For most people, I believe the word Nazi refers to Germans who were ultra-nationalistic and wanted all Jews killed. That's not how they saw themselves. They saw themselves as socialists who felt certain races were superior to others.
An interesting thing about memory is we replace earlier memories with later memories. For example, if you were friends with someone for a few months and then hated them for a couple of years, you'd probably forget you ever liked them or had a good time with them.
So there's lot about Germany that has been forgotten. (or buried for anyone looking at them today). For example, the Germans didn't set out to kill Jews from the beginning. They first started killing the mentally ill. And other countries, like Lithuania, didn't seem to need much prompting from the Germans.
My take is there was a European wide pogram against the Jews in the late 30s. The U.S. knew about the concentration camps. For our convenience and shame we blame Germany. But it wasn't that simple.
That's more clarification why I believe tarring Ukraine with the Nazi brush is misplaced. There are "Nazis" everywhere, as there were in Madison Square Garden NYC in the 1930s. Are the Nazis in Ukraine better/worse than those in Russia?
I think what you mean is antisemitism in Ukraine is a serious problem.
In your comment you say the same thing I'm saying. There are Ukrainian racists who want everyone non-Ukrainian driven out of Ukraine.
This would be a LONG and DEEP conversation ;) But I believe Jews have overplayed their hand, so to speak. My father was Jewish. 100+ of my family died in the Holocaust. So I hope you'll grant me some freedom to speak on this subject.
Post WWII Jews enjoyed tremendous success both due to their initiative AND support given by the West out of guilt. Does Israel exist because the world appreciated Jews after WWII? Or does Israel exist because Europe got tired of housing 2 millions Jews they didn't want? Again, all stuff buried and simplified.
What kind of Jews are your acquaintances? Are they orthodox? Secular? Are they Russian too? Is Russian their first language? Where were they before Ukraine? Where IN Ukraine are they? And where are these Ukrainian Nazis from?
I have no doubt there are people in Ukraine I'd call Nazis. There are many in various parts of the U.S. Indeed, there are many towns in the U.S. that if you were a Jew, and moved there, you'd feel threatened.
Jews are 0.2% of the World. There is NO safe place for Jews. So it's not that I disagree with you that there are Jews feeling threatened in Ukraine. The question is, why is that a top issue to consider in the Russo-Ukrainian war?
