The slogan for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is “Never Again.” Last weekend, two days after the terrorist attack in Paris which killed at least 129 people, I toured the USHMM. And despite America’s glorified intervention in World War II, one thing stood out: Despite the promise of “Never Again,” America is once again standing passive as thousands of displaced Syrians seek refuge.
The United States has a history of shunning those in need. In February 1939, the US rejected a proposal that would allow 20,000 Jewish children to enter the country. Three months later, the United States turned away a boat of 900 German Jews in the fear that Nazi agents may pose as refugees. Of these 900 Jews, nearly one-third died in the Holocaust.
At the time, the US couldn’t anticipate the mass genocide of the Holocaust. Americans were aware of the growing persecution and violence against the Jews, but didn’t feel strongly enough about their mistreatment to allow them safe harbor; instead, fear was stronger. As American University history professor Max Paul Friedman explains, even FDR warned at a press conference that spies have been found among refugees, especially Jewish refugees, whom he believed could easily be coerced to report to German agents. It was not until after discovery of the Final Solution that the US finally lent its aid.
Unfortunately, we haven’t learned from the mistakes we made over 70 years ago. The terrorist attack in Paris has been claimed by the Islamic State. Yet rather than recognizing that these are exactly the extremists Syrian refugees are fleeing, political fear of Muslims has escalated. As of Wednesday, November 18th, about two dozen state governors declared their opposition to admitting Syrian refugees, citing concern of Islamic spies. Yet French President Francois Hollande announced only days after the attack that the country will still accept 30,000 Syrian refugees, claiming it France’s “humanitarian duty” to honor its commitments. The French president said, “We have to reinforce our borders while remaining true to our values.”
Meanwhile, US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has suggested a practice straight out of the Nazi handbook. Trump told Yahoo News that he would consider requiring Muslim-Americans to register with a government database, or mandate that they carry special identification cards that note their faith. The suggestion is not unlike the pre-war Nazi law that required Jews wear a gold Star of David on their clothes. When asked by an NBC reporter of the difference between requiring Muslims to register and the Jews in Nazi Germany, an annoyed Trump told the reported, “You tell me” and walked away.
President Obama has condemned such xenophobic responses as “offensive and hysterical,” mocking conservative leaders for fearing the widows and children seeking refuge in the US. He also condemned the suggestion to allow only Christian refugees, declaring that the Islamic State, “seeks to exploit the idea that there’s war between Islam and the West and when you start seeing individuals in position of responsibility suggesting Christians are more worthy of protection than Muslims are in a war-torn land, that feeds the [Islamic State] narrative.”
Our response to the Syrian refugee crisis is eerily similar to that of government leaders at the dawn of WWII. As E. Randol Schoenberg, president of the L.A. Museum of the Holocaust, said, “During World War II, this type of fear meant that millions of honest, innocent people were unable to escape their murderers. I hope we don’t make that same mistake again.”
We are a country built on immigrants; to turn away Syrian refugees is decidedly un-American. And unlike our 1939 counterparts, we are aware of the terror these refugees face. Today, we have the chance to make up for our history as bigoted cowards. We must lead the world in compassion and live up to our promise of “Never Again” to prevent an atrocity that rivals the Holocaust.
