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° al OPINION ‘WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE “These are my princi- ples, and if you don't like them ... well, [have others." 3 —Groucho Marx = Jan. 27 is Holocaust Re- membrance Day. What pre- cisely are we meant to re- member, and what purpose does it serve? While there is certainly value and importance to remembering the victims, I fear that making this the primary is misses the real a tonite ofremem- ance. im membering the vic- while ignoring the root cause of the Holocaust would be as worthwhile as loo Chronicle | Thursday, January expense of dealing with the underlying issue. What is the root cause of the devastation of the Holo- caust? MOSHE GOLDMAN Column I just met with an engi- neering student who visit- ed the Auschwitz death camp in Poland last weel DEVASTATION OF THE HOLOCAUST? “Remembering the victims while ignoring the root cause of the Holocaust would be as worthwhile as taking Advil for a headache that stems from inadequate sleep.” she was ified as she recognized factory de- sign principles at play in the design of Auschwitz. How can __ scientific knowledge and profession- al skill be so subverted? How could one of the most civilized nations at the time come we be the perpe- trators of pure evil on a massive, methodical scale? To my simple eyes, this corruption was — anc only Possible when the principles of a nation's mo- rality are subject to easy exceptions, and its con- science is choked to death. A good rule of thumb can be: if you find yourself justifying your violation of morality, you are probably wrong. Most moral princi- ples do have rare exce} tions, but that which is tru- ¥ good and mat does not justification. Bonivocating “and justify- ~ Rabbi Moshe Goldman ing are not part of a moral code. If you're with me so far, here's what I propose: this Holocaust Remembrance Day, in addition to remem- bering the victims of the Holocaust, let us also re- flect on its root cause, ne- gotiable morality. Since morality, by by on nition, seeks to limit sonal liberties in its aaa we cannot afford to let the person most affected by a TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA moral call (the self) also be the one deciding what mo- rality is. That leads to mak- ing moral exceptions too often, ' too easily. The only option is mo- rality that is based on something greater than me; a higher truth that I then submit to. Absent such a higher truth, all we have left is bickering on what morality should be, and we have no authority who can guide us to a clear Tis a ee published lay, is a division ofthe Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants urged to bring their concems, w ia Council, Suite aye He Yonge St., IN M4W Phone: 416-340-: ‘et Who do! the judge? Who can. possibly fi at the bill of being free of hu- in bias, moved only by objective tru truth? They used to call it God. Some still do. Secular societies have attempted to sever morali- ty from its Divine source; it's time to admit that this experiment has not gone very well. Ultimately, the morality of the Westis root- ed in the Bible. Let's not ig- nore the voice that still speaks to us from its pages. Rabbi Moshe Goldman is the director of the Rohr Chabad Centre for Jewish Life in Waterloo. HOW TO MEET NEW FRIENDS AND LIVE WELL WITH DEMENTIA THE MINDS IN MOTION PROGRAM IS A COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM THAT INCORPORATES PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS, WRITES MICHELLE MARTIN “It has been a hard tran- sition. I've lived in Toronto for the past 60 years. Now in my 80s, I must leave all my dear friends," ex- plained Shelia, sharing her experiences with the Alz- heimer Society Waterloo Wellington. After the move, Shelia and her daughter connect- ed with the local Alzheimer Society for support. Shelia § joined the Minds in Motion ing this 3 program, hoping this class 5 would help. There is no way to: avoid 3 the obvious; a diagn dementia is a challenging 3 MICHELLE MARTIN Column condition. It will impact ev- ery aspect of your life: lo- gistics, finances, mental motions. the efens compound when your support net- work is in a different city. You may have to uproot your life to be closer to that network. And this is what precisely happened to She- lia. id to move in with her daughter for care. However, she didn't expect that, after the move, she uld make friends with others who share her expe- rience with dementia. The Minds in Motion program is a community- based program that incor- porates physical and social aspects. Participants meet virtually or, as with Shelia, in person. Clients spend half of the session complet- ing gentle exercises and the other half socializing ying recreation- al activities such i as trivia, gam« rsation, ie le earning something new and excitin; Shelia shared how im- portant it was to her that our facilitators adapted the gram to physical needs. All our: ner grams and services are free of charge, regardless of the diagnosis, and designed be enjoyed by all. _ Shelia: feels th the most sig: icant of Minds i in foto promen is that "it's all about meet- ing people — you do some exercises, but the social part I like best because you're talking to people." With the Minds in Mo- tion program, Shelia found support from others facing similar experiences. While it cannot replace her friends and her life in To- ronto, Shelia is beginning a new chapter of her life. The friends Shelia made in the program helped make her feel welcome. Dementia can be isolat- ing. This isolation and oth- nnc “hocna ‘ational NevwetsdiaCounet editorial@waterloochronicle.ca Pcie ican waterlonchronicte @wichrot WHO WE ARE Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Neil Oliver Vice President, Conte Community and Operations Dana Robbins Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar Advertising Representatives Fran Hendry, Katrina Anderson, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Cassandra Dellow, Zaid Shahabuddn, Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson, ‘Online Editor Loraine Centen Ned Beka Reporter Bill Jackson er can affect a person's men- tal well-being. ahroush lo- cal programs at the Alz- heimer Society Waterloo feelings, hopes and wor: ries, or simply share with others in the community. Michelle Martin is the executive director of the Alzheimer Society Water- loo Wellington. Visit the Alzheimer Society website for more dementia-friendly resources, and call our Offices in Kitchener 519-742- 1422, Cambridge 519-650- 1628 and Guelph 519-836- 7672 to find services and programs that will best suit you. Paul Gostlin Waterloo Chronicle 219 Labrador Dr. Suite 203, Waterloo, on N2K on Phone: 519- Web: www. watefonchonil.ca Letters to the editor Allletters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail sustomerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000. Acerédité Accredited.