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Monday, November 27, 2023
Interpreter Of Silence
The Interpreter of Silence
I am watching this Mini-Series on Hulu.
Originally titled “The German House” it is based off of Anette
Hess’ Novel “The German House.”
“The Interpreter of
Silence” follows 24 year old Eva (played by Katharina Stark), a young Polish Woman
in 1963 Frankfurt, West Germany as she takes a job as the Interpreter for the
first Auschwitz Trial of Former SS Officers.
The First Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial (1963-1965) was the first time the West
German/German Legal System took on the Mass Murder committed under Nazi
Germany.
Before the 1st Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials the West
Germans recreated Law No. 13 of the Council of High Commissioners in
1950 which lifted restrictions on the prosecution of Nazi Criminals by West
Germany Initially, only crimes committed by Germans against Germans were tried.
In 1958, the Central Office of the State Justice
Administrations for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes was
founded in Ludwigsburg.
Initially, its task was to investigate Nazi Homicides
committed against Civilians outside Germany. These included crimes that had
taken place outside of the actual acts of war, i.e. in Concentration Camps or
so-called Jewish Residential Districts ("Ghettos"), as well as the
mass homicides committed by the Einsatzgruppen Mass Murder Squads.
From 1945-1961 most of the Trials carried out in West Germany
were done with little to no “fanfare” or press. The West Germans wanted to conveniently
forget their crimes and focus on the Post-War Prosperity happening in West
Germany.
All of that changed in 1961 during the internationally televised
Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem, Israel where Adolf Eichmann (the main Organizer
of the Holocaust) was found guilty of the Mass Murder of the Jews as well as being
a War Criminal and was hanged in 1962.
After 1961 the Younger Generation of Children (born in the 1930s)
started to question what their Grandparents and Parents did during the War.
22 Defendants were tried during the First Frankfurt Auschwitz
Trials (1963-1965) under West German Criminal Law for their roles in the
Holocaust as mid- to lower-level Officials in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Death and Concentration
Camp Complex in Nazi-Occupied Poland during World War 2.
The Trial had 183 days of hearings with 430 hours of Testimony
of 319 Witnesses including 181 Survivors of Auschwitz and 80 Nazi Camp Staff.
Of the 20 Defendants: 16 were sentenced to Prison (6 to Life-In-Prison)
the rest with Prison Terms ranging from 3 ¼ years to 14 years. Hans Stark (who
was 19 years old when worked at Auschwitz) received 10 years in a Juvenile
Prison.
3 of the Defendants were acquitted for lack of evidence.
There was a Second Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial (1965-1966)
and a Third Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial (1967-1968.)
In 1979, the Statute of Limitations for Murder was
abolished by the West German Bundestag allowing for the prosecution of murder
carried out during the Holocaust to expand.
Since the Cold War ended in 1991 and the Former
Communist Countries have been freed and have opened their Archives to the West
more and more evidence of the Nazi Crimes committed from 1933-1945 have been
found.
Internationally only 789 of the 8,200 SS Personnel (Male and
Female) who survived World War 2 were ever tried from their crimes at Auschwitz.
750 of those 789 received Sentences.
Since 2015 German Law has allowed for the Non-Direct Murder
Conviction of Nazis.
From 1945-2015 you had to prove each Individual Nazi had
actually, personally committed the murder they were charged with and provide
evidence and Witnesses for each one.
Since 2015 you now only have to prove the Individual Nazi was
in the location of the murders (ie. worked as an Accountant at Auschwitz during
the War rather than the Nazi personally pouring the gas into the Gas Chamber.
1.3 Million Men, Women and Children were sent to Auschwitz
from all over Europe from May 1940 until January 1945 where 1.1 Million of them
were killed by Gas, Torture, Starvation, Beatings, being Shot, Medical Experiments,
etc.
A World Record Christmas
I don’t usually watch the Christmas/Chanukah Movies from
Hallmark, GAC, Up, etc. (I prefer the old Classic Holiday Films they don’t show)
but I was told about this film on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel and so
watched it.
“A World Record Christmas,” premiered on Thursday, November
16, The movie stars Nikki DeLoach, Lucas Bryant and Aias Dalman.
Dalman, who portrays a Boy on the Autism Spectrum, is also on
the Spectrum himself.
Charlie (Dalman) is an Autistic Boy determined to set a
Guinness World Record by stacking 1,400 Jenga blocks. His Mother Marissa
(DeLoach) and Stepfather Eric (Bryant) encourage him to reach for his dream and
they all celebrate when he gets the good news that he’ll have get his chance on
Christmas Eve. In the spirit of the holiday, they organize a Fundraiser giving
the Townspeople an opportunity to donate and decorate a Jenga block, with the
proceeds going to benefit kids with Autism. Charlie’s journey to setting the
Jenga world record gives them all the chance to learn more not just about
themselves, but about what family really means.
I won’t say how the film ends, but will say it was a good
Christmas Movie and a good Movie about someone with Autism (portrayed by
something with Autism.)
Missed Dishes
There are two side dishes I really miss having from my time in Russia (when I lived in Russia twice and visited Russia three other times) as well as having them when I was in Kyiv, Ukraine.
I also got to have them in New York City, in Germany, in
Cyprus and in Israel because of the all the Immigrants from the Former USSR
living there.
Olivier Salad (Ukrainian: Салат Олів'є - Russian: салат Оливье)
Korean-Style Carrots (Ukrainian: Морква по-корейськи - Russian: Морковь по-корейски)
They may only be side dishes, but they were really good. I
would go to the old-style Former State-Run Stores where you can’t touch
anything, to the indoor Bazaars, to the outdoor Bazaars or to the Modern
Supermarkets and get them on my way home from School.
There are so many different versions of the Korean-Style
Carrots and everyplace you would go would give you a sampling taste. They were
really good whether they were from a market or from a Farmer.
I haven’t been able to find any to buy here in the US
(outside of NYC) or with nationwide delivery across the country.
Hostage Conditions
From the AP:
“Irregular meals, benches as beds. As freed hostages return
to Israel, details of captivity emerge”
Plastic chairs as beds. Meals of bread and rice. Hours spent
waiting for the bathroom. As former hostages return to Israel after seven weeks
of Hamas captivity, information about the conditions of their confinement has
emerged. The 58 hostages freed under a cease-fire deal over the past three days
have largely stayed out of the public eye, with most still in hospitals. Nearly
two months after Hamas militants dragged them into Gaza during a bloody
cross-border attack on Israel that also killed 1,200 people, most freed
hostages appear to be in stable physical condition. Information about the
conditions of their captivity has been tightly controlled, but family members
of the released hostages have begun to share details about their loved ones'
experiences.
Merav Raviv, whose three relatives were released by Hamas on
Friday, said they had been fed irregularly and had eaten mainly rice and bread.
She said her cousin and aunt, Keren and Ruth Munder, had each lost around 7
kilograms (15 pounds) in just 50 days. Raviv said she'd heard from her freed
family members that they had slept on rows of chairs pushed together in a room
that looked like a reception area. They said they sometimes had to wait hours
before going to the bathroom. Adva Adar, the grandchild of 85-year-old released
hostage Yaffa Adar, said her grandmother had also lost weight. “She counted the
days of her captivity," Adar said. "She came back and she said, ’I
know that I’ve been there for 50 days.'” Adar said that her grandmother was
taken captive convinced that her family members were dead, only to emerge to
the news that they had survived. Still, her release was bittersweet: She also
found out that her house had been ravaged by militants. “For an 85-year-old
woman, usually you have your house where you raised your kids, you have your
memories, your photo albums, your clothes," said Adar. “She has nothing,
and in her old age she needs to start over. She mentioned that it is tough for her.”
In the 50 days since the hostages were taken captive, Israel
has devastated the Gaza Strip with a ground and air offensive that has killed
at least 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the
Hamas-ruled territory. Under the current four-day cease-fire, Hamas has agreed
to release a total of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel releasing 150
Palestinian security prisoners and ramping up aid to the pummeled enclave. Eighteen
foreign nationals, mostly Thais, have also been released. Eleven more hostages
are set to be released Monday on the last day of the cease-fire, leaving close
to 180 hostages in the Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities have said that they are
willing to extend the truce one day for every 10 hostages released by Hamas.
The fullest image yet of life under Hamas captivity was
conjured by 85-year-old Yocheved Lipschitz, a hostage who was freed before the
current cease-fire. Upon her release, Lipschitz said she had been held in
tunnels which stretched under Gaza “like a spider web.” She said her captors
“told us they are people who believe in the Quran and wouldn’t hurt us.” Lifshitz
said captives were treated well and received medical care, including
medication. The guards kept conditions clean, she said. Hostages were given one
meal a day of cheese, cucumber and pita, she said, adding that her captors ate
the same. The recently freed hostages also appeared to have been held
underground. Eyal Nouri, the nephew of Adina Moshe, 72, who was freed on
Friday, said his aunt “had to adjust to the sunlight” because she had been in
darkness for weeks. “She was in complete darkness," said Nouri. "She
was walking with her eyes down because she was in a tunnel. She was not used to
the daylight. And during her captivity, she was disconnected ... from all the
outside world.” Nouri said that Moshe didn't know that she was going to be
released until the last moment. “Until she saw the Red Cross,” he said.
"This is the moment when she realized, okay, these horrifying seven weeks
are over.” She emerged to the news that her husband had been killed by the
militants and her son's family had miraculously survived.
Doctors have warned of the steep psychological toll of
captivity. Israel has made counseling and other support available to those who
have been released. But most of the freed hostages have appeared to be in good
physical condition, able to walk and speak normally. But at least two needed
more serious medical care. One hostage released Sunday, 84-year-old Alma
Abraham, was rushed to Israel's Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of
Beersheba in life-threatening condition. The hospital's director said she had a
pre-existing condition that had not been treated properly in captivity. Another
young female hostage was on crutches in a video Hamas released Saturday. The
girl grimaced at her captors as she entered a Red Cross vehicle bringing her
out of the besieged enclave.
Yair Rotem, whose 12-year-old niece, Hila Rotem-Shoshani, was
released Sunday, said he had to keep reminding her she didn’t need to whisper. “They
always told them to whisper and stay quiet, so I keep telling her now she can
raise her voice,” said Rotem. He added that Hila, who will celebrate her 13th
birthday on Monday, slept well during her first night back in Israel and has an
appetite. Ohad Munder, Raviv's nephew, was surrounded by friends soon after his
release, as they celebrated his 9th birthday a month late with ice cream and
pizza in a hospital ward. Ohad's friend, Eitan Vilchik, told Israel's Channel
13 that his friend was “emotionally strong” and already able to answer their
questions about what he ate and what happened to him while he was in captivity.
But Ohad's friends refused to share details, saying they wanted to respect his
privacy. Vilchik said teachers have canceled Munder’s homework requirements but
his friends will help him make up the subjects he missed in school. He said
Ohad was still able to solve a Rubik’s cube in less than a minute.
^ I can’t even imagine what hell these Innocent Men, Women and
Children were held in and are being held in by the Hamas Terrorists. ^
https://www.yahoo.com/news/irregular-meals-benches-beds-hostages-230752012.html
My Metric Problem
After watching a Holiday Movie in Ukrainian and Russian I was reminded about how I was awful using the Metric System when I was in Russia and Ukraine.
When I was in Russia they had a strict system to buy food in
the stores (except in the Modern Supermarkets.) You couldn’t touch anything –
everything was behind the counter. You would look to see what each section had
to offer (even the smallest stores had many Sections – in a Food Store one
section would be for milk, one for meats, one for vegetables, one for frozen,
one for drinks, etc.)
Then you would go to the specific Cashier Register (касса or
Kassa) for that section and only tell the price of everything in that section.
Each price was put on a receipt and you paid the total for that section – of course
only in Russian.
You then took your receipt back to the counter in that
section and when it was your turn you told the person the items you wanted and
they marked the price off the receipt and then, for some reason, tore the top
and handed it back to you.
You had to do that in every section of the store that you
wanted to buy something. It took a lot of time and a lot of thinking.
I would go to the Deli Section of a Store and see what they
had and then try to remember what a Kilogram looked like in Pounds, etc. I then
went to the Deli Kassa and gave them the price for each item I wanted, paid for
it and then went back to the Deli Counter where I would tell them I wanted 3
Kilograms of cheese or meat (not realizing that that was equal to 6 Pounds.)
I was usually very surprised by how much food I always got –
sometimes I would be given 2 different kinds of cheeses or meats because I had
already paid for it and they didn’t have enough in-stock.
You also had to bring your own bags. Some stores allowed you
to buy cheap bags from them otherwise you would have to go outside to one of
the many old Women standing in the hot sun, the rain or the snow selling
bags - it was how they tried to earn
some extra money since their Government Pensions were all but useless.
If the Old Babushkas weren't selling you bags they were
shoveling the snow, brushing the streets, clearing the leaves or on their hands
and knees handwashing the stairwells. Life in Russia was and is very hard
because they spend all their money on Foreign Interventions (like Wars,
Hacking, etc.) rather than taking care of their own Citizens - including the
Disabled and the Elderly.
It may not seem like a big deal to buy 6 lbs. of cheese or 6
lbs. of meat, but you have to remember Russians, like most of the world, buy
their food every day or every few days. They don’t do a big shopping trip like
we Americans do and most of their food doesn’t have preservatives to last that
long.
When I was in Kyiv they mostly had the Modern Markets with 1
Register for the whole place. I did buy some cheese and meats that had to be
weighed and paid for in Kilograms, but unlike in Russia – where you paid first
and then they weighed everything – in Kyiv they weighed it for you so you could
see how much you were getting and then you paid for all your different items at
once (like in the US.)
I was able to use my Russian in Kyiv since they didn’t speak
English and I didn’t know Ukrainian, but that was of course before Russians
started murdering Ukrainians for no reason.
I am okay with using Celsius and converting it to/from
Fahrenheit, but I still have trouble with Grams and Kilograms and converting
them to/from Ounces and Pounds.
Sunday, November 26, 2023
War Paws Christmas
From War Paws’ Facebook:
𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖒𝖆𝖘 𝖎𝖘 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌
We always try to put together a Christmas Dinner for the dogs
in our care on Christmas Day. Whilst we are still struggling to make ends meet
we still want to try and keep with tradition and give our dogs a special
Christmas Dinner this year.
We have set up this interactive Christmas Tree that is
currently looking very bare and we need your help to get it decorated with
lights, candles and gifts so we can use the funds raised to get Christmas
Dinner for the dogs. Can you donate any amount (it doesn't need to be the
recommended £5 (on the site) and help us decorate our tree for the dogs? The
tree has capacity for 153 objects so we are hoping we can get it fully
decorated by Christmas!
To donate a decoration for the tree please click the link
below
https://visufund.com/help-us-to-light-up-our-christmas-tree
^ I hope they have a full tree this year.
They care for over 700 dogs in Warzones.
They also have a Raffle you can buy tickets for and get
prices at:
^
20 Days Til Wreaths
From Wreaths Across America’s Facebook:
Only 20 days away from National Wreaths Across America Day
2023!
It is not too late to get involved! Volunteer, sponsor a
wreath, offer services and support.
^ I sponsored wreaths for Family Members and Complete
Strangers across the United States. It is a nice way to remember their sacrifice
for our country during the Holidays. ^
Avigail Freed
The Hamas Terrorists released another 17 Hostages today.
For the first time an American was included: Avigail Idan.
Avigail was 3 years old when the Terrorists took her and her
Parents hostage inside their home on October 7, 2023.
Her Brother and Sister hid in a closet for 14 hours and are
now being taken care of by other Family Members.
Hamas murdered her Parents in front of her and Avigail ran
away where she was helped by her neighbors, the Brodutch Family.
Hamas eventually took them all hostage and brought them to
Gaza.
Today (November 26, 2023) 51 days into their captivity and 2
days after her 4th Birthday Avigail Idan was released.
187 Innocent Men, Women and Children continue to be held by
the Terrorists.
Saturday, November 25, 2023
No Americans Freed
Fron News Nation:
“No Americans in second group of hostages released by Hamas”
No Americans were among the second group of hostages released
by Hamas Saturday, but the White House remains “hopeful” they will be freed in
the coming days. “We are early in the process that will see at least 50 women
and children released during the first phase of the agreement,” a senior
administration official told NewsNation. “We are hopeful that will include
three dual-national women and children, who are American citizens. This will
unfold in the coming days.” The temporary truce between Israel and Hamas for a
four-day ceasefire was the result of weeks of negotiations, brokered by Qatar
and Egypt with the help of the U.S.
Hamas is expected to release a total of 50 hostages in
exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, under the
agreement. On Friday, Hamas freed 24 hostages, including 13 Israelis, 10 Thai
citizens and one Filipino citizen, according to a spokesperson for Qatar’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hamas released a second group of hostages — 13 Israeli
citizens and four foreign nationals — on Saturday night after an hours-long
delay. Hamas delayed the release after accusing Israel of not adhering to the
agreed terms of the deal regarding the delivery of humanitarian relief to the
besieged Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners.
Qatar later announced the
“obstacles were overcome” through mediation and the hostage release would
resume.
President Joe Biden said this week that it is his “hope and
expectation” that this deal would result in American hostages returning home.
However, when asked if he trusts Hamas to uphold its end of the deal, Biden
said, “I don’t trust Hamas to do anything right. I only trust Hamas to respond
to pressure.” Dan O’Shea, retired Navy SEAL Commander who served as the
Coordinator for the Hostage Working Group at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, told
NewsNation Hamas is withholding American hostages to maintain leverage over
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The reason they grabbed U.S.
citizens is that they knew Americans are their most valuable bargaining chip to
force Netanyahu to stop the IDF offensive to wipe out Hamas,” O’Shea said. “And
that’s why they are going to hold onto them.” “Once Hamas gives up all of their
hostages, there is nothing to stop the IDF from their campaign promise to
destroy them,” O’Shea added.
^ No American Citizens held hostage by Hamas since October 7,
2023 (50 days and counting) were released yesterday or today.
Hamas is financed and supported by Iran and I only hope we do
see a repeat of history.
In 1979 the Iranians took over the US Embassy in Tehran and
held 52 American Citizens hostage for 444 days.
Iran only released the hostages the minute after Ronald
Reagan became President on January 20, 1981 – so as not to give any credit to
President Jimmy Carter.
Back in 1979-1981 the Hostages were American Diplomats and
Others – but were all Adults.
On October 7, 2023 Hamas took 250 Men, Women and Children
hostage. They released 5 many weeks later, 24 yesterday and 17 today –
Israelis, Thai and 1 Filipino – but no Americans.
Today many of Hamas’ Hostages are Children (including
American Avigail Idan who turned 4 years old in captivity yesterday.)
204 Men, Women and Children are still being held by Hamas.
I don't want to have to wait until January 2025 for any
Americans to be released.
I wish the Pro-Hamas Demonstrators would protest for the
release of Innocent Men, Women and Children taken from their Homes rather than
a Terrorist Group that would kill the majority of the Demonstrators (for not
being Muslim, for being Gay, for being a Woman who isn't covered and speaks her
mind, etc.) ^
https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/war-in-israel/americans-hostages-hamas/
Hatikvah
Hatikvah in English (Israel’s National Anthem)
Hatikvah (Hebrew: הַתִּקְוָה) meaning: 'The Hope' is the National
Anthem of the State of Israel since its founding in 1948.
It was made the Zionist Anthem in 1886 and used throughout
the World to reflects the 2,000-year-old desire of the Jewish People to return
to the Land of Israel in order to reclaim it as a free and Sovereign Nation-State.
Ever since it has been wildly popular to show the courage and
strength of the Jewish People despite a World that hates them.
It was sung after Russian Pogroms, during the Germans'
Holocaust and in many times of struggle and pain.
A Former Member of the Sonderkommando (Prisoners forced by
the Germans to clear the belongings and burn the bodies of those Gassed) reported
that the song was spontaneously sung by 3,792 Czechoslovak Jewish Men, Women and Children at the entrance
to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Gas Chamber on March 8, 1944. While singing they were
beaten by Waffen-SS Guards
Hatikvah is usually sung in Hebrew, but here it is in English for the American Hostages being held by Hamas and to show that this Attack is not just Israel's problem.
English Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2FZsuaneAc
Here is Hatikvah in Hebrew:
Bosnia's Statehood Day
Happy Statehood Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina #25November
Sretan Dan drzavnosti Bosne i Hercegovine #25novembar
I went to Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 2010.
Eli Khoniu
Eli Khoniu
Eli Khoniu was born in 1928, in Rodi, Italy. Eli was the Son
of Jacob and Rebecca Khoniu. He was Jewish. He had five Siblings, two of whom
would survive the Holocaust. He lived in Rodi his entire life.
In 1943, Italy was
annexed by the Nazis. Soon after, Antisemitic Laws were enforced and the Mass Deportations
began. In 1944, Eli was deported to Auschwitz with his Family. He was murdered
there at age Sixteen.
90: Ukraine Remembers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska honor the memory of the Victims of the Holodomor (The Man-Made Soviet Famine Genocide that murdered 4.5 Millions Ukrainians from 1932-1933) in Kyiv, Ukraine today (November 25, 2023.)
2023 is the 90th Anniversary of the Holodomor.
In 1932-1933 Soviets in Moscow were carrying out a Genocide
against Ukraine.
In 2022-2023 Russians in Moscow are carrying out a Genocide
against Ukraine.
Israel Vs Hamas
^ This shows the true scope of Anti-Semitism (Anti-Jewish) at
its core.
244 Innocent Jewish Men, Women and Children are still being
held hostage by the Hamas Terrorists after 50 days. ^
90: Personal Holodomor
From the DW:
“Ukraine: This 96-year-old survived Soviet Holodomor famine”
Hanna Domanska survived the genocide in Soviet Ukraine in the
1930s. Ninety years on she recalls the agony of the "Great Ukrainian
Famine." This is her story. "Come on inside, Granny is already
waiting," Mykhaylo Domanskyi says lovingly. He is the son of Hanna
Domanska, an eyewitness of the Holodomor, also known as the Great Ukrainian
Famine, that killed millions of Ukrainians from 1932 to 1933. Holodomor
literally translated from Ukrainian means "death by hunger" and
refers to the period of Soviet rule when some 6 to 7 million people died of
chronic starvation some 90 years ago. Domanska has spoken to her son about the
catastrophe at length. It hit people living in what is now Ukrainian territory
particularly hard. The 96-year-old woman sits in a room where the bed is
scattered with embroidered cushions and family photos line the walls. She still
lives alone in her house in the village of Severyny in the Khmelnytskyi region
of western Ukraine, which today has around 230 inhabitants. She was only five
years old when the deaths began in the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic (Ukrainian SSR).
Expulsion, deportation and exile Domanska grew up in a large family. Her grandparents had eight children: four sons (one of whom was Hanna's father) and four daughters. She herself had a younger brother and a younger sister. They were a hard-working family, but not a wealthy one, she said. Her grandfather Marco Shvedyuk had some land and a horse, but no cows. He allocated a parcel of land to Domanska's father, who built a house on it. But the young family only lived in their new home for six months. At the start of the 1930s, the Soviet leadership under Joseph Stalin hiked grain taxes by almost 50%. Farmers, who were neither able nor willing to meet these demands, became the number one enemies of the communist project, being dubbed "Kulaks."
'They took everything away' "Some party bosses and youth
communists came into the house and took everything away, literally
everything," the elderly woman recalls. According to her, representatives
of Soviet authorities even took groceries away from people. They even
checked the oven for cooked food, she said. "They simply ate everything
they found or took it with them," Domanska recalled. But
authorities took more than food. They also took people. According to Domanska,
officials took away the hardest-working farmers. "They were after people
who could farm, who weren't lazy, who were a bit better off, and they took them
away." A third of the villagers were driven out of their homes.
Their property and livestock were transferred to a collective farm, known as a
kolkhoz. Many of the people were exiled to Siberia, including half of
the Shvedyuk family: Hanna Domanska's grandfather Marco, her grandmother
Pestyna, her then 15-year-old aunt Secleta, her father Vasyl and her uncle,
Todos.
Mother, brother, sister – all perished After the disappearance of her
father, Domanska's mother Olha went looking for her husband. Shortly after the
birth of her youngest child, Olha walked to a village where the Soviets had set
up a collection point for "kulaks." On the way there, her
mother fell ill with a cold and then pneumonia. Olha found her husband, but he
was not set free. A little later, the mother lost her newborn daughter. After
half the family had been banished to Siberia, government representatives came
for the mother and the two remaining children. "They said: 'Get yourselves
ready, a truck is coming'," Domanska recalls. "My mother was
already dying. She died next to my aunt. My two-year-old brother also starved
to death. I survived. I stayed with my aunt, whose legs were swollen from
hunger. But she had no children and looked after me."
Porridge made of weeds To survive, Domanska had to constantly search for
food. "Summer came, the acacia trees blossomed, everything blossomed, and
we fed on them. When we started threshing on the kolkhoz, there were a lot of
weeds. So we grabbed goosefoot leaves and made porridge." There was
no food available. "In 1933, the only thing we cooked were soups. My aunt
added a little flour, mixed it with water, and we drank it. We had to work so
we needed to get something into us," Domanska explained. At the
time, you could swap a piece of cloth for two potatoes or a piece of bread. It
was impossible to buy anything in a shop with money, she said.
A village stricken by catastrophe The year 1933 was the worst, the
eyewitness recalled, when there were the most deaths. "All the people were
just lying around, one here, another there, some of them already dead. They
stacked up the corpses on top of each other like firewood … and took them to
the graveyard." There was not a single cat or dog left in the
village, Domanska recalls. All of the animals had been eaten. Her aunt even
told her there were cases of cannibalism. "There is nothing worse
than hunger. How can you sleep when you haven't eaten for days? You'll chew on
whatever you can find, leaves from trees, anything. All that matters is that
there is something to eat," she explains.
Under Soviet leadership People could not talk openly about the Holodomor in
Ukraine until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Before then,
you risked being locked up. Historians estimate between 3.5 and 5
million people died from starvation in Ukraine in the 1930s, while the UN
declared in 2003 that between 7 and 10 million people died. In 2006, the
Ukrainian parliament classified Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian
people. The German Parliament recognized it as a genocide in November 2022. After
surviving the Holodomor, Domanska went on to survive World War II. Anyone from
her village who did not starve during the Holodomor died during the war, she
said. Even her father, who had been transported to Siberia, later lost his life
on the frontline. Hanna Domanska is now living through another war:
Russia's war on Ukraine. But she has hope. "Ukraine won't give in to
them," she says, full of confidence. "Ukraine will defeat them."
^ This is the personal story of the Holodomor. Sad and true
for Millions of Ukrainians. ^
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-this-96-year-old-survived-soviet-holodomor-famine/a-67548306
Holodomor
This is a picture of part of an Outdoor Exhibit on the
Holodomor (the Man-Made Famine Stalin used on the Ukrainians in 1932-1933 to
break their Independence Movements and which killed at least 4.5 Million
Ukrainians.) - Kyiv - Ukraine - November 2007.
Friday, November 24, 2023
Avigail Idan
This is Avigail Idan – an American Child taken Hostage by
Hamas since October 7, 2023.
Avigail’s Parents were killed in front of her.
Her Brother and Sister hid in a closet for 14 hours and are
now being taken care of by other family members.
She was not released today (nor were any American Citizens.)
Today (Friday November 24, 2023) she turned 4 years old.
29,273 Air Raids
Since Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 there have been:
29,273 Russian Air Raids throughout Ukraine.
905 Russian Air Raids on the Ukrainian Capital of Kyiv.
Something to think about when you complain about having
Ukraine War Fatigue.
You can see the Air Raid Alerts here:
The 13
49 days later: Hamas on Friday afternoon released the first batch of 13 Hostages
it had been holding since its attack on southern Israel on October 7th, as
agreed upon in a deal between Israel and Hamas which was approved by the
Israeli Government earlier this week.
The hostages who have been freed are:
Margalit Moses, 77, and Adina Moshe, 72, from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Danielle Aloni, 44, and her daughter, Emilia, 5. Danielle was
featured in a recent video published by Hamas as part of its campaign of
psychological terrorism against Israel.
Ruth Munder, 78, her daughter Keren, 54, and Keren’s son,
Ohad, who celebrated his ninth birthday in captivity last month.
Also freed was Hannah Katzir, 77, who recently appeared in a
propaganda video released by the Islamic Jihad. The terrorist group just days
ago falsely claimed that Katzir had died in captivity.
Yaffa Adar, 85, who was seen being driven in her mobility
scooter from Kibbutz Nir Oz to Gaza.
Doron Katz Asher, 34, and, her daughters Raz, 4, and Aviv, 2.
The family’s father, Yoni Asher, had become one of the faces of the campaign to
release the hostages.
Hannah Perry, 79, from Kibbutz NIrim.
244 Hostages are still being held by Hamas.
Disappear When Needed
.jpg)
^ Sad, but true - especially about the United Nations (in
Ukraine, in Israel, etc.) ^
24 Of 224
24 Hostages (11 Thai Nationals and 13 Israelis and Others)
have been released by the Hamas Terrorists after 49 days of Captivity and are
now in Israel.
Of the 250 Innocent Men, Women and Children kidnapped by Hamas
in Israel on October 7, 2023 5 were released before today and 24 were released
today.
That still leaves 224 Men, Women and Children being held by
Hamas.
Bring them ALL home!
ETIAS Moved
From Yahoo/USA Today:
“Europe travel visa requirement delayed to 2025. Here's what
US travelers should know.”
Visiting Europe will soon get (slightly) more complicated and
expensive for most U.S. travelers as new visa requirements take effect. According
to the official travel site of the European Union, visitors from more than 60
countries that are visa-exempt will be required to apply for European Travel
Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) approval ahead of their trips
starting in 2025, after the program's previous 2024 launch plan was delayed.
ETIAS visas are not physical documents but are electronically linked to the
traveler's passport.
U.S. nationals can travel to most E.U. countries without
authorization now, but that ease of movement will change with the new law.
Meanwhile, visitors from many countries have had to apply for similar approval
to travel to the U.S. since 2009. The U.S. Electronic System for Travel
Authorization (ESTA) process is similar to the ETIAS plan.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is the European Travel Information and Authorization
System (ETIAS)? According to E.U. documentation, ETIAS “is an entry requirement
for visa-exempt nationals traveling to any of these 30 European countries.” The
government adds that ETIAS approval is intended only for short-term stays, up
to 90 days in any 180-day period.
How can you apply for an ETIAS visa? When the ETIAS requirement begins in
mid-2025, the E.U. will provide applications through an official website and
mobile app. To apply, travelers will need to provide their passport information
or another travel document to which a visa can be affixed. Parents and legal
guardians can apply on behalf of minors in their care.
How long does ETIAS approval last? ETIAS approval is valid for three
years or until the passport it is registered to expires, whichever comes first.
How much will an ETIAS application cost? The ETIAS processing fee is set at 7
euros ($7.64), but applicants younger than 18 or older than 70 can apply at no
charge.
How long will ETIAS application processing take? According to the E.U., ETIAS approval
should come within minutes for most applicants but can take up to 30 days. The
government encourages travelers to apply well in advance of any trip and
strongly advises travelers to receive their ETIAS approval before purchasing
flights or booking hotel stays.
Can I be denied entry to a country with a valid ETIAS visa? Yes. According to the E.U., travelers
will still be subject to border formalities on arrival, and an ETIAS visa is
not a guarantee for entry.
^ The ETIAS Deadline has been changed so many times that I
wonder if I will live to see its implantation. ^
https://www.yahoo.com/news/more-travel-red-tape-next-105709233.html
Concern Over China
From Reuters:
“Don't press 'pandemic panic button' scientists caution on
China pneumonia report”
Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another
pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more
information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia
clusters among children. "We have to be careful," said Marion
Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who advised the WHO on COVID-19. "We really
need more information, particularly diagnostic information."
Concerns were first sparked internationally by an alert
published on Tuesday by the monitoring service ProMED, part of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases. It called for more information
about "undiagnosed pneumonia - China (Beijing, Liaoning)".
The standard wording of the alert echoed the first-ever
notice about what would become COVID-19, sent on Dec. 30 2019:
"Undiagnosed pneumonia - China (Hubei)." Scientists said the
similarity of the two alerts had stirred as yet unfounded worries the surge may
be caused by another emerging pathogen that could spark a pandemic. They said
based on the information so far, it was more likely to be a rise in other common
respiratory infections like flu, as was seen in many parts of the world after
COVID lockdowns were lifted. It could also signal a resurgence of COVID itself.
The WHO always requests information from countries when
undiagnosed or unknown diseases are reported, which happens fairly regularly.
However, it does not always put out a press release about doing so, as it did
on Wednesday.
Brian McCloskey, a public health expert who also advised WHO
on the pandemic, said: "What we are seeing is WHO's International Health
Regulations system in action", referring to the rules governing how
countries work with WHO on potential outbreaks. "I am not going to push
the pandemic panic button on the basis of what we know so far, but I will be
very keen to see the response to WHO from China and see the WHO’s assessment
following that," he said.
Both the WHO and China have faced questions over transparency
during the early days of COVID. WHO has also since criticised China for
withholding data about infections and deaths when it lifted its
"zero-COVID" measures, as well as about the origins of the pandemic.
China has 24 hours to respond to the WHO under the
regulations. But some said it was unclear if the illnesses reported were
actually undiagnosed. The story which sparked the ProMED alert came from FTV
News in Taiwan on Tuesday. In China itself, there has been a lot of recent
coverage of a rise in respiratory illnesses, including among children. The
authorities there have attributed it to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions
and the circulation of viruses like influenza as well as mycoplasma pneumoniae,
a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children. "There
is a plausible hypothesis that this could be what we have seen in other parts
of the world when restrictions were lifted," said Koopmans, reflecting the
views of all of the scientists Reuters contacted.
Virologist Tom Peacock from Imperial College London, who has
closely tracked the emergence of new coronavirus variants, said there were good
tools available to "pretty rapidly" pick up emerging influenza or
coronaviruses, so it seemed unlikely that this had happened under the radar. "(I)
suspect it may end up being something more mundane or a combination of things -
say COVID, flu, RSV - but hopefully we'll know more soon," he said.
^ Everyone in the World has a right to be concerned with what
is going on in China right now (concerned, but not panicked.)
China lied to the World about Covid-19 back in 2019-2020 and
allowed its Citizens to travel around the World spreading Covid to every corner,
causing a Worldwide Pandemic where 6,981,263 People have died of Covid
(including 1,183,379 Americans.)
The WHO and most of the World did little to nothing to find
out what was going on in China in 2019 and China was and still is very secretive
about Covid and everything else inside their country.
While we should not panic about this new illness trend in
China we definitely should not simply rely on the Chinese or the Chinese
Communist Party to keep the World informed on what is actually going on – been there
and done that. ^
Come On Canada!
From the CBC:
“Aid groups say Ottawa still hampering work in Afghanistan,
despite legislation”
Canadian aid groups say Ottawa hasn't cleared roadblocks that
bar them from getting aid into Afghanistan, despite Parliament passing
legislation this spring and allies issuing carve-outs to their own terrorism
laws nearly two years ago. Until this June, aid workers were vulnerable
to prosecution under the Criminal Code if they paid taxes for labour or goods
to Afghanistan's Taliban government, because doing so would amount to providing
financial support to an entity that Canada lists as a terrorist organization.
Parliament passed Bill C-41 in June, which sought to enact a
blanket exemption for humanitarian workers providing life-saving aid in
response to emergencies. It also committed Ottawa to eventually creating a
permit process for development workers, such as those building schools, to
apply for exemptions to terror laws. In their April budget, the federal
Liberals earmarked $5 million in this fiscal year to vet such applications, and
another $11 million in the following year. But Ottawa still has no timeline for
launching the permit process for development work. And some humanitarian groups
say the blanket exemption isn't enough for them to provide urgent support in
Afghanistan.
World Vision Canada's policy director Martin Fischer says
he's "frustrated and bewildered" that the process is taking so long. "We've
been in touch with Global Affairs and Public Safety at several moments to say
that this regime needs to be put in place with urgency," he said. The
Canadian head of Islamic Relief recently testified at a Senate foreign affairs
committee hearing that there is widespread confusion about how the legislation
works. "It's not moving fast enough," Usama Khan told senators in
late October. "I've heard directly from some aid agencies that it's still
status quo in terms of not being able to deliver aid because there is no
clarity on what is allowed." Khan said that different departments are
giving contradictory information on what counts as humanitarian versus
development aid, since the latter requires a permit.
A Canadian veterans group says roughly 50 Afghans with ties
to Canada have been deported from Pakistan back to Afghanistan. Ottawa says it
is trying to process claims faster during the crackdown. Fischer said
bureaucrats have consulted him on the same question, which he found confusing
since Global Affairs Canada has long-standing definitions that sort out which
initiatives count as reactive humanitarian projects and which are proactive
development work. "It's hard to understand why the machinery of government
is having a hard time putting in place what should be a pretty straightforward
bureaucratic process," Fischer said. He also noted that the humanitarian
exemption that took effect immediately in June has worked for some projects.
Fischer said it's allowed World Vision Canada to proceed with health and
nutrition work in Afghanistan, though they still can't do work to advance
women's rights without a permit.
Public Safety Canada would not provide any detailed
explanation of what's holding up the process, or say when groups will be able
to apply for permits for development work. "The work on implementation of
the authorization regime is underway," spokesperson Louis-Carl
Brissette-Lesage said in a written statement. "Government departments and
agencies are working diligently towards being able to start accepting and
processing applications."
Khan and Fischer both said that charities are unclear about
how information they provide to Ottawa regarding projects operating in
Afghanistan will be handled. The sector isn't sure which privacy protections
the federal government will uphold when it comes to Canadians and local staff
who are working on projects in Afghanistan that may put them at risk or draw
scrutiny from the Taliban. "It's not clarified in the legislation itself.
The (departmental) guidance needs to clarify that," Fischer said. He noted
that the legislation includes a mandatory review set to take place next June.
He said he worries the system will start operating so late that charities won't
have enough experience using the law to suggest how it can be changed.
MPs first called for the issue to be resolved in June 2022,
noting that the U.S., Australia and multiple European countries had already
found ways for aid workers to help people in Afghanistan without facing
terrorism charges. The United Nations has determined that two-thirds of the
country's population need humanitarian aid. "Afghanistan is facing an
unprecedented humanitarian crisis with a serious risk of systemic collapse and
human catastrophe," reads the latest update from the UN's lead
humanitarian agency. The country is beset by economic decline, malnutrition,
global inflation shocks, a teetering health system and natural disasters.
^ Come on Canada! You would think that after 2+ years and
with other Countries (like the US) able to find ways to supply money to Aid
Groups, but not to the Taliban Canada would be able to do the same. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-afghanistan-aid-work-1.7037932
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