The Simon Wiesenthal Center vs. the Mahātmā

"Gandhi was not always right," say Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper — Where Tutu (and Gandhi) went wrong. They quote what they call "shameful words" of his, written "just after Kristallnacht, when the Nazis systematically destroyed Germany's and Austria's synagogues" (but before the Holocaust).

"The German persecution of the Jews seems to have no parallel in history," said the Mahātmā. "If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, a war against Germany, to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race, would be completely justified." That said, he would not waver from his pacifism: "I do not believe in any war. A discussion of the pros and cons of such a war is therefore outside my horizon or province." And he went on to recommend his philosophy of Satyāgraha for the Jews of Germany, suggesting "suffering voluntarily undergone will bring them an inner strength and joy."

The words are not shameful (although I disagree with them to a certain extent as a believer in the right to self-defense), but merely consistent. So, it seems Rabbis Hier and Cooper are merely upset that an exception was not granted for their people. That said, I agree fully with the Rabbis' concluding statement: "The Holocaust also taught us that freedom and justice come to those who are prepared to fight for them."