Over the past two years, I’ve done quite a bit of research into the personal stories of people who lived during World War II.  I’ve interviewed people from all over the world.  Some of the things I’ve learned are fascinating.  I was fortunate enough to meet people who grew up during that time and were gracious enough to allow me to interview them.  The stories I gleaned from those who were children at that time told their tales from the eye of a child with the wealth of experience and wisdom hard-earned over many years.  All of us should be so lucky.

As background research I began digging into central aspects of their stories from an adult perspective.  Of course, history is written by the victors, but when one applies the lens of an eye-witness to the contents of a well-worn tome that smells of leather and old parchment, even considering the vast time period between their youthful experience and present day, one begins to dig into more specific treasure troves.

Long before today’s announcement, I found the St. Louis.  The St. Louis was a ship, registered in Hamburg, Germany, that in 1939 sailed to America.  Many of her passengers, 937 to be exact, were German Jews trying to escape the Holocaust.  First Cuba, then America, denied them entry into their countries.  Cuba sent them away due to a growing anti-sematic sentiment in that country and the many protesters that appeared on the docks demanding they be refused entry.  The United States State Department later turned them away, citing the need for them to obtain visas they desperately needed to find safety, indeed to live.  The State Department also told them they had to await their turn in a proverbial line to be considered for visas, the unkindest cut.

The St. Louis turned back, its passengers more than a bit nervous.  The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain agreed to take in the refugees.  The United States, not yet involved in the war, took a stance of, “See?  All’s well that ends well.”  Unfortunately, that was about the time Germany began occupying, invading and bombing these countries in their relentless desire for power and territory, their Fuhrer stirring their nationalistic fervor through promises to the down-trodden, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Arian male of returning their jobs and their splendor after the losses they sustained in World War I, economically and otherwise.  Hitler also used ploys like racial purity, violent rallies, spouting rhetoric—largely false—that aroused both the praise of his followers and their ire toward the new enemy the Fuhrer handed them on a silver platter.  Sound at all familiar?

A friend of mine, who is the Director of HR for an international corporation, just today expressed her overwhelming concern for her charges.  The corporation for which she works employs people from many different countries, of many different races, who practice many different religions, not all of whom are naturalized citizens of the U.S., some of whom are currently overseas for business or to visit their families.  There is now a burning question as to whether some of them, depending upon their status, will be able to reenter because no specifics about this new “policy” were forthcoming upon its announcement.  Nor is it clear whether it is advisable that anyone who is not a U.S. citizen should leave this country at present for fear of being denied reentry, regardless of their visa or work status.

We now find ourselves in an interesting position, which we can choose to do something about, or not.  This is another instance where social activism comes into play.  We have proved it over and over in just the last week: The collective, speaking out as one, pushing back against proposals, policies and actions that are truly out of line, will quickly be walked back.  Think 20% border tax (“It’s just one in a buffet of ideas,”) not airing ads for last minute insurance enrollment (just kidding, we’ll do that after all), and balking on a rapid repeal of the ACA.  Well, that last is more about mid-terms.  Nevertheless, they can’t ignore us and they know it.

Here is an important point that I hope everyone who reads this at least considers:  You and I may not be affected by these new immigration policies at all in this moment, but consider in the volatility of this administration that we may be in future.  Hell, consider how terrified many residents, workers, naturalized citizens and people of faiths other than Christianity are at present.  The question is, will we stand up in our strength, muster all our courage, and fight for liberty and justice for all?  Can we, as individuals in our own communities stand up for others before we turn away people in desperate need of help simply because we are so possessed of cynicism and fear that our hearts are rendered incapable of enough compassion to do the right thing?  “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore.  Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”  When did this become a meaningless sentiment?  When did we lose our resolve?  When did we forget that we are immigrants too?

Back to the extended stay of the residents on the St. Louis out of Hamburg, Germany.  They found temporary respite in the afore-mentioned countries for a time, until Nazi Germany came through, positively foaming at the mouth with nationalistic fervor, devout in their belief that the enemies with which their Fuhrer presented them—the Jews, the Gypsies (yes, them too), and indeed any country that stood in the way of their noble expansion of territory and power—posed a threat that required immediate domination or elimination at any cost.

Of the 937 German Jews fleeing those they once considered countrymen, 532  of the Jewish passengers on the St. Louis quickly found themselves cornered in Nazi territory.  Of them, 254 were killed either in concentration camps or as casualties of war.  That’s 57% thrown directly back into a conflict they were desperate to escape, and 27% dead as a direct result of our lack of understanding, empathy and compassion.  Out of nine hundred and thirty-seven.  Estimates are that around 6 million Jews were brutally exterminated.  How many of them do you suppose were turned away from various countries for various reasons?

I am quite clear, as I’m sure are most of you, about the complexities of our world.  Many things are not what they at first seem.  But sometimes, they are just that.  When leaders begin creating imaginary foes, they are doing one of three things:  They are distracting you from truths they don’t want you to see, they are creating their own truth, or they are molding what you see as your personal truth.  This is how Fuhrers are made.

Should we be cautious?  Yes, on all fronts, and that includes our government.  Prudence demands nothing less than educated progression.  We must always weigh the pros and cons, but we must do so from an informed perspective.  And once in a while, we need to let “the better nature of our angels” weigh in on our decisions.  Remember, we all have but the blink of an eye on this planet.

Make it count.