Dear Sir,

While Bermuda hosted the 1943 Bermuda Conference which infamously dodged “the Jewish question” during the height of the Nazi Holocaust — eg, see historian David Wynne’s book The Abandonment of the Jews: America & the Holocaust 1941-1945 — it would appear that the level of local knowledge regarding this worst of genocide is woefully lacking or sadly ignored.

Seeking to provide informed and improved local reporting around modern history’s worst genocide, I’ve wondered whether this might not now be the opportune time for The Royal Gazette to consider begin reprinting external views on the matter? One such pertinent example is today’s Jerusalem Post article entitled “Holocaust Remembrance Day: Parallels between Hamas and the Nazis”.

Moreover, permit me to introduce the author of an internationally recognised and inspiring work by a former Bermuda resident whose family had first-hand experiences surrounding the Holocaust. A personal friend, esteemed author, award-winning scriptwriter and editor-in-chief of American Diversity Report, Deborah Levine is the daughter of the Second World War military intelligence officer Aaron Levine, who famously aided the International Military Tribunal’s interrogations of captured Nazi war criminals for the Nuremberg trials.

Significantly, Mr. Levine, also a former resident, was a famed “Ritche Boy” as narrated in Ritche Boy: Untold, Stories of a World War II Liberator. Via this poignant documentary, Deborah shared the wartime letters of her father. The film utilises historic stills and images — including photos of Bermuda! — as well as the voices of several people reading the words of key characters in the letters. No doubt others across Bermuda could benefit from the information imparted, and which could go a long way towards offsetting the surge of online hatred expressed from our shores on social media.

Like Deborah’s March 2023 article for The Forward — “I shared my father’s letters about Nazi horrors with a high school class” — it’s my hope that The Royal Gazette would consider inviting her to also write about this topic, anti-Semitism and possibly serve as an expert resource on these matters.

Deborah is to be commended for seeking to doing more to educate others about the dangers of societal hatred. Hence, she has created a teaching guide for classroom use with her documentary.

TONY REID

Pembroke