The Not so Good Samaritan

A widely known parable called “The Good Samaritan,” tells a story of a Jewish man left for dead on the side of the road. By chance a priest came his way, but the priest averted his eyes and continued walking. Then came by a Levite who was also an official of the church, but once again the Jewish man was ignored and left to perish. Afterwards a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews, walked by and the parable ends with the Samaritan caring for and saving the life of the beaten Jewish man (Luke 10:25-37). The parable, told by Jesus in the Bible, applies to several aspects of life and history such as the United States of America’s involvement in the Holocaust. America abandoned the Jews and was wrong in doing so. The United States should have been more involved in the Holocaust because it was their duty as the world super power, the foundation of their government is based on Judeo-Christian values, and because America’s forefathers fought for the liberty of others. America during the time of the Holocaust was considered one of the most powerful nations in the world. As the most powerful nation, it was America’s duty to bring aid to those in great need, just as the “Good Samaritan” did. At the time, America was an almost perfect model of democracy, success and freedom. Yet on the other side of the globe, Hitler’s regime was stripping all non-Aryans, specifically Jews, of their civil rights and ultimately their humanity. America sat in silence while millions of innocent people were being massacred. During World War II the United States took virtually no action to impede the Holocaust or rescue the victims from the concentration camps even though “both Great Britain and the United States knew about the genocide” (Holocaust Encyclopedia. Web.). David Wyman, a gifted thinker and historian, tells of a shocking and painful truth in his book, The Abandonment of the Jews. Wyman states that, “more than two dozen Jewish leaders called on the Allies to bomb the Auschwitz death camp.