Freedom requires your participation

Holocaust survivor issues warnings about doing nothing

“It’s a very, very dangerous thing to do: to follow. That’s what happened in [Nazi] Germany, essentially. All Germans were not evil. But most of them – the vast majority – simply went along.”

Holocaust survivor Vera Sharav sees frightening parallels between what’s currently happening in the United States (and other nations) and the way the Nazis slowly took control of Germany, leading to horrific atrocities. In the fall of 2021, SHF Executive Director Leah Wilson was honored to sit down with Sharav for an important conversation about learning from history, from a witness’ lens.

For most of us, the Holocaust is just a disturbing chapter in Europe’s history – something that happened across the ocean decades ago. But Sharav reminds us that history has a way of repeating itself.

The Nazis began by slowly gaining the trust of the German people. And they did it by seemingly caring for them: promising support to farmers, assuring Germany’s post-war return to world power status, and restoring economic stability in the midst of the Great Depression. Sounds good, right? Once voted into government, however, the Nazis began availing themselves of “emergency powers,” soon showing their true colors.

Similarly, we now find ourselves in a post-war situation of sorts. Coming out of COVID, with soaring prices, supply chain issues, a lack of workers, and economic devastation for many. And our government, claiming similar emergency powers, has been “protecting” us by mandating masks, lockdowns, and injections. Might we be headed down a similar path if we, as Sharav said, simply go along?

“The idea of just following authority without considering: what if they’re wrong, what if it’s not in my best interest? I wouldn’t want to live under such a regime,” said Sharav. “I know what it’s like. I know what that is. I wouldn’t want to do it again.”

When Sharav was 3 years old, she and her family were chased out of their home in Romania and taken to a concentration camp in Ukraine. After her father’s subsequent death, she and her mother had been in the camp about two years when the prisoners were scheduled to be “liquidated.” Orphaned children were allowed to leave the camp if they had someone to sign for them. To save Sharav’s life, her mother said she was an orphan, guaranteeing her release. For about a year, Sharav was shuttled from place to place. At the age of 6, while on a train to stay with yet another relative, she befriended a family.

After the train journey, everyone was loaded onto three boats, with all the orphan children together on one boat. Sharav, not wanting to be separated from her newfound family, refused to board the boat with the other orphans. That night, a submarine sank the boat carrying all the children – the boat Sharav was supposed to have been on. Even at that tender age, Sharav realized she had saved her own life by being defiant.

“That’s a lesson that right now is very needed,” she said. “Adults now are not rebelling against things that are wrong! People are being pushed around, denied normal interaction, and they’re just following it like sheep!”

Sharav now employs her deeply held belief in individual freedom as founder and president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, an organization dedicated to protecting human research subjects, especially children, minorities, and the mentally ill. AHRP’s mission is to ensure that the moral right of voluntary medical decision-making is upheld. They strive to empower citizens with accurate information so they can exercise their right to informed consent to medical research and medical procedures.

Sharav and her organization have worked to halt pesticide experiments on children, expose federal programs using foster care children as guinea pigs, end psychological experiments on young boys of color in New York City, and many more life-saving accomplishments.

“This is what Nazism was about,” said Sharav. “This is how they did things when they began with the children. The Jews in the Nazi order were the despised minority. And here [in the U.S.] we have the blacks and Hispanics like a despised minority, like their lives don’t count.”

And with COVID shots, we’ve seen a similar process. Who were the first ones in America, right after health care workers, to receive these “vaccines” that have proven to be not only ineffective, but even dangerous? The most vulnerable among us – those who might be considered by the elite to be more expendable – people of color, people with existing diseases, and the elderly.

For those readers who just breathed a sigh of relief because they aren’t in any of those groups, do not be lulled into a false sense of security. These issues affect every one of us.

The message of Nazi Germany echoing across history is this: When freedom is removed from one, it’s removed from all. We cannot “simply [go] along,” as Sharav tells us the Germans did. We must stand up for all our freedoms – for all people groups – starting with our medical autonomy. We cannot allow leaders who’ve granted themselves “emergency powers” to tell us we must mask or isolate or get COVID or monkeypox or any other kind of shots.

Speaking of COVID shots, Sharav had a lot to say about vaccination in general.

“Vaccines don’t undergo the kinds of safety trials drugs do,” she said, adding, “There are a whole lot of things in vaccines that have never, ever been tested for safety in children. … There are already so many – tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands – of children who have been damaged by vaccines.”

Also at risk in this war against medical freedom is that jewel called informed consent. Defined as “consent by a person to undergo a medical procedure, participate in a clinical trial, or be counseled by a professional such as a social worker or lawyer, after receiving all material information regarding risks, benefits, and alternatives,” this is the bedrock of medical freedom.

“Parents are not being offered the information that is known already,” said Sharav. “They’re not being given that information. They’re being told, ‘it’s fine, it’s been found to be safe and effective.’ That’s the mantra: safe and effective. It’s just not true.”

Vaccines, said Sharav, are not studied for cancer-causing effects, mutagenic effects, impairment of fertility, or synergistic effects between different shots being given together. And we now know – via data from the CDC and the drug companies themselves – that the COVID shots have caused more injuries and deaths than any vaccine in history.

It becomes dangerous “when medicine veers away from the Hippocratic oath, which is an oath that promises to respect the individual right, to do no harm to the individual,” said Sharav. “If you don’t harm the individual, you’re not going to harm the community. But if you wipe out the individual’s right, their human right, then you’re going to harm the community as well, because the community is a bunch of individuals.”

Perhaps the worst evil in all of this is the fact that vaccines are big business. Drug companies and their investors stand to make a lot of money – especially if we all keep getting boosters! And the government is paving the way for this with their continued attempts to institute vaccine mandates.

“Once you have medicine in partnership with government, there is no individual care,” said Sharav. “The Hippocratic oath goes out the window. And since you have government behind you, the doctor’s not responsible for their actions. They’re working together with the state. That’s when medicine becomes weaponized.”

Sharav believes our very freedom is on the line. “We’re at a crossroads,” she said.

Now is the time to talk about these issues with family and friends. If they wonder why there’s such division or why the government is so bent on mandates, tell them that the goal is not our health. It’s not our wealth. It’s not our safety. The true goal of many of our leaders is control. And what they’ll do when they get that control looks as ominous as dark storm clouds gathering on the horizon.

“It’s very, very important that people get together and realize that there are people who will do anything, they will do anything to make money and to control,” Sharav stated. “This is really now about control. It behooves us to stand up. People still have the ability, right now, to stand up and to let them know that this won’t fly.”

Protecting and expanding our freedoms like informed consent requires your participation. Learn from history and from voices like Vera Sharav’s on what we can do now to minimize suffering and shift the tide for freedom.

Ellen Chappelle

Writer/Editor

Ellen Chappelle serves as SHF’s resident wordsmith. A seasoned writer and editor, she’s enthusiastic about ensuring that our content is clear, concise, and inspiring.

Ellen is most energized by working on projects that transform lives. A truth seeker as well as a journalist, she’s disturbed by the lack of accuracy in today’s media and determined to help share fact rather than fiction. And having found greater healing with alternative approaches, she’s also passionate about preserving our freedom to make informed health choices.

Past projects include serving as regional editor of a dog magazine, color and trend specialist for a small cosmetics company, arts columnist, newspaper reporter, ghostwriter, and creator of website content for artists and small businesses.

With a degree in journalism and theatre, Ellen is also a performer. She enjoyed singing and dancing on a cruise ship and traveling with a national musical theatre tour, as well as recording industrial videos, television commercials, and radio voiceovers. She also creates handcrafted jewelry in wire, chain maille, and fused glass.

“Despite what some would have us believe, the fact remains that this nation was founded on biblical principles by people who wanted freedom to worship God and live their lives without government involvement. It’s never been more critical to fight for those rights.”

Chrissy Scott

Executive Assistant and Social Media Manager

A labor and delivery nurse with a lifelong passion for maternal and fetal health, Chrissy Scott left her job of 19 years after learning the truth about the harms caused by the medical system. In 2009, she was mandated by her employer to receive the H1N1 vaccine during her first trimester of pregnancy with her second child. She was assured that the vaccine was “safe and effective” for pregnant women, but her son was born with a kidney defect that could have been fatal. She didn’t connect the dots to vaccine injury until several years later when the declining health of her oldest son drove her to seek answers outside of allopathic medicine.

This personal journey ignited in her a new passion for truth and transparency in health care. As SHF’s Executive Assistant, Chrissy facilitates communication and local advocacy initiatives alongside Leah Wilson for their home state of Indiana. She also manages and creates graphics for SHF’s social media accounts and the website’s swag shop.

Chrissy earned her nursing degree from Anderson University and served her entire career at her local hospital. While she’s no longer a floor nurse, her five very active boys frequently test her nursing skills! She homeschools her children and has been co-owner of a successful home décor sign business with her sister.

“Parents, being the experts on their own children, are best suited to make decisions for the well-being of their family. To do this properly, they must be given full and accurate information and be free from force or coercion.”

Sayer JI

Director and Co-founder

Sayer Ji is a widely recognized researcher, author, lecturer, activist, and educator on natural health modalities. Among his many roles, he is an advisor to Stand for Health Freedom, a reviewer and editor of the International Journal of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, an advisory board member of the National Health Federation, a steering committee member of the Global GMO Free Coalition, and the co-founder and CEO of Systome Biomed Inc., a revolutionary scientific validation framework.

Most notably, Sayer is the founder of Greenmedinfo.com, the world’s most widely referenced, evidence-based natural health resource of its kind. He founded the platform in 2008 to provide an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. Today, Greenmedinfo.com has more than a million visits per month, serving as a trusted resource on myriad health and wellness topics to physicians, healthcare practitioners, clinicians, researchers and consumers worldwide.

Sayer attended Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where he studied under the notable American philosopher Dr. Bruce W. Wilshire. He received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1995, with a focus on the philosophy of science. His new book, Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience through the New Biology, was released in March 2020 and is an Amazon bestseller.

“I truly believe that education will be our greatest shield against accelerating the erosion of civil liberties, including the right to bodily sovereignty, as well as the greatest catalyst for positive change on this planet moving forward.”

LEAH WILSON

Executive Director and Co-founder

An attorney with a background in complex litigation and advocacy, Leah Wilson is passionate about children’s health and has researched and worked on child welfare issues for more than a decade.

The overmedication of children in foster care as a form of behavior management is what compelled Leah to become an advocate and foster parent. During her time as a court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children, Leah witnessed the rampant use of psychiatric drugs among foster kids. She also discovered that, in addition to many extensive requirements, the state had a policy that all foster children and foster families be fully vaccinated, without exception. Through her involvement in law, health and the foster care system, it became abundantly clear to Leah that the single most important issue affecting child welfare in the United States is the practice of one-size-fits-all medicine via medical mandates. This motivated Leah to expand her advocacy beyond foster care to all children nationwide and to start Stand for Health Freedom (SHF) in 2019.

A graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Law, Leah holds dual bachelor degrees in political science and Spanish from Indiana University. In addition to her advocacy work with SHF, Leah is the owner and former operations director of MaxLiving Indy, one of the largest natural health centers in the Midwest. She is also an educator on holistic health as well as a sought-after speaker on issues ranging from religious rights to greening your home.

“Parental rights and religious freedom are God-given natural rights that cannot arbitrarily be taken away by government authorities. Parents are the single most important factor in a child’s success; I stand in full support of this sacred relationship.”

Sheila Ealey

Political Analyst

Dr. Sheila Lewis Ealey is the founder and former director of the Creative Learning Center of Louisiana, a therapeutic day school for children who are on the autism spectrum or struggling with other nonverbal intellectual disabilities. The wife of a former U.S. Coast Guard Officer, she is also the mother of four children. Her son was diagnosed with severe autism spectrum disorder at 18 months. He is now a young man and considered moderate and emerging.

Sheila and her twins were featured in the documentary “Vaxxed.” She has traveled extensively, advocating for medical freedom. She continues to educate disenfranchised parents about their fundamental rights to religious and philosophical exemptions, their ability to live sustainably on a limited budget, and the importance of nutrition and biomedical interventions for optimum health with autism. She also writes individual homeschool curriculums for parents of children with autism or intellectual disorders. Sheila is a trustee for the Autism Trust, USA, and on the board of directors of Children’s Health Defense.

Over the past 20 years, she has educated herself to use natural healing modalities for the body and brain. Her formal education includes degrees in communication, special education curriculum, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership in Special Education. Sheila serves as an assistant content advisor and political analyst for SHF.

“It is not the Constitution’s job to protect our liberties, as it is not a philosophical document but a legal one. Its purpose is to limit the powers and authority of our federal government in hopes of preventing an intrusion upon our unalienable rights. We are obliged to maintain our government within its limits.”

Mary Katherine LaCroix

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND NONPROFIT ADMINISTRATION

Mary Katherine LaCroix became involved with SHF as a volunteer in 2019 when the religious exemption for childhood vaccines was at risk in her home state of New Jersey. She believes strongly that parents have the responsibility for their children’s health, education, and faith formation and that only they have the right to make medical decisions and manage their care.

She has worked in fundraising for more than 25 years at various educational, cultural, human services, and political organizations. A graduate of the University of Scranton, she holds a degree in History and English Literature.

Mary Katherine is thrilled to have this opportunity to work with and help grow SHF, believing that together we can achieve even greater impact in protecting our rights and caring for our loved ones. She enjoys spending time with her husband, two children and large extended family, as well as volunteering to support the special needs community.

“Parents are taught that they must trust the experts. That’s what we did, until we learned that the experts can be wrong and don’t always know what is best for your child. Parents should instead feel empowered by their natural, God-given ability to advocate and care for their children. SHF is here to give them the tools to do just that.”

Valerie Borek

POLICY ANALYST

Valerie Borek is a passionate advocate for health rights and family privacy. A mother of two with degrees in law and biochemistry, she is perfectly positioned to lead SHF advocates through complex health-rights policy. Her work is guided by a love for American values, uncovering truth, and a passion for empowering others. Valerie has served as SHF’s policy analyst since 2021.

Valerie’s understanding of the value of freedom to make one’s own health care choices is not just academic. Health freedom has kept her boys alive and thriving. Her choice to have home births jump-started her advocacy for health privacy. Her eldest son survived a rare and deadly cancer because her family was able to navigate medical care while holding onto values that were sometimes at odds with recommendations.

Before joining SHF, Valerie specialized in health and parenting rights at her boutique law firm, especially surrounding birth and vaccine rights. She advocated for informed consent in health care and transparent food labeling in her state. She helped found the Birth Rights Bar Association and was honored to present their argument to the Delaware Supreme Court that midwifery is not the practice of medicine, in support of a trailblazing midwife.

“Health is the foundation of how we show up in this world to love, serve, and create. Americans are blessed to live in a country that gets stronger the more we protect fundamental rights, like informed consent and privacy, so individuals and families can thrive.”

Bailey Kuykendoll

Associate Director

Designer and visual marketer Bailey Kuykendoll began advocating for health and religious freedom and parental rights in 2014 after learning she was pregnant. A self-described skeptic, she’s not afraid to ask questions and do copious amounts of research to reach her own conclusions.

She’s also not afraid of hard work. As SHF’s Relationship Manager, Bailey truly keeps the organizational boat afloat. Working closely with health freedom advocates in each state, she ensures that SHF has campaigns for health-freedom-related bills and petitions on our website and across social media, spreading the word to encourage people to contact their legislators. She builds campaigns, graphics, website pages, and relationships.

Bailey earned a design degree from Harrington Institute of Design in 2008. She then served as a production assistant on several shows for HGTV, followed by working behind the scenes on the X Factor, small indie films, music videos, and documentaries. Bailey joined Health Freedom Florida after moving to the East Coast, becoming co-president of the grassroots organization in 2019. While at Health Freedom Florida, she successfully filed a state bill designed to stop discrimination based on your health status. She joined SHF in the fall of 2020.

“God placed a calling on my heart back in 2008 to be a part of something bigger for Him. Twelve years later, the opportunity came knocking to help others lean into their natural-born rights and take a stand for themselves and their families. I knew this is where I was called to be, and I have never looked back.”

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