It’s become almost fashionable (if we can use that term when discussing the Holocaust) to ask why the Allies didn’t bomb Auschwitz (alternatively, the railway lines leading to it) once it became known that Auschwitz was a death camp.

Of course it’s a valid question, but perhaps the question we should be asking is why the Jewish community at the time didn’t take to the streets of London, Jerusalem and New York to insist on it?  That in turn is an unfair question;  apart from the element of disbelief, Jewish communities everywhere were still struggling for acceptance and integration, joining the armed forces of their countries as the best (it was then believed) way to fight Hitler and the Nazis and save Europe’s Jews.  And, all the while not wanting to give ammunition to those who accused the Allies of fighting the Jews’ war.

In our time, a tremendous amount of activism goes into trying to save the life of just one kidnapped Israeli soldier.  This is as it should be, but it makes it even more difficult to put ourselves in the place of those who lived through that inhuman age.

Suffice to say, perhaps we should not be asking of others why they didn’t do what we were unable or unwilling to do for ourselves.  It changes nothing anyway.