My Island Ireland.
The universal catholic church has proved itself the operator of the Charnel House when it comes to morally reprehensible bias and even bigotry. Then, when it comes to antisemitism, the totally lamentable relationship record the church has with Our religious Cousins, has led with the incremental steps for all too many toward hatred. In Ireland in particular, Poland especially, the Religious influence in Community’s across their Country’s had their moral compass both distorted and misdirected.
Here for me, the concern in all of history has not been the confronting of the church’s attitude with the deliberate aims of catholic’s in Fascism to be evidenced. With awareness also of the churches own grass roots intelligence service, the allied intelligence agencies must have shared their knowledge of those gradual steps Hitler took, and more so than has been admitted to. Once we moved away from the rhetoric of Hitler’s Jewish hatred, and to the wholesale Slaughter of 6,000,000 Jews, it becomes incumbent upon someone to raise their heads above the moral and ethical collapse.
In this, the Irish church and Irish g2 are no exception, and as they looked to see if the IRA would become involved, they must have seen Canaris’s Abwehr in light of his own opposition to Hitler. We certainly recognise that the IRA were willing to take Arms from anywhere, to mount the fight against Britains role on the Island. This did not in any way secure for Hitler, nor Eichmann’s RSHA IV B4 offices of Hitler’s Reich Security Main Office, an entry into Ireland as a back door to Britain nor access to Ireland’s 4,000 Jews.
The Final Solution of the Jewish Question would not then be converted into realisation on the Island due to the sheer lack of a willingness of the Irish to engage with Hitler’s terms. There were three things going on, and on this little Island of mine, as the Jewish People were being shredded from all existence, while a World of War raged and this land of ours was divided. At the time, there were not enough boats to take the more than 100,000 Men of Ireland, who wished to confront Hitler and Fascism, that were quick enough to get them all to the battle.
Those Irish who took up the challenge, to defeat a pestilence that was Hitler, sought out the good fight, and it was a fight that stood ahead of the one of Freedom still belonging to them all in their own Country. However, in Europe, and for what the Austrian corporal sought to achieve, this would not only have subjugated a World, Ireland included, it would have slaughtered a further 11,293,300 Jews. Those Jews who still remained, when at The Wannsee Conference of January 20th. 1942, and after more than 1,000,000 Jews had been routinely Slaughtered, the implicating, inculcating and entire complicity of all arms of the Reich was being made.
For those Jews already Murdered, and prior to the Wannsee Conference itself was conducted, had been shot into ravines, ditches and killing pits while others were being gassed in Vans, was recognised. The evidence of the Slaughter undertaken and accomplished was brought to the table by these 2 killer’s:
“..SS Oberfuhrer Dr. Schoengarth Security Police and SD Chief of ..Security Police and ..SD in ..Government General.
SS Sturmbannfuhrer Dr. Lange Security Police and SD Commander of ..Security Police and ..SD for ..General District Latvia ..as Deputy of ..Commander of ..Security Police and ..SD for ..Reich Commissariat ‘Eastland’.” The Wannsee Protocol.
But, and in this overall assessment of the systematic Slaughter, there were 4,000 Jews of Ireland too who would have been sought out for that exact same method of annihilation. For more than 400 years the Irish already had had enough of such oppressions and ransoms, that Irish Men and Women streamed across the Irish Sea to join the British Army. Some of these anti-Fascists were that keen to march, they headed North to Belfast so as to enter Britain from there and join up more immediately.
“..Under proper guidance ..in ..course of ..Final Solution ..Jews are to be allocated for appropriate labor in ..East ..Able bodied Jews ..separated according to sex ..will be taken in large work columns to these areas for work on roads ..in ..course of which action doubtless a large portion will be eliminated by natural causes.” The Wannsee Protocol.
Here too, and what also needs to be remembered, 3,600 of these loyal Irishmen, Men who saw the grave danger of a Nazified Europe, had died and were killed in the conflict. However, and while this amounted to some 7,500 Dead of the whole of Ireland, all of whom had fought together and died as one People in an honourable battle against an even worse tyranny realsied their unity as Irishmen. But, and while the position for those soldiers of the North was a given, they were a part of the United Kingdom, for the Irish Soldier of the South, he was all too often seen as a traitor to the Irish Cause.
“..possible final remnant will ..since it will undoubtedly consist of ..most resistant portion ..have to be treated accordingly ..because it is ..product of natural selection and would ..if released ..act as a ..seed of a new Jewish revival see ..experience of history.” The Wannsee Protocol.
With that in mind, at War’s end the Irish dead were our dead, a fact disregarded when on May 2nd. 1945 Eamonn de Valera signed the German Embassy’s Book of Condolence over Hitler’s suicide. This, at a time when it was clear in all of Europe that Hitler was responsible for some of the worst crimes ever committed against the Jewish People and all of Humanity. Then, when history looks back upon the integrity of the time, it will have to concede that de Valera, who could have struck a deal to harness the unity of the entire Island, refused to enter into any agreement to the detriment of this Ireland!
deValera would have been better serving the Nation, Europe and the World by saving his condolences for those who deserved them. Perhaps when on May 31st 1941 Hitler’s Reich sought to bomb the North Strand in Dublin, killing 28 Irish People, injuring 101 Irish People and making 300 Irish People homeless, this is where Irish sympathies must be expressed. At this point in History too, Reinhard Heydrich and General Eduard Wagner, Wehrmacht Quartermaster, were meeting to agree upon the respective roles and logistics for der Einsatzgruppe, about to Slaughter 1,250,000 Jews in the Baltics, Poland, Byelorussia, the Ukraine and in Russia itself.
Or do we stand with 7,500 of Ireland who gave their lives to defeat the ignoble Austrian and do they yet need condolences. Maybe too that the 6,000,000 Systematically Slaughtered Jews of Europe deserve more than a passing thought, even when 9 of whom were Irish Jews. Or even if he were to consider the some 50/70 millions of those who fought in World War II and lost their lives to prove Fascism has no place amongst us, would sentiment not be better served here. One thing though is so very certain! deValera did not do what Mary Elizabeth Elmes risked her life in achieving, and at risk to her own life.
Here, and what is certain of Mary, and what 200 other Irish People, or all too many other peoples on the Continent of Europe failed to do, was the fact that Mary Elizabeth Elmes saved an additional 200 Jewish Children’s lives. Mary’s story needs to be told as she managed, from the clutches of the most unprecedented and unparalled Slaughter in all of History, a Hitler resolve to murder them all because they were Jews, these more than 200 Jewish Children. For this Righteous Irish Woman speaks louder and more proficiently about the lives worthy of living than any diplomat who failed to grasp the essential in not adorning a book with his scrawl.
“..In ..course of ..practical execution of ..Final Solution ..Europe will be combed through from West to East. Germany proper ..including ..Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ..will have to be handled first due to ..housing problem and additional social and political necessities.” The Wannsee Protocol.
In recording the extraordinary horror of The Holocaust is witnessed to by a memorial to what has been suggested is the only Irish Jewish Citizen to have been Murdered in The Holocaust. This was unveiled in Dublin, Ireland in 2014 but completely misses the exact relationship with The Holocaust that Irish Jews have been confined within. The dedication to Ettie Steinberg is a fitting one for any Jew who was taken from life for being a Jew, and with her Son Leon by her side.
“..evacuated Jews will first be sent ..group by group ..to ..transit Ghettos ..from which they will be transported to ..East.” The Wannsee Protocol.
However, while many now seek to accept that Ettie Steinberg is the only Jew of Ireland to become one of the Slaughtered, we have not done enough to ensure that this is a complete realisation and is not the fuller truth. For any of the 6,000,000 Jews of Europe, who are The Holocaust, we need a more inclusive certainty that links them to the past they used to belong to. Here then, of our Irish Citizens who were Murdered as Jews, we recognise at least 9 of these and must accept responsibility in History for recognising them as ours.
“..SS Obergruppenfuhrer Heydrich went on to say that an important prerequisite for ..evacuation as such is ..exact definition of ..persons involved.” The Wannsee Protocol.
The Edinger’s, Adam, Anna and Frida were all born in Dublin, Mordechai Hertzog was born in Ireland, Lina Merker was born in Dublin, Annie Rohrbach was born in Kerry, the Saks’, Afraim and Jeanne were born in Dublin while Philip Watchman was also born in Ireland. Here we must take note, that Ettie Steinberg, who had resided in Dublin and married Vogtjeck Gluck then left the Island, was born in the Czech Republic. They settled in Antwerp, Belgium in 1937 and both she and their Son Leon, who was born in Anvers, France on March 28th. 1939.
We know too that the whole Family were indeed Murdered in The Holocaust after they were arrested during the French roundups in Nice in 1942 and moved to the holding camp at Drancy. Here, aboard Convoi 27 with some 1,000 Jews, they were all transported away from Drancy on September 2nd. 1942 and toward destrucion at Birkenau. Here, we must assume that of the 800 Jews who arrived, Ettie, Vogtject and Leon Gluck were amongst the 677 Jews immediately Gassed in Birkenau, September 4th. 1942.
Incredibly, Ettie penned a postcard that was to reach her Family in Dublin a postcard that states:
“..Uncle Lechem (Hebrew term for Bread) ..we did not find ..but we found Uncle Tisha B’av (Traditional day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples.)” Ettie Steinberg.
