YP Letters: Ghettos were creations of Nazi Germany

YOUR correspondent, Anthony Clavane, has made a mistake in his article “Facts of Holocaust face a war on truth” (The Yorkshire Post, March 18).

Second sentence: “On March 17, 1942, 15,000 Jews, transported by train from a Polish ghetto to the Belzec camp, were gassed by the SS.” The ghettos, just like the concentration and death camps, were not Polish. The ghettos were created by Germany after the German invasion and brutal German occupation of Poland. Therefore, it is misleading and factually inaccurate to describe these places as Polish.

This is also incorrect: “Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the opening of the first Nazi extermination camp.” No, it was not. Chelmno was the first German extermination camp and in could be argued that it was not in occupied Poland since Germany had annexed that area into the German Third Reich to provide “Lebensraum” for the German people.

Your correspondent, when writing about the Holocaust, was unable to use the word German to describe the perpetrators, or mention the occupation of Poland. The SS, Nazis and “Operation Reinhard” were all German, as was the responsibility for the Holocaust.

Making such mistakes in an article about Holocaust facts and a “war on truth” is deeply ironic.

From: Yvonne Kowalczewski, Boston.

PLEASE be assured there was no such thing as a “Polish ghetto”. The ghettos in wartime-occupied Poland were established and operated by Germans following their invasion of Poland.

Prior to the Second World War, there were no restrictions on where Jews were permitted to live in Poland. This is the truth and a fact, not a matter of “opinion”.

Furthermore, it is curious that while Mr Clavane purports to defend the truth, throughout his article he hides the German perpetrators behind the nebulous term “Nazi”. There was never a “Nazi” nationality.

While it is the writer’s choice to disguise the identity of the perpetrators of the Holocaust, it is certainly not his right – even in an opinion piece – to mislead readers about who was responsible for the ghettos where Germans herded and imprisoned Jews. The ghettos were not Polish.

Step down over rant

From: Bob Watson, Springfield Road, Baildon.

BRADFORD Council’s Conservative group leader Simon Cooke has called on West Yorkshire Combined Authority chairman Peter Box to resign following his devolution attack on Northern Powerhouse Minister Andrew Percy (The Yorkshire Post, March 16).

That angry rant really cannot have done the region any favours while a devolution deal is still far from agreed.

Indeed, it is the view of many that Councillor Box, who is also the Labour leader of Wakefield Council, has all along been far more interested in protecting his own – and his party’s – position rather than trying to complete a deal for the good of Yorkshire as a whole.

Personally I can think of nothing worse than a devolved authority run by Coun Box, so Simon Cooke’s call is much welcomed, although the former will, sadly, no doubt just ignore it and carry on regardless.

Bone of contention

From: A & L Bridgman, Hawthorn Avenue, Sheffield.

IN response to correspondence in respect of dogs in restaurants. we visit fantastic Whitby for at least one week a year, but have found the problem of dog mess getting worse year on year.

Bins are provided but not necessarily used, so half the visit is spent watching the pavements rather than all the other interesting sights.

My husband won’t visit the ice cream parlour on the harbour side as last year our visit was spoiled by a rather large smelly dog.

As usual, it is a case of irresponsible owners not controlling their pets and only thinking of themselves.

We don’t dislike dogs and a well-trained dog is a fantastic pet, but things seem to have got a little out of hand.

Food comment in poor taste

From: Shirley Nunns, Glaisdale.

I QUITE agree with your letter from Ron Goldthorpe regarding Prue Leith (whom I had never heard of) and her comments about hospital food.

I have just been admitted to James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough, and like Mr Goldthorpe, I, too, cannot praise the NHS enough – the nurses and tea ladies were exemplary and the food was first class, every meal.

I am sick and tired of the media, including The Yorkshire Post, making negative comments about the NHS.

Maybe some of those people, including Ms Leith, should visit hospital for a few days – they could see just how lucky we all are to have this wonderful free service.

Council needs to bulk up

From: Shaun Kavanagh, Morley.

THERE is a distinct likelihood of Leeds City Council removing yet another service to its residents unless they pay LCC for the long established “free” uplift of unwanted bulky household items.

Many residents will have extreme difficulty in taking such items to the council’s waste disposal sites. This will ultimately result in the abandonment of those items in public areas.

LCC suggest a small charge will perhaps work, but let’s not kid ourselves – it’s just another way of taking money out of the pockets of residents yet again.