laws in all aspects of like, and look at a cycle of prayer and festivals in the home and at synagogues. History from 1090 to 1600 In the beginning of the next millennium everything began with crusades, military operations by “Christian countries to capture the Holy Land”. The armies of the first crusade ended up attacking the Jewish communities while they were traveling to the Palestine especially in Germany. The crusaders ended up capturing Jerusalem after this they killed and enslaved thousands of Jews...

Words: 2249 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

German Public Opinion of the Jews 1933-1939

...Eric Snyder History 300W Reign of Terror: German Public Opinion of the Jews 1933-1939 Historian Marc Bloch describes history as something that is “progressive which constantly transforms and perfects itself.” There are many different opinions that persist in pre-war Nazi Germany. There is the opinion of the Jewish people living in Germany, the opinion of the Nazis living in Germany under the command of Adolf Hitler, and there is the opinion of the German people who were not Nazis which this paper is focused on. Events such as Kristallnacht positively affected the opinion of the Jewish people to the German public during pre-war Nazi Germany. The Chancellor of Germany from 1933-1945 was Adolf Hitler, an outspoken anti-Semitic man who was an accomplished mimic, an excellent actor, and “used language in a way that was untranslatably funny.” Hitler believed that the Jewish people were inferior to his Aryan race. Hitler believed that race was not only defined by skin color or heritage, it was defined by an elitist set of criteria that had to be met such as a person’s religion, or ideals. As a result, any intermingling or marriage or offspring made by an Aryan and any other race was downright wrong in Hitler’s eyes. He says of intermingling of the races that, “If Nature does not wish that weaker individuals should mate with the stronger, she wishes even less that a superior race should intermingle with an inferior one; because in such a case all her efforts, throughout hundreds...

Words: 2838 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

The Holocaust

...The Holocaust Deanna Gimmi World Civilizations II Eric Fox March 18, 2012 The Holocaust With Germany in turmoil politically and economically after WWI, the German people were ripe for a charismatic leader. They found that in Adolf Hitler. Hitler joined the German Work Party in 1919. The party embraced right-wing ideology which suited Hitler’s views. Adolf Hitler was a captivating speaker and he encouraged national pride, militarism and commitment to the Volk (people) and a racially “pure” Germany. Hitler changed the name of the party to the National Socialist German Worker’s Party, shortened to the Nazi Party. He hated the Jews and promoted anti-Semitism. There are many stories as to why Hitler hated the Jews, but it is commonly thought that it was because many Jews were merchants and financially successful, when many workers struggled during the depressed economic state of Germany. He had actually developed his dislike for Jews long before he became a soldier. Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933 and since he had the support of approximately 400,000 Nazis, he was able to overthrow the democratic government and on March 23, 1933 became the dictator of Germany. As dictator, he could then turn his attention to the driving force which had propelled him into politics in the first place, his hatred of the Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and his idea of a racially “pure” Germany. This paper will examine Adolf Hitler’s rise to power and how the greatest persecution...

Words: 3426 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

The Rise of Far Right in Europe

...POLITICAL SCIENCE The Rise of Far Right in Europe An analysis based on the article “Far right on rise in Europe” published in “THE GUARDIAN” a study by Demos Thinktank. When thinking of the French presidential elections one may even disregard the fact that Mr.Hollande won and pay more attention to the significantly high score of Mrs.Marine Lepen. Indeed, the latter representing the Far Right Movement arrived third with 17.90%, just behind the Right Movement represented by Mr. Sarkozy with 27.18% and the Left Movement represented by the winner Mr. Hollande with 28.63%. This is extremely high when we know that generally in France, the winner party only scores on average 52%. Some people wonder why this extreme conservative party is gaining more and more credit among French citizens. wasn’t the idea of Human Rights born in France? Isn’t France known for its “liberty, equality, fraternity”? What happened to the country of freedom? In my opinion the three main events that led up to this delicate situation are: the recent economical crisis, the role of Media, and the carelessness of racist discourse. Before I begin my analysis, it is important to say that the support for the Far Right Movement is not exclusive to France but also to several European countries such as Austria, Germany or Switzerland as mentioned in the article. However, I will be essentially focusing on France since it is dear to my heart as I was born and raised there. First, the economic crisis...

Words: 1915 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Anti-Semitism During The Holocaust

...Antisemitism moved on from being about religion,broadening the phrase. One aspect of change is the notion of nazi antisemitism. Nazi antisemitism adopted and adapted aspects of both traditional (i.e. Christian) and modern (i.e. nationalist, socialist, political, and racial) forms of antisemitism. Indeed, Nazi antisemitism contained little that was new, apart from the characterisation of revolutionary communism in the Soviet Union as "Jewish Bolshevism." What made Nazi antisemitism powerful, however, was its ability to synthesise so many antisemitic themes into a radical, apocalyptic vision of Jews and Germans engaged in a violent, life-or-death struggle to the end.Burrin identifies two parallel strands (what he terms "discourses") running through Nazi antisemitism: the "pseudobiological" and the Christian "demonological," each of which reinforce the Nazi image of Jews as the enemy of the "Aryan race." There were many tactics to achieve the “aryan race”. The implementation and adoption of anti-Semitism can be seen in 3 stages. The first stage was Hitlers rise to power as chancellor on 30th January 1933. the Idea, and hunger of Hitler to 1 establish the “aryan race," and 2. get...

Words: 1900 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Hate Speech In Colleges

...Hate speech is nothing new to American universities. It is defined as language that slanders a particular group based on race, color, gender, nationality, as well as other characteristics. Though colleges try to combat hate speech with speech codes, these codes are never upheld in court, and as a result the victims are left to suffer. Sadly, most victims are minorities who have been historically oppressed, such as African Americans and women. In order to help the minorities targeted by hate speech on college campuses, the sufferers must be empowered to speak out through the creation of a national organization and eventually the Supreme Court must rule that the freedom of speech does not include hate speech. An increase of hate speech on college...

Words: 1463 - Pages: 6