On This Day — July 21, 1943 While millions of Jews were being systematically murdered in Europe, Hollywood came together for one of the largest public awareness events/protests against the Holocaust at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The dramatic pageant We Will Never Die, written by Ben Hecht, drew a massive crowd. Stars including Frank Sinatra and Burgess Meredith performed, backed by hundreds of rabbis and cantors. The show, was dedicated to the millions of Jews already dead in Europe. Yet despite the star power and national tour, Ben Hecht later reflected bitterly that it accomplished little beyond making Jews cry. In truth, even in 1943 as credible reports of mass murder of Jews on an industrial scale were flooding in, Hollywood, the media, and the Roosevelt administration largely treated the extermination of the Jews as a secondary issue not worthy of specific, targeted action. The lesson is clear: the reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in Israel is the only guarantee that never again will Jews depend on the conscience of others for their survival.

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