Speak for Those who Cant Speak for Themselves

This past week marked 85 years since Kristallnacht, known in English as the night of broken glass.? On the eve of November 9 into the early hours of November 10, 1938, two factions of the Nazi party in combination with the Hitler Youth movement, set out for violence and destruction as a message.? They destroyed more than 7000 Jewish owned businesses, Jewish homes, and Jewish Synagogues throughout Germany and Austria.? These terrorists captured and imprisoned more than 30,000 Jews and killed approximately 100.? This was the beginning of Hitler’s Holocaust.

My Grandparents, German Jews, were fortunate to flee the country in the following days, but had left many friends, family and even their own parents behind who later perished at the hands of pure evil. ?In my home I have a paradox of the tail of two stories. One wall baring the last letters my grandfather’s parents wrote from their imprisonment in Dachau before their death and another baring my grandmother’s parents US naturalization papers and a picture of the ship that brought them to freedom.

The Jewish people did not fight back against the elected leadership of the Nazi party and more than 6 million were ultimately kidnapped into concentrations camps like my great-grandparents, murdered in a systematic fashion, and burned in death pits or crematory ovens.? When the Jewish people did not fight for themselves, no-one else fought for them either.? Not until the United States entered the war and liberated the camps, did anyone hear their plight.

The Jewish people have survived bigotry, antisemitism, and all attempts at annihilation since the exodus from Egypt from the grips of Pharaoh as described in the Old Testament.? They returned to the land of Israel where they were originally taken from to be slaves of Pharaoh and reclaimed the land they came from.? After the liberation from the Nazi’s, Jews once again flocked to Israel, the holy land, and for the final time, declared through statehood, that this was their home, yet opened their home to Christians, Muslims and anyone that wished to live alongside them in peace.? Jews around the world celebrated this permanency of their place in modern history and vowed that NEVER AGAIN will they be victims, and will always be victors, regardless of the hate bestowed upon them.

So, following the Hamas terror attacks on the Jewish people of Israel on October 7, 2023 the Jewish people and the State of Israel (made up of Jews, Christians and Muslims) fought back.? They will continue to fight back until the threat to their existance has been eliminated.? The use of force is justified.? The US support is warranted and justified.? Jews standing up for themselves is justified.? Today I stand in solidarity with the 100,000 Jews and supporters who have taken to The Mall in Washington, DC to be heard.? They have done so peacefully, in prayer and with respect.? They speak for the 6 million who did not, they speak for other Nation States who did not, they speak for the Jews of the World who all vow, NEVER AGAIN!

NOTE: May the event remain peaceful and free from provocation.? My thoughts are also with the dedicated law enforcement professionals who are charged with keeping the peace and who, if called upon, will act with bravery and courage.? Our Nation’s police officers are the thin line between order and chaos.

David Berez is a retired Police Officer and Drug Recognition Expert, having served more than 20 years with the East Windsor Police Department and a total of 33 years in Emergency Services, including EMS and OEM. Following his retirement, Mr. Berez is now the President and Founder of Six4 Consultants, a Public Safety Consulting Firm. Mr. Berez is also the autor of A Resilient Life: A Cops Journey in Pursuit of Purpose , featured columnist, guest speaker and panelist on a variety of Public Safety discussions. In September of 2020, Mr. Berez was trained as a Resiliency Program Officer and Master Master Resiliency Trainer. He is a facilitator for "Resilient Minds on the Front Lines ," "The Power of our Story, " and is working to grow Resiliency for Law Enforcement Retirees in NJ with the State's Resilience Program. In 2022, Mr. Berez was named to the Law Enforcement Advisory Counsel for Citizens Behind the Badge . Mr. Berez is currently earning his Masters of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania

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