First, They Came For Disabled People

Hello,

For the past two weekends I had the privilege to see Orange County Community College's production of "The Diary of Anne Frank". My sister played Margot Frank (and did a great job btw) so I saw the show four times. Watching the story of the Frank family, the van Pel family, and Mr. Pfeffer reminded me of several things. The first being NEVER ever hate someone because of who they are and what they cannot control. The show also reminded me to always be thankful for what you have, while Anne Frank was frustrated with the conditions in the annex, she knew it was paradise compared to the concentration camps.

Seeing the show made me so grateful to be living in the time that I do in the place that I do. If I was alive in Europe during the Holocaust and did not escape, my death would have been a near certainty. Along with the fact that I am Jewish, I'm also disabled. The Nazis targeted the disabled community first. Over 250,000 disabled individuals perished in the holocaust. People with genetic abnormalities were also sterilized, so if I wasn't killed I would have been sterilized at the very least. It's absolutely revolting to think that people would have wanted me dead for being a disabled Jew.

 I am thankful that times have changed for the most part we must remember that it is never okay to harm someone because they are different, regardless of the scale of the harm. So to the people who think I'm going to hell because I'm a Jew, to the people who teased me because I'm a cripple, it is that kind of behavior that allowed the Holocaust to happen. We cannot allow a tragedy like that again, never again.

For more information on the disabled victims of the Holocaust, go HERE.

Crippie's Tippie- Do not hate, as Anne Frank said "all people are truly good at heart".