Year 2, Day 202 (A Piece Of History Off The Beaten Path)

The other day (Friday, to be specific), after I had unloaded in Chattanooga, TN, I was told by Monica (my Fleet Manager) to head to Mt. Juliet, TN (just east of Nashville) to re-power a load from another driver, so that he can go home for his time off. Once Nathan and I were on the road, I received a call from the other driver. He informed me he would be there in Mt. Juliet at around 1530. Having mulled over a thought for a few minutes, I decided to take a slight detour - about 12 miles north of the interstate - to a small Tennessee town named Whitwell.

Whitwell is not a thriving metropolis by any means, but what drew me in that direction is one particular attraction they have: The Holocaust Memorial, located in front of Whitwell Middle School. I won't go into detail as to how that transpired, but I will strongly encourage you to rent (or purchase) the video Paper Clips.

For starters, to see the Memorial, just go to Whitwell Middle School (located at 1 Butterfly Lane, Whitwell, TN 37397), but for visitation after school hours or during Summer, you may get the key from Smith Brother Grocery, about 1 1/2 miles north on TN 28, about 2 blocks north of City Hall (both of which are on the west side of the highway). One thing that's very interesting to note is the Memorial is in an actual railcar, used by the Nazis (built in 1917) to transport the Jews, Polish, etc. to the concentration camps (I chose to take those photos in black & white, mainly for the feel of that era).

There are several plaques, both inside and out, giving different information, as well as memorials to this structure, as well as this tragic time in history.

Inside can be found not only the paper clips that were donated - symbolic of the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust - but also several other interesting artifacts (note: the school has displayed the 6 million paper clips, but has had many more than that donated... they stopped counting after 30 million.).

One thing I found to be very emotional was their grasp of the Judaic traditions, by their addition of a mezuzah on the right side of the entranceway into the Memorial:

I took the opportunity to go on this detour for two reasons: a) I don't travel this way very often, and, b) it would be a very memorable experience that I was able to share with my youngest son... a piece of history that he can carry with him forever.

Year 2, Day 112 (Further Commentary Required)

Today is (so far) quite a nice day. As I make my way through Pennsylvania, I observe the beauty around me; the landscape, the blooming greenery, even the frolicking horses at an occasional farm. The L-rd's handiwork is truly a thing worthy of the awestruck wonder it invokes. I come across many different people from several walks of life. One thing that troubles me is the fact that not only are the Jewish people being vilified by a variety of media outlets, but the fact that people are buying into this. The propaganda that is being passed off is that Israel is a "threat to world peace" (to which PM Netenyahu opined). The last time I checked, it was NOT Jewish people that have been planning terror attacks around the world, NOR pushing for a global mandate of Shariah Law... that would be the Muslims. This diatribe seems to have recently kicked into high gear in the wake of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), a memorial of the travesty known as the Holocaust... which even Mahmoud Ahmadinijad denies ever happened!
It is easy to see that most of history is rewritten by the victors. But in the case of the Holocaust, the true victor is humankind. Yet we still don't learn the lesson, even when our previous generation vowed "never again"... if we did, the tragedies of Darfur, Rwanda, and the recent massacre in France (just to name a few) would never have happened.
When will we learn?
When will we take action?
When will we truly hold our elected "leaders" accountable?
To quote a song title by The Smiths:
"How Soon Is Now?"
- Posted by me

Year 2, Day 110 (A Day Of Remembrance)

Today is a reflection of a dark period in history that should never be forgotten. Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Memorial Day as it's commonly known, is today. A time of great tragedy, and one that could have easily been thwarted. It was a time when the lives of millions were taken senselessly by a dictator who felt these people were less than what he deemed as "socially, or economically, acceptable".

Not only were the lives of 6 million Jews heartlessly taken, but also several million of other nationalities and ethnic backgrounds... all because "they didn't fit" in the "standards" of what he considered as "the master race."

This memorial is also important at a time when various "world leaders" claim the Holocaust "didn't happen", or that is is an "historical fraud".

I've heard that the general population of the mid-40's (as well as some of this generation) claimed, "This is absolutely horrible! This must NEVER happen again!" Has it happened? Have we, as a people, truly prevented something so tragic from being repeated?

Does Rwanda ring a bell?

Choose your words carefully.

Search your history diligently!