The Holocaust, Hollywood and the Ten Commandments

The Holocaust, Hollywood and the Ten Commandments
by David W. New, Esq.
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 
 
     If you listed the parts of the Bible that most Americans are familiar with, it would be difficult to know which part of the Bible has influenced America more.  The Sermon on the Mount is very popular. The Story of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are popular as well. Secularists who have no interest in religion like the Golden Rule a lot. They think the Golden Rule is a good standard for everyone to live by. Bible stories have inspired American art, literature and music for generations. Clearly, the Bible is very popular in America.
     However, if you made a list of the'Top One Hundred Hits' for the Bible in America, it is likely that the Ten Commandments would be in the No. 1 spot. The Ten Commandments have had an enormous impact on the thinking of Americans. If you talk to people about why something is 'right' or 'wrong'– at some point most of us will turn to the Ten Commandments. We consider the Ten Commandments to be the ultimate authority for morality.
     Much to the disgust of Christopher Hitchens, the best-selling author of "God Is Not Great," the image of Charlton Heston as Moses in the 1956 movie "The Ten Commandments" continues to influence our national psyche. Americans love the Ten Commandments. We wear them as jewelry and fight to display them at the Courthouse. 
     What is special about the Ten Commandments is the extent to which they have affected public opinion. I have recently learned of how the Ten Commandments influenced public opinion in a very important way.
      During World War II, the Ten Commandments was a major tool used to inform the American people of the Nazi Holocaust.
     This is an incredible story. It's a story that needs to be told often. If anyone needs an example of the good that the Bible has done for America, this is the story to tell them.
     Apparently, at one point during World War II many Americans did not know much about the Holocaust. It's not clear why, but people just did not know much about it. By 1943, the Allied Governments had publicly confirmed that two million Jews had been murdered by the Nazis.
     A Gallup poll conducted in the same year revealed that only 47% of Americans believed the atrocities against the Jews were true. A large percentage, 29%, did not believe it at all and another 24% had no opinion.
 
 "WE WILL NEVER DIE"
 A Dramatic Pageant
 
     A Hollywood screenwriter named Ben Hecht would not accept this situation. Ben Hecht was a very successful screenwriter for many Hollywood productions such as "Gone With the Wind" starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh.
     Hecht wrote a dramatic pageant titled "We Will Never Die" to help Americans understand the reality of the Holocaust. The pageant was played in theaters and convention centers throughout the United States. A host of top Hollywood actors participated in the performance of "We Will Never Die." They include Edward G. Robinson, Paul Muni, Claude Rains, John Garfield, Burgess Meredith, Ralph Bellamy and many others.
     "We Will Never Die" told American audiences of the contributions the Jews have made to civilization. The pageant also revealed details concerning the horrible deaths the Jews have suffered at the hands of the Nazis. A traditional Jewish prayer for the dead known as the Kaddish was recited as part of the pageant. 
     The background for the stage production of "We Will Never Die"was a giant 40 foot tall tables of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. See images. What a sight this must have been.
 
     Here is a list of some of the cities where "We Will Never Die" was performed:
 
·Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 9 and 10, 1943. Edward G. Robinson was in the lead role.
·Washington, D.C. on April 12, 1943. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, six members of the U.S. Supreme Court and many members of Congress attended.
·Convention Hall in Philadelphia on April 22, 1943. Claude Rains was in the lead role.
·The Chicago Stadium on May 19, 1943. John Garfield was in the lead role.
·Boston Gardens on June 6, 1943. Ralph Bellamy was in the lead role.
·The Hollywood Bowl on July 21, 1943. Then Governor of California and future Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Earl Warren attended. 
 
     Thankfully, the pageant with the beautiful Ten Commandments as a prop did a lot to change public opinion in America toward the plight of the Jews in Nazi Europe. As a result of public pressure, President Roosevelt created a War Refugee Board. The War Refugee Board did a lot to save human life in the final days of World War II. For example, the Board helped finance the work of Raoul Wallenberg and his efforts to save as many Jews as possible from the Death Camps.
     The Allied effort to defeat Hitler and Nazi Germany was very costly in human life and material. We should be eternally grateful to God and the men and women of that generation who made victory possible. Sadly however, it appears that much more could have been done to save the Jews and many others from the Death Camps. We must learn from this mistake–Never Again.
     The Ten Commandments made an important contribution during World War II. In order to teach Americans about the Holocaust, Hollywood knew what the best point of contact would be – the Ten Commandments. We can learn from the Ten Commandments today as well. Issues like abortion, same sex marriage and many other issues should be carefully evaluated in light of the Ten Commandments.
 
     If you would like to learn more about how the Ten Commandments influenced America and American law order my book "The Ten Commandments for Beginners" Visit: www.mytencommandments.us
 
Note.
    For information in this article, I am heavily indebted to "The Pageant That Alerted America About the Holocaust" by Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. To learn more about "We Will Never Die" Visit: http://www.wymaninstitute.org

Support Our Broadcast Network

We're a 100% Listener Supported Network

3 Simple Ways to Support WVW Foundation

Credit Card
100% Tax-Deductable
Paypal
100% Tax-Deductable

Make Monthly Donations

 

-or-

A One-Time Donation

 
Mail or Phone
100% Tax-Deductable
  • Mail In Your Donation

    Worldview Weekend Foundation
    PO BOX 1690
    Collierville, TN, 38027 USA

  • Donate by Phone

    901-825-0652

WorldviewFinancialTV.com Banner