The Year of the Rat Reading 17: "Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust's Long Reach into Arab Lands"

I love history, and I really hate having to deny it. I try my best not to. In Kuwait there are a few things I am not supposed to talk about in class: the Persian Gulf, Israel and the Holocaust. The first one I don't mind. The locals call it the Arabian Gulf. I have no problem with that. All countries have words that they use to describe themselves and their region. The last two I definitely have a problem with. Mostly I have a problem with them because the only way to get out of the mess the Middle East finds itself in is through education.
In my backpack today is a book by Amos Oz. It is his memoir of growing up in Israel. I bought it at Virgin Record Store in Kuwait. I can buy books about Israel here but I cannot legally mention it in class. (And people can't legally drink here either if you know what I mean.) I can understand why Arabs wouldn't be too happy with the Israelis. So I can understand why the locals wouldn't want someone to teach them about this country, considering how many Palestinian kids I also teach.
But the Holocaust is different. It is one of the most important events in world history. We need to understand how man acts at his worst and how he sometimes responds in a positive manner at these times. The author of this book decided to go and look for Arabs who helped Jews during World War Two, particularly in North Africa. The author was surprised that no Arabs had been honored at Vad Vesham, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem (http://www.yadvashem.org/). He wondered if he could help bridge the gap between Jews and Arabs by discovering such individuals.
You think that would be easy, but with politics being like it is, it was quite an endeavor. In his exploration he discovers times when Arabs took advantage of Jews, and more importantly finds heroes among the Arab population. The real villian in this story is the Vichy French. They decided to become anti-semetic way before the Germans invaded North Africa.
It seems that there have been a lot more talking between the communities since this book came out. I think it is important. I just wish I could teach my kids the full extent of man's horror.