Hitler

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait another moment before starting to improve the world.”

            -Anne Frank

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“Hitler was amazing,” Nisrine described her assignment. “He was the president of Germany. He was a powerful speaker and wasn't afraid of anything.”

The assignment was to describe a historical figure in English. She was my best student, always participating. On any other day, she was a joy to have in class. I let her finish her praise for Hitler and discussed my horror with her.

“Well, your grammar is great. But, do you really think Hitler was great? He started World War Two. He killed lots of people!”

“Yea, I know. But I just like how powerful his personality was. He just wanted what was best for his country.”

“He was bad. He killed lots of people!”

“What about America? You dropped the atomic bomb. What about that?”

“The atomic bombs were different. They ended the war.”

“Hitler was just trying to do what was best for his country.”

Our debate fizzled, our perspectives out of sync.

In Western education Adolf Hitler is the epitome of evil. He was Satan in human form. When I hear “Hitler” my gut reacts the same way as if someone were swearing at me. His swastika has become a symbol of terror. No one would dare name their kid Adolf anymore.

In Morocco, Hitler is just another name in the history textbook. He’s another politician that did some good things and some bad things. Plenty of people dislike him, but it isn't the same passionate hate you would find in Europe of America. From an Arab perspective, understanding of the holocaust is less emotionally driven. History changes according to culture.

When I was learning American history in eighth grade I remember Andrew Jackson being pretty cool. My textbook described how he fought hard to take power from the wealthy elite and distribute it to the struggling yeomen farmers. There was a small blurb in the book about the trail of tears, but that was boring. The lies and treachery and murder were boring. I overlooked his shortcomings in terms of Native American relations and regarded him as a hero. Of course, if the Seminoles had been the ultimate winners in American history, Andrew Jackson would have developed into a Hitler like symbol.

Christopher Columbus was a hero for centuries. Only very recently has his status begun to decline. He used to symbolize discovery. America owed its existence to his courage. Now, western education is beginning to understand that his discovery was hardly anything more than a stroke of luck. He ruled as the governor of Hispaniola, using torture and terror to maintain control. Textbooks are beginning to consider him as a historical villain rather than a hero.

Nisrine’s praise for Hitler was not an indication of a screwed up evil soul. She did not study history from the same Euro-centric perspective as I had. While students in America are trained to understand that Hitler is the epitome of evil, Nisrine had studied him in the same way I had studied Andrew Jackson and Christopher Columbus. Just another name.

It was unfortunate that she admired Hitler, but it didn't depress me until months later. Hitler had found his was into my lesson again. I don’t remember how. In front of a crowded classroom, Nisrine explained why she admired Hitler.

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“He killed Jews. You know the people in Israel that are killing everyone in Palestine? They are so evil. But Hitler killed them. So, there!” She turned to me to make sure I understood her new argument. “That’s why I think Hitler was great. He killed Jews.”

I was speechless. I would wait until after class to approach her. This was not excusable according to cultural or historical perspective. It was racist. It was hateful. Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon attitude in Morocco. The conflict between Palestine and Israel is a heated issue in the Arab world. The struggle in Palestine represents Arabs’ repeated failures for at freedom. For some individuals, political frustration gets tangled with Antisemitism.

“You can’t do that. The war in Palestine is between politicians. You can’t say Jews are bad. You can never say a group of people is one thing.”

“Have you seen the news? Do you see all the Palestinians dying? Nobody cares! You know my family was all crying last night. It’s like there are these horrible things happening and nobody is doing anything. The Jewish people have all this power and they kill the poor Palestinians.”

“Listen. You can say that the people doing the war are bad, but you cannot say that Jewish people are bad. You know, they are normal people in Israel just like here. There are shop keepers and teachers and they try to live normal lives like us.”

Changing the way somebody thinks about and understands the world is not like a switch. By saying the right thing the light will not turn on or off. Only experience can change the way somebody thinks. It takes time. Months later I realized an experience that could help.

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“She was only 14 years old when she started writing in her diary. She had so many ideas and wrote them in a beautiful way. You guys realize to help people and make the world a peaceful place you don’t have to be president. Anne Frank just wrote. And she inspired lots of people.” I was in control. Teaching in front of the class is thrilling when I feel passion for the subject.

“But what happened to her? You say she died when she was 16. Why was she hiding during the war? There is something you are not telling us. What happened?” Nisrine had felt a deep connection with Anne Frank’s quotes.

“Anne Frank was a Jewish. She was hiding for two years with her family because they were afraid of the Nazis. Somebody betrayed them and they were captured. She was sent with her family to a concentration camp. Only the father survived the Holocaust. The rest of the family died. But, even though Anne Frank died, her message lives on. Her ideas and advice continue to reach people around the world. Her life is a sad story. But it is also so beautiful.”

Nobody spoke.

“Our assignment today will be to leave our final message to the world. We are all dead. But, like Anne Frank, we have a final opportunity to leave a message to the world. The whole world will read your message. What will you write?”

After class Nisrine waited for me:

“Thank you. You took the hate away. Now I understand that Jewish people suffer too.”