On May 4th, the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, Israel’s Deputy Chief of Staff,
Major General Yair Golan spoke at Israel’s Massuah Institute for Holocaust Studies. He called for national
introspection on Holocaust Memorial Day and warned that processes witnessed in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s
are budding in Israel today.
Golan’s bold speech created a storm. Right-wing politicians brutally attacked him, as did some pundits.
Israelis heard and read portions of Maj. Gen. Golan’s speech. English speakers saw short quotes, taken out of the broader context.