This song was inspired by an event which I heard about which is said to have happened in one of the concentration camps during World War II and the terrible holocaust.

It was said that some Jewish elders met to discuss whether their god had truely forsaken them and left them to be exterminated and wiped off the face of the earth.

At that time it certainly looked as if it was the case. The Jewish race suffered beyond imagination. Thankfully the Nazis did not succeed.

Unfortunately it seems as if this trauma of the holocaust is partly taken as a justification of unreasonable behaviour by the Israeli government (and nation) towards the Palestinians. These days the Israelis treat the Arabs and Palestinians as the Untermenschen - sub-humans and then they wonder why they are the targets of Palestinian suicide bombers. The Israelis are looking for more Lebensraum (living space) - for Jews - and see it as their right. They are more like Hitler than they would ever care to realise or admit.

It is a sad fact that those who have suffered abuse and pain often become abusers themselves. Hopefully there will be peace in the Middle-East sometime - sometime soon.

The Palestinians have also suffered - and are still suffering. They will end up with their own homeland - Palestine - and it is only up to the Israelis as regards how violent the struggle will be. It is their decision.

To critise the Israelis is not the same as being anti-Semitic - but they use that to deflect real and deserved criticism.

What happened to the Jews in the concentration camps under the Nazis is a terrible reflection on just how violent and destructive this species is. The concentration camps was not unique - killing, torture, abuse, racism, sexism, ethnic cleansing and extermination are merely demonstrations of what our true nature really is. It happened in the past, is happening in the present, and will happen in the future - as long as our species exists.

The first word of the first verse should be 'Though' but I have always sung this song beginning with 'When' and there is no point in changing now.