I think that it is important the organizations are helping to fund things like this graphic novel.  Art is integral to social change and also helps convey stories long after their moments have pasted.  I think also especially as the demographics of schools change and some children over the course of their education in Germany see this it helps.  Making books or art like this helps build understanding for children and make the event normative and children’s experiences inclusive.  I think that it is a worthy cause.

In relation to expanding the scope of being prosecuted for war crimes in the holocaust I have mixed feelings.  I think that in some ways we will never know who agreed with this regime anf who went along with it for means of protecting themselves and their families.  Making it more expansive allows possibly more people brought to justice.  However it feels very late. Very few people are still alive anf so instead of investigating everyone its basically a tax on who has managed to live long enough for this change of heart.  Though it is not double jeopardy in the legal sense it seems like it theoretically.  In the immediate aftermath of the war the government and allied powers chose who to try and whose crimes could not be.  Essentially in the public eye they were acquitted of their role.  To have a change of heart and widen the scope convicts them of crimes they were guilty of from the beginning. To say there is no statue of limitations on murder is true but these are not new crimes so it seems a reach to me.  I also don’t feel it does the justice they think it does.  I could easily see the far-right spinning it in an unfavorable light.  I understand the point of bringing it back to public attention the horrors of the Holocaust but it seems more symbolic than productive.

This discussion of prosecuting Russia makes me think of Israel and Palestine. Many people are calling for prosecution of Israel on the world Stage.  If in a war where much of the World Powers are on the side of Ukraine and still prosecution seems out of reach, the chances of Israel being prosecuted seem grim.  The Roman statue and Israels exclusion from it put the war crime of aggression out of  reach for prosecution.  Also it was important to note the differing Opinions of the West and the Global south about solutions.  The Global South’s apprehension came out of the economic power that Russia has.  I wonder if this figures into the Global South’s opinion on Israel and Palestine as well.

Looking at Eli Saslow’s works I think they are very compelling works.  They all read like profile’s but also highlight important issues.  The article about the bus driver is compelling because he plays up how stressful her job is and also the bravery that she displays.  Similarly, in the article about the billionaire he offers almost opposing sides of them.  We see the almost addictive habit the billionaire has to keep making money but also his desire to give back.  I like that both start and end with quotes from the subjects.  While they may throughout the piece broaden the frame of the story this centers the subject.