A day to honour the victims of the Holocaust and a reminder to stay educated.
What was the Holocaust?
The Holocaust, or Shoah, was the systematic, state-sponsored genocide of the Jewish peoples in Europe by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators. Nazi leaders used the 'Final Solution to the Jewish Question' as a euphemism for this mass murder.
Although various groups were persecuted by the Nazis, the "Final Solution" and its policies referred only to (Nazi defined) Jewish and Roma peoples on the basis of being "racially inferior" (despite Jewish people not even being a race). These were the groups targeted for total annihilation, and thus are the victims of the Holocaust.
Other groups are considered to be victims of the Nazi regime, who were targeted for various reasons, including being against the Nazi regime or rejecting perceived social norms. Some of these reasons were also rooted in antisemitism. For example, Jewish people were deemed the only “race” capable of organizing the "inferior" races.
Other groups targeted included disabled people, Black people, queer people (particularly gay men), Jehovah's witnesses, Poles and other Slavic peoples, and political prisoners/enemies (primarily communists, trade unionists and social democrats).
These were considered people that could not contribute to progressing the Nazi regime. For example, gay people could not biologically produce new members of the "Aryan race," and Jehovah's witnesses refused to pledge loyalty to the Third Reich.
Victims of the Holocaust/Nazi Regime
6 million+ Jewish people (2/3 of all Jewish people living in Europe) murdered by the Nazi regime and collaborators, 1.5 million of which were children
250,000-500,000 Roma and Sinti people murdered
~ 250,000 disabled people murdered, 300,000+ sterilized
10,000-15,000 gay people murdered, many more arrested, imprisoned, and/or castrated
~ 1500-1900 Jehovah's witnesses murdered
5,000–25,000 Afro-Germans in Germany when the Nazis came to power and subjected to incarceration, sterilization and murder (no program to kill them as a group)
Millions of non-Jewish Polish civilians, Soviet civilians (includes Jewish people), and Soviet prisoners of war
Undetermined amount of German political opponents and resistance activists in Axis-occupied territory
Why January 27th?
On November 1, 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 60/7 to designate January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD). The date marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau (the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp) by the Red (Russian) army in 1945, which still held some 7000 prisoners (60,000 had already been forced to leave on a "death march" on January 17th).
On this day, all UN member states are encouraged to "honour the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides."
It is worth noting that this date did not mark the end of the Holocaust; the rest of the camps were liberated over the following months. However, this date was deliberately chosen to paint a picture of the Allies as "heroes," despite few countries being willing to accept Jewish refugees and ultimately save Jewish lives. Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union were certainly not any of those few countries.
Jewish and Roma people each chose our own days to remember victims – Yom HaShoah (April or May, based on Jewish calendar) and Roma Holocaust Memorial Day (August 2). |
Alarming Statistics
Study after study show that people across the globe are lacking in their knowledge of the Holocaust. Canada is a country that requires Holocaust education. In fact, starting in September 2023, Ontario will be the first province to make Holocaust education mandatory prior to high school.
However, young Canadians are still clearly lacking in knowledge. A 2018 study of Canadians aged 18-34 (Millennials and Gen Z) found:
1 in 5 hasn't heard of the Holocaust or isn't sure what it is
62% did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered
52% cannot name a single one of the 40,000 concentration camps
Less than half could identify a country that the Holocaust occurred in other than Germany
Just 43% identified Poland, where 90% of the Jewish population was killed
Just 26% knew who Adolf Eichmann was
89% have not visited a Holocaust museum
69% do not know or know of a Holocaust survivor
In the United States, less than half of states have laws that mandate Holocaust education, and it shows. A 50-state survey in 2020 found that 10% of Americans were unsure or denied that the Holocaust happened, and 20% of young people in New York, the state with the largest Jewish population, believed that Jews caused the Holocaust (yes, you read that right, and it's terrifying).
Common Myths
"The Holocaust was about religious persecution."
The Holocaust was about race. The Nazis racialized the Jewish people, meaning that despite Jewish people not being a race (instead an ethnoreligion), Nazis considered them to be "racially inferior." Religion was largely irrelevant to them.
"5 million non-Jewish people were murdered in the Holocaust."
This number is false. The late Nazi hunter and Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal made up this figure to promote interest in the Holocaust among non-Jews.
"The allies did everything they could to help Jewish people/they didn't know what was going on."
Not even close. The Evian Conference (1938) made it clear to the Nazis that although other countries didn’t necessarily approve of their persecution of the Jews, they would not actively take any steps against the Nazis, or go out of their way to help the Jews and other victims of Nazi Germany to emigrate. 31/32 countries refused to ease their immigration restrictions to accept more Jewish refugees. Additionally, British officials were aware as early as 1941 that Jewish people were being killed in large numbers.
"The Holocaust only occurred in Germany and Poland."
Not accurate. The camps were located in occupied Poland, but the Holocaust affected occupied countries across Europe, as well as spread to the Middle East and North Africa.
"German Jews made up a significant part of Germany's population prior to the Holocaust."
Not the case! Germany’s approximately 565,000 Jews in 1933 made up only 0.8% of its population.
"Only Ashkenazi Jews were affected."
Incorrect. Tens of thousands of Sephardic Jews were killed in Greece and Spain by countries controlled by Nazis and other antisemitic powers. Additionally, the Nazis inspired the Farhud, a pogram in Iraq in 1941 that affected Mizrahi Jews, and North African Jews were deported to Europe.
"Roma and Sinti people are from Egypt."
Not true. Roma and Sinti can be traced back to the Punjab region of northern India, entering Europe in the Middle Ages.
Holocaust Distortion and Denial
Despite the Holocaust being one of the best documented events in history, many people believe in Holocaust denial, an antisemitic and antiziganist (anti-Roma) conspiracy theory that goes against the established facts of the genocide the Nazis committed.
Holocaust denial is generally motivated by hatred of Jews. It builds on an accusation that the Holocaust was invented or exaggerated by Jews as part of a plot to advance Jewish interests. This perpetuates long-standing antisemitic stereotypes by accusing Jews of conspiracy and world domination, hateful beliefs that were instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Holocaust.
Although Holocaust distortion does not outright deny the Holocaust occurring, it can be just as, if not more, harmful, as it may appear more credible. It may stem from antisemitism, or just ignorance.
Examples of Holocaust distortion or denial:
"Murder of 6 million Jews didn't occur"
"Nazis had no official policy or intention to exterminate Jews"
"Jews didn't defend themselves"
"Deaths in camps were all related to disease, not policy"
"Jews caused the Holocaust"
"Anne Frank's diary was forged"
Holocaust inversion - depicting Jews as the new Nazis
Holocaust distortion and denial are insults to victims and survivors. Holocaust denial is illegal in many European countries.
10 Stages of Genocide
Fighting Antisemitism Today
Antisemitism did not begin nor end with the Holocaust. It dates back to ancient times and is rising every day. It is not enough to know that 6 million Jewish people were murdered. We must continue to educate on how this was able to occur and call out antisemitism today to prevent anything like it from ever happening again. The global Jewish population has still not recovered from the Holocaust.
Be an ally to Jewish people today:
Learn about the antisemitism that led up to the Holocaust
Listen to us when we call out antisemitism (which includes understanding the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism - which does in fact allow for criticism of Israel!)
Stop defending yourself from antisemitism by tokenizing fringe groups and instead challenge your own biases
Reflect on how much of your knowledge of Jewish people is shaped by non-Jewish people
Especially be sure to acknowledge how many of your beliefs are based in USSR propaganda
Rid yourself of the myth that antisemitism only exists on one side of the political spectrum
Stop demanding that Jewish people speak about I/P when something has nothing to do with it
Ways to honour victims today:
Educate yourself on the Holocaust, antisemitism, and xenophobia from reliable sources - use primary sources when possible and be aware of propaganda (particularly by the USSR)
Listen to the stories of survivors, as well as how others are affected by intergenerational trauma
Attend a virtual event commemorating victims and survivors
Follow Holocaust museums on their social media accounts and web pages, or visit one if possible - many even have digital libraries that be viewed from home
Ex. Auschwitz Museum, Montreal Holocaust Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Donate to The Blue Card, the only organization in the United States whose sole mission is to aid needy Holocaust survivors
Call out Holocaust denial as you see it all year round
References
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