80 Years After Kristallnacht, Nothing Has Changed

Attacks like the massacre in the Tree Of Life Synagogue nearly two weeks ago do not happen in a vacuum. They start with words, lies and stereotypes that lead to destruction and murder.

80 years ago tonight, Jewish businesses, home and Synagogues in Germany were ransacked and destroyed during what would later be known as Kristallnacht. 30,000 Jewish men were forced into concentration camps and 91 men were killed.

The excuse for Kristallnacht and the shooting in Pittsburgh two weeks ago is the same. It is hatred of the other, of someone who is different, that leads to events like The Holocaust. It feels like nothing has changed. We have learned nothing in 80 years. We allow hate and prejudice to fester until it becomes mass murder. We allow our politicians to twist the facts until they become lies.

A wise person once said the following:

‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it”

I guess history will continue to repeat itself until we learn from it.

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Flashback Friday-Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013-2018)

Expanding one’s world by traveling outside of their home and comfort zone is often the way that many of us grow and change.

Starting in 2013, the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain took viewers around the world in his CNN show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.  Instead of hitting the usual tourist spots, viewers followed Bourdain as he visited parts of the world that don’t often receive a lot of fanfare. During these travels, he would immerse himself in the culture of the people he was visiting and joined them for a meal.

Sadly, Anthony Bourdain took his own life earlier this year. The final season premiered in September, remembering the man who brought the world into living rooms of his viewers. What I loved about this show was that it introduced viewers to people and cultures that they might have ever been introduced to otherwise. To me at least, it was a reminder that at the end of the day, we are all human beings.

I recommend it.