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Almost 15 years ago I went to a seminar presented by Miami Dade Schools on the Holocaust and the guest speaker was a Holocaust survivor. We teachers (overwhelmingly Jewish with a few others like me mixed in) eagerly listened to his presentation and gasped at the graphic slide show. I made sure I sat front and center to the podium for the "Q & A" session. I happened to be the first teacher called upon. I said my questions had three parts:

#1 "Why didn't you fight back? Why not take up arms against the nazis?"

Answer: "Well the nazi's passed gun control laws YEARS before they put the first one of us on a cattle car to a death camp!"

#2 "I see. Have you ever been to Israel?"

I live there. It has been my home since it was created in 1948."

#3 "What is the incidence of personal firearms ownership in Israel?"

He SLAMS his fist down upon the lecturn and shouts: "All who desire them may have guns! NEVER AGAIN!!!"

Whereupon I swung around to face the audience of 500 or so teachers and asked them:

"Do you UNDERSTAND? Do you SEE the nexus between the ownership of personal firearms and FREEDOM? If you do not now return to your students and tell them, you not only condone the first Holocaust, you invite the Second!" I sat down and there was a shocking silence. None of them would meet my eyes. I knew they wouldn't.

Later at the coffee time, the survivor only wanted to hang around me and talk guns. Everytime somebody walked up to him, he'd snarl at them and they'd scurry away. He knew the gun haters well. He also knew enough about our system to know that I was in trouble. I didn't know, I was a first or second year teacher and a Second Amendment activist. Yes, I was in deep poo poo. When I got back to my high school, I was hauled into the principals office and chewed on for HOURS. That was okay, as a former army Second Lieutenant, I'd been gnawed on by Generals. I'll never sweat a mere principal. But the lasting effect is that I was literally banned from going to the seminar again. Until two years ago.

At that time, I was issued a by name invitation to attend. This time, the Israeli government was running the seminar and they had my name. Apparently, when the survivor returned and briefed them on my predicament, they made a note and when they had the chance they tried to make amends. They didn't even know for sure if I was still a teacher!

I went (this time from a new high school) and was asked to present my point of view. This time, it was a part of the overall presentation. I couldn't believe it. And there was still some "resistance" from American Jewish teachers. But no complaints this time. I was fully vindicated. It felt pretty good.