Air Force Auschwitz-Birkenau Flyover [will happen tommorow by Israeli fighters]

Israel National News ^ | 16:03 Sep 03, '03 / 6 Elul 5763

[yonif]

(IsraelNN.com) Tomorrow Israeli Air Force pilots will fly over the extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. At the same time, a ceremony will take place at Auschwitz where the names of victims of the transport that arrived at Auschwitz on September 4, 1943 will be read. At the request of the Israeli Air Force delegation to Poland, Yad Vashem workers searched the Hall of Names for Pages of Testimony for individuals who were murdered on the same day, 60 years prior to the delegation’s trip.

Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, commented on the significance of the event:

Å“The sight of Israeli planes flying over Auschwitz is a tragic reminder that allied planes flew over Auschwitz in 1944 and could have bombed the gas chambers, but instead bombed only the adjacent oil factories. The Roosevelt administration knew about the mass murder of Jews in Auschwitz, but did not order US planes to bomb the gas chambers, largely because saving Jews would have resulted in more pressure to let the refugees come to the United States.

The Air Force delegation is visiting Poland to honor the Polish Air Force in its 85th year. Prior to its return to Israel, the Israeli delegation will perform a flyover of Auschwitz-Birkenau comprised of three F-15 jets. The flyover represents an integral part of the IDF ceremony, which is in the framework of the project “Witnesses in Uniform.”

During Yad Vashem’s computerized search in its Hall of Names, it was discovered that all of the victims from September 4 arrived at Auschwitz from a transport from Drancy, France that had departed two days earlier (Sept. 2, 1943). 661 of the individuals were sent to their immediate death in the gas chambers within hours of their arrival.

The following are the names taken from Yad Vashem’s Hall of Names that will be read at the ceremony. The actual Pages of Testimony will be in the planes that will fly over the ceremony at the same time.

Sylvain Schnerb, born in Colmar, France, aged 64 Mercado Cohen, born in Istanbul, aged 79 Camille Amar, born in Algeria, aged 44 and children Robert, aged 16, Jacqueline, aged 14, and Silviane, aged 12, all born in France Georges Sasportes, born in Algeria, aged 54 Children of the Atlanti family: Jacqueline, aged 4, Andre, aged 11, Raymond, aged 16 and their parents: Louise, 39 and David, 56. Bernard Kramer, born in Strasbourg, France, aged 20 Elise Abastado, born in Salonika, Greece, aged 56 Leon Loeb, born in Strasbourg, France, aged 38 Gabriel Levy, born in Belfort, France, aged 48 Donna Hasson, born in Istanbul, aged 44 Lea Khoutman, aged 66 and husband, Srowl-Leib, aged 77 both born in Poland Rosa Hoppen-Waldhorn, born in Lasina, Czechoslovakia, aged 56

The head of the delegation, Brig.-Gen. Amir Eschel said, “The Germans and those that helped them tried not only to systematically destroy the Jews, but also to erase all traces of the victims and of the murder itself. In commemorating the victims by reading their names, we attempt to redeem the victims from the ruins and give them back their names and faces.”

Eschel will give a short speech from his plane during the ceremony.

Yad Vashem’s Hall of Names currently holds over 2 million Pages of Testimony, all of which have been digitally scanned. Yad Vashem is taking great strides to digitize all names stored in its databases; until today 3.2 million names have been added to the digitized list. In spring 2004, Yad Vashem will upload the entire list of names to the Internet, allowing international access to the database and the ability for every individual to search for names and to fill out Pages of Testimony via the Internet.

[Imal]

It's a touchy topic, about which I certainly want to know more. Even when armed with overwhelming facts, it is best to use tact in such matters.

[SJackson]

I'm not here to defend FDR. His opposition to Jewish immigration, not to America, the country probably supported him in that, but to Palestine is well known. However there were legitimate tactical reasons not to target the railways. There's nothing connecting the two, which doesn't excust the immigration to Palestine issue.

You're thinking of the St. Louis. Actually, of the just under 1,000 passengers returned to Europe, nearly half are thought to have survived (Britain let several hundred in).

[Imal]

The show of Israeli airpower over a Nazi deathcamp is very poignant to me, and a beautiful symbol.

There is no better way to say "Never again!" than to back it up with the muscle to prevent it from happening.

I hope the tormented, demonic shade of Adolph Hitler might, through some miracle, have seen the final seal of his eternal defeat as Jews, in planes bearing the insignia of a free Jewish nation, flew unopposed over the skies of Germany.

There is an element of spiritual payback in this act.

[Imal]

"Is it true the IAF overflew Damascus recently, in particular the president's compound, while he was there?"

I haven't seen anything regarding Damascus, but it would not surprise me. Israeli jets are known to um, "make their presence known" in all of the neighboring Arab countries from time to time.

While this no doubt rankles their neighbors, Israel apparently feels it's not a bad idea to remind people who's who around there.

Call it "proactive deterrence". :^)

[SJackson]

Not just poetic justice, but facts on the ground.

[Salem]

"The show of Israeli airpower over a Nazi deathcamp is very poignant to me, and a beautiful symbol.

There is no better way to say "Never again!" than to back it up with the muscle to prevent it from happening.

I hope the tormented, demonic shade of Adolph Hitler might, through some miracle, have seen the final seal of his eternal defeat as Jews, in planes bearing the insignia of a free Jewish nation, flew unopposed over the skies of Germany.

There is an element of spiritual payback in this act."

Amen. Praise G-d for this. May the House of Israel walk every day in the knowledge of Him. Shalom Israel, forever.

If you'd like to be on or off this
Christian Supporters of Israel ping list,
please FR mail me. ~
    
Letter To The President In Support Of Israel ~

[Salem]

"And then, on the way home, they can drop off a payload over Gaza."

Ma'am, if things work out in the future in your sphere of influence, in country, I think your tag line should soon read:

Proud Mother Of An IDF Warrior.  

The USMC has those window decals that say as much; the IDF should have the same thing.

[gatex]

“....allied planes flew over Auschwitz in 1944 and could have bombed the gas chambers, but instead bombed only the adjacent oil factories...."

What is the evidence that the people flying/scheduling the missions knew there were gas chambers there.

What was the altitude of the aircraft ?

What was the geographical size of the gas chambers ?

What was the accuracy of the bomb sights ?

[SJackson]

Naah, we'll all just send pizza, ice cream and burgers.

 

[Salem]

Well I'll be a son-of-a-gun. How 'bout that? :-D

http://www.burgeridf.org/

[Salem]