About a year ago Jane and I met a Holocaust survivor whose name, for my purposes, will be Josef Vekkony. An author of a ghost-written book about his experiences during the Holocaust, he lectures around Henderson, Nevada and elsewhere. He is probably past seventy and is a retired businessman. Something of a celebrity here, I now view him as the Holocaust “expert,” used by jewish agencies when next faced with an oubreak of anti-Semitism. All this back story is necessary as I was readily repelled when he gave me his business card which listed him as a Holocaust survivor — that was a new one on me. In fact, shortly after I wrote an extended short story called “Shoah Business,” exploring in fiction the correspondence he and I might have over this issue. I was really annoyed by his aggrandisement. I never published it. I believe Josef Vekkony is oblivious to what he is and what he does — welcome to the world.
I recall giving him my book and receiving his which I read. I never heard from him again, although I expected he might read my book and get back to me on it; but that was not to be and I soon gave up on that wish. During the year there was a scene in a local high school in which a gym teacher made remarks that essentially denied that the Holocaust had ever occurred. Local jewish groups got involved; Mr. Vekkony was called in to talk to a large group and gave what I imagine is his silver bullet speech. I caught that talk on YouTube and was appalled in how he dealt with the students. After all, he is not a teacher but some of his techniques were ridiculous and more than ineffective — more on that later on. (I was so aggravated by his performance that I spent time drafting a letter to a local newspaper about it; it went unpublished.) Apparently he is the local Jewish fireman on call to put out anti -Jewish blazes. If you want to read my take on the Holocaust, see “On the Holocaust,” in Pages on this site; I gave it to a group of survivors and military personnel at an air force base in Arizona, about three years ago.
I am offended by Shoah business, the subtle and blatant kind. Enough said! On Sunday 27 June I received this e-mail from LinkedIn.
Matt,
I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.
-Josef
All the latent anger emerged. Jane and I chatted. She knew my anger and suggested that I may want to play the game, that is, connect up with him, that my book on the Holocaust might get some readership and whatever else the politically correct way might do for me. Jane presented an option, but she knew that was not the way I would go. I sent this e-mail.
Mr. Vekkony: I read your book; you did not read mine or you did not respond; in any case, I have significant differences in how you go about presenting yourself. A Holocaust survivor is not an occupation which you apparently feel it is. Here we part. I will not become part of your network which only serves to advance your own narrow needs.
There is a curious synchronicity here; the other day I really considered to dispose of Vekkony’s book as I had enough of him as well (in trash now). The book reminded me of his narcissism if not grandiosity. in any case, after a year or more, he writes me so that we can link up professionally, ah the world of the business mind. Clearly he was scouring through business cards to extend his network — but not one word to another author about the Holocaust. Or to even say hello.
Vekkony answered the e-mail within minutes: here it is as it appeared with spelling errors, etc.
You are Right Holoasust Survivor is not an occupation. Under choices opf occupation, Retired or Lectuer was not listed. I did not list myself as a Holocaust survivor, but as a Phylantropist. “As to serve my narrow needs.” World wide there are around 140,000 people, who have listened, to my 560 lectures. At home I’ve around 7,000Letters, from my followers. You will have a hard time to convince these people. You are entitled to your opinion. By the way what was the title of your book? I’m getting a lot oof b ooks to read. May be I’ve not yours. No hard feeling on my side. god bless you and have a great life. Sincerely Josef Vekkony.
When I met him a year back, he made special note to Jane and I of how many lectures he had given! Tragic. I thought less is more applies not only to architecture but to life, to writing especially.
I wrote back:
You condemn yourself by your own words — you have “followers”; I have your business card given to me by you which lists you as a Holocaust survivor; yes, I am angry at you because you are into Shoah business and have very little insight into your own behaviors. I also watched you with young people at a recent school event and you simply have no idea how to deal with these kind of children — “Repeat after me, Never again!” {Jane finds that “refrain” personally distasteful.} Are you so simple that you believe people will change because of your exhortations? You are the one with the narrow mind; as an English teacher and psychotherapist I know what I am speaking about. You don’t. Any further correspondence will be deleted.
I had so much more to say but I left it at that.
I have no grand conclusion to come up with. It’s not the first nor last time that Jews will differ over the meaning(s) of the Holocaust; but I will not have it merchandised, especially by a dim-witted Jew who hasn’t the foggiest notion of what he is about. Survivors are human beings not immortals — I direct you, once again, to “On the Holocaust” at this site for further clarification of my point of view.
Shoah Business
Here in Las Vegas a secondary school teacher told her class that claims about the Holocaust were not so, the usual mouthings of someone out of control on primary levels of who she is. The whole discussion about deniers involves many layers of disquisition and analysis. In any case her inflammatory comments did not belong in the classroom. Word spread and the event hit the papers, here in Las Vegas, really a pretentious boonie town. I associate to Miss Kitty’s bar in “Gunsmoke,” all kinds of riff raff. When you read the local papers you get a stringent conservatism that is not quaint, but primal. Glen Beck is their man.
One thing led to another and the ADL and the school district got together to give a presentation to the students and staff. (Hey, how about reworking the curricula or courses for the staff? — not on your casino chip.) Needless to say, some students sided with the teacher who was transferred out of the school; her fate to be determined at a later date. They invited Stephen Nasser, a Holocaust survivor, who published his own book on his travails. I have met Mr.Nasser and I have read his book which was ghost-written. Mr.Nasser and I exchanged books; he never contacted me which I sense is because my book, in his eyes, is aberrant. In any case he gave me his business card which stated he was a Holocaust survivor and that phrase itself riled me. I had the sense that he was merchandising his book, himself and his memory; no doubt he means well and believes he is doing good deeds. Perhaps. He is a witness. For me he had turned it all into Shoah business.
I was unnerved and within a few weeks had written a short story for my book dealing with his approach and new venture in life. I truly believe he has no idea of what he is doing. I put the story away as it was heated, but fair, and I may go back to it again, given recent events. I came across a blurb which gave a website for the Las Vegas Review Journal’s video of Nasser’s school presentation. It did not give it all but enough for me to know exactly how he presented himself. A clue to all this is that upon our initial meeting months ago he gave me the exact number of lectures he had given on his life — perhaps a thousand or so; in that is all you need to know to extract a truth about him. He is not a teacher, he does not know, I believe, how to deal with young students.
Below is my letter to the editor of the newspaper about his talk: see the video at: http://www.lvrj.com/holocaust
Recently, I viewed on your web site Stephen Nasser’s talk to students at the Northwest Technical Academy in response to Lori Sublette’s remarkable dense statements about the Holocaust. I have read Mr. Nasser’s book and I have met him in person, in fact, we exchanged books — I read his. At that time I was considerably put off by his “business card.” It read, in part, Holocaust Survivor. I could not find that title in the Directory of Occupational Titles. Unfortunately, Shoah business continues.
I have written intensely about survivors in my fiction and I have worked with a few survivors in my psychotherapy practice. Unwittingly the traumatizing experiences Mr. Nasser has endured have led him astray. What I found remarkably obtuse was that he asked students at the close of his remarks to say after him, “Never Again.” Does it all come down to this clumsy use of a trite and hackneyed phrase?
Indeed, my talk on Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2007 at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona before survivors and their families as well as servicemen took a completely different tack [See “On the Holocaust,” under pages]. Examining the Holocaust mandates more than showing slides of victims in boxcars; it is man’s nature that is on trial here. Apparently it is the species that creates willing executioners. Mr. Nasser had a chance to assist his audience in comprehending their own deficits, to look inwardly. Shoah business merchandises platitudes, capitalizing on the inherent horrors of the Holocaust. In the words of Holocaust scholar Robert Langer, we “sweeten” it. Quite unsettling to observe staff, speaker and opportunity squandered on sanitizing it. Nothing has changed. Curricula merrily goes on bereft of insight.
Holocaust denial has to be dealt with on a more profound level than evinced by this school district. (Indeed, a different kind of denial is in place.) The audience heard another talk on the Holocaust, a survivor came in to assuage their consciences, and everybody collectively colluded in making nice.
–As of this date, it has not been published, but you get a look at it.
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Posted in Commentary, Politics
Tagged Holocaust survivor, Lori Sublette Holocaust denier, Shoah business, Stephen Nasser