In the airport, leaving Spain, and partner's brother says, "Look! A Jew!". "What do you mean?" "I mean it's unusual here in Spain. They were all killed."
I didn't really engage in it at the time - it was between them... but really it amazes me how many people think we're all dead. I know I pass for many ethnicities, and least of all Jewish, but I have had many conversations with mostly english people who say, I thought you were all dead when I was growing up - or I thought you'd all gone to live in Israel.
I wonder whether it's wishful thinking
but I know these people say it because they think it's an ok liberal thing to say.
Now that I come to think about it, partner's sister had been to Prague and showed us photos of the Jewish cemetary... What's that all about? Why do tourists visit the cemetaries of minority ethnic people, especially when they no longer have any living presence? It was the same in Broome, Western Australia. All the tourist brochures had images of the Japanese cemetary. There are few, if any, Japanese-descent people in Broome today. I knew I felt it was a bit wierd to visit the cemetary so I didn't but now I think I understand why I made that choice...
What exactly does it signify - minority ethnic cemetaries as tourist sites?
What a colourful [sic] history we've had, but thank god it's history...?