Israeli School Trips to Auschwitz Should be Banned

Thank you for an interesting and well-informed debate, ***********************************************Dealing with some of the points you raised this round: As you are a Jew, I am reluctant to question your expertise over your own religion and culture. But, as far as I understand it, the Jewish faith is separate from being a Jew (maternally speaking). Because everyone born of a Jew, is a Jew by definition it is more than just a religion but an hereditary cultural group. God's chosen people, with claim over the Promised Land (claim over Jerusalem), have been identified almost as if a racial group over time with certain stereotypical racial features. There are some minority factions of the faith (like Karaite Judaism) who believe that being born a Jew is the only qualification for being a Jew. Being a Jew, is to be part of all a culture, a religion, a specific national identity, and a race. One of the issues is that both Israel and Palestine claim ownership of Jerusalem. And because, traditionally Jews have looked to Jerusalem as a centre of their faith they have also looked towards Israel. I personally don't know why at the March of the Living event students of other nationalities (like Canada) would raise the Israeli flag if it weren't a symbol of Jewish solidarity as a whole. It's vexing. Why would non-Jewish Canadian students be showing solidarity for Jews by flying a flag that doesn't in any way represent Jews? Why would there be non-Jewish, Canadian, Zionists? (I know you can't respond in the debate but if you have the answer please put it in the comments). As regards to the Soviet flag, flying that would be like flying the swastika; it is a symbol of a brutal autocratic regime which ensued in millions of deaths. It is true that the USSR fought against the Nazis, under the Potsdam and Yalta treaties, but I would also have issue with Allied or USA flags flying over concentration camps because although some members of these groups faced the camps, it does not belong to them. If they did, there would almost be a colonist undertone (which we do not want to promote given how they did occupy Germany after WW2). Numerically and culturally, the Jews have the largest claim to the horrors of the Holocaust; Nazism and Judaism are inseparably linked in all of our minds. The Nazis massacred many other groups, the disabled, gypsies, homosexuals and I would have no problem with the LGBT flag flown in support of the latter. If the Israeli flag is being used to support Jews and not Israeli politics, then I think we would both agree that there isn't a problem with its use providing it doesn't encourage domestic anger and aggression in any way.I course don't mean to say that Israeli Jews are representative of all Jews, only that Israel has historically been a grounding centre for Jews. And, this still does not negate my proposition that 'you cannot deny any Jews access to the sites of the Holocaust.' Even if they act in a certain unfavourable way, Israeli Jews are still Jews and should not be denied the chance to visit a place where the genocide of their race occurred. I would go as far to say that all Jews, no matter of their politics, are entitled to visit a concentration camp if their finances permit it. Asking them not to denies their cultural identity; it is like preventing the various factions of black Americans from visiting the historic sites of the Civil Rights movement because some are ideologically in favour of black militancy. Too restrictive and not dealing with the problem: black militancy. The problem is Zionist militancy: not students going to concentration camps. Those who can should be tackling the former, not banning the latter. Israeli Jews have every right to be angry; forced to conscript to the Israeli army at 18, to fight a war with Palestine who continually proves to be a threat to Israel as Israel is to them. It was only in the year 2000 when Palestine bombed Israel; I'm sure this gives many affected a right to be angry. This does not excuse their behaviour. Being offended or angry is never an excuse to lash out and be truculent, even if it a reason. And as Jews, they identify with the Jewish struggle of their ancestors. Though the two conflicts aren't directly related, I don't think we can deny a group the right to culturally identify themselves and their current struggles with the past. Arab Israelis (15-20% of the population), because of their identification with Palestine, actually are not conscripted into the army. Some choose to volunteer (1). Therefore, I would say they would be exempt from your argument and should be allowed to fly to concentration camps through their schools. (1) http://www.ynetnews.com...Badly behaved students should be punished; not the entire school or school system as a whole. My analogy to the library was meant to illuminate how there ought to be a strict code of conduct, a respect for the environment, at concentration camps as though one were in a place one dared not act in a certain way. If individuals are being disrespectful in such environments they ought to be told off and perhaps acted against depending on the severity of their actions. I of course agree that commercial exploitation is unfair and should be reprimanded and discouraged. But, it doesn't mean that Israeli students cannot fly to concentration camps like Auschwitz or Flossenburg by non-exploitative companies available to them. Hopefully the nine bosses punished will provide a sufficient deterrent for others in the travel industry not to act in such a manner again. *********************************************** There I shall conclude. Again, thanks for the debate!