On December 6, 1865, Congress passed the 13th amendment abolishing slavery in the United States. For nearly a century and a half, it has been illegal for anyone of any color to be enslaved within the boundaries of this great country. Since that time, black citizens have struggled to find equality in all aspects of American existence. But racial inequality has not been a priority in other parts of the world.

In Florida, a principal is fighting to keep his job after denying the holocaust to be a factual historical event. Sadly, there are many in the world that deny the facts of the holocaust.

People were sick of Jews. Common folk just wanted their lives to matter. For their story to have validity. In the end, only German lives mattered. Just 73 years ago, Germany enacted several laws aimed at not only rescinding civil rights to Jews but also aimed at rescinding human rights. The Nuremberg Laws would ultimately strip Jews of citizenship and human dignity:

• Marriages between Jews and citizens of German or kindred blood are forbidden.
• Sexual relations outside marriage between Jews and nationals of German or kindred blood are forbidden.
• Jews will not be permitted to employ female citizens of German or kindred blood as domestic servants (another word for SLAVERY!).
• Jews are forbidden to display the German national flag or the national colors. On the other hand, they are permitted to display the Jewish flag colors.

Imagine having full citizenship in a country but be forbidden to display the country’s flag! And this happened 75 years AFTER slavery in America had ENDED!

The ultimate capitulation would come as Jews were not just systemically discriminated against (Yes, I’m looking at you, BLM!), but they were routinely hunted and rounded up by government forces, herded into cattle cars, and branded by a government numbering system to identify individuals. Hoards of Jewish PEOPLE were shipped to camps like Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Belzec to be exterminated. Few survived. Below is the recent photo of four men who arrived at Auschwitz the same day and have tattooed numbers within ten digits of each other.

How do we still not HATE Germany for this? What freaking BARBARIANS!

Genocide is the systemic destruction of a race of humans through murder. While slavery in the US is an inexcusable flaw in the history of this country. And while systemic racism may indeed still lurk in the dark corners of our government and society, this country has never ordered, from a government level, the systematic and unilateral destruction of any race of citizens. Has it been difficult? Absolutely! Should we all try harder? Absolutely! Should we hunt down and eliminate systemic racism? Absolutely! But what does BLM have in common with the plight of the Jewish people? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Color has NOTHING to do with anything. It is a matter of human dignity and the sanctity of life.

The inconvenient truth is the truth that is never told. Black lives matter. But, Jewish lives matter too. Blue lives matter. Brown lives matter. Yellow lives matter. Red lives matter. All lives matter. No story can be elevated above another. To believe one story to have more significance over another smacks of ignorance and intolerance, and slowly meanders down the road towards genocide. Sadly, we learn from history that we don’t learn from history.

For the love of all that is good and just, and fair, and dignified, let us affirm to these three Jewish survivors that THEIR LIVES MATTER!