Maayan Galili’s Post

On Yom HaShoah, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance commemorated the victims and survivors of the Holocaust at a joint U.S Embassy Berlin/USC Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education event, which also marked the USC Shoah Foundation’s 30th anniversary with a panel discussion on Holocaust survivor testimony and public memory. Access to Holocaust archives is an invaluable tool in fostering a deep understanding and awareness of the Holocaust and its impact, as they provide the world with unparalleled insights into the past. Through documentation and testimonies, archives serve as a powerful resource for educating and dispelling misinformation, fostering understanding, while countering Holocaust denial and distortion. The IHRA’s Secretary General, Dr. Kathrin Meyer spoke of the critical role of archives in cultivating memory culture. “I think access to archives means access to the truth. We need them to tell these stories that really inform you of something, and not just rush away the truth, as is being done so often. As we enter an era when survivors are passing, this message takes on an even greater significance.” Sites, archives, and museums of the Holocaust play a pivotal role in keeping the memory of the Holocaust survivors and witnesses alive. It is precisely because of this role that they must be protected for now and for future generations. To read our Recommendations on Archival Access, visit: https://bit.ly/3ykBmnD #ProtectTheFacts

ref Jewish Voice for Peace Yom HaShoah, Holocaust remembrance Day, marks the Holocaust and honors the 17 million people murdered during Nazi Germany’s genocide, including 6 million Jews. This year, this day of remembrance falls on the day the Israeli military ordered the over 100,000 Palestinians sheltering in east Rafah to flee, but with nowhere to go. The decision to assault Rafah on this day is grotesque. The parallels between the dehumanization and persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, and the ongoing US-backed cataclysm in Gaza, where Palestinians are enduring the Israeli government’s genocide, are too stark to be denied. We know our remembrance is hollow if we cannot apply the lessons of our past to the present day. The experiences of our ancestors’ persecution and mass death under fascism now serve as the foundation for how we define modern genocides. As Jews, we recognize the Israeli government’s tactics of dehumanization, intentional starvation and mass slaughter of Palestinians from the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany in the Holocaust, all too often against our own ancestors. Many of us grew up on the images of emaciated people, starved in ghettos and concentration camps. Today’s images from Gaza are a rattling echo. We remain steadfast in our commitment to resisting oppression and advocating for justice in Palestine. Never again means never again for anyone. As Jews, as we continue to witness and struggle against the Israeli government’s oppression of Palestinians, we also recognize exactly where these ongoing atrocities will lead, and we do everything we can to stop that outcome. Our beliefs, our history and our duty demand we stand up to stop the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians before it escalates even further. We invoke our ancestors as we affirm our commitment to ensuring that their values of solidarity, collective liberation, and anti-imperialism are carried on into the future as we fight for justice in Palestine.

Alarming findings reveal a significant lack of Holocaust awareness outside Israel. A recent poll by The Economist, in collaboration with YouGov, highlights that one in five young Americans believe the Holocaust is a myth. Shockingly, even among millennials and Generation Z, many lack basic knowledge about the Holocaust's magnitude. Education isn't the sole factor, social media is a key contributor, spreading misinformation, and exacerbating antisemitism. Addressing this ignorance is urgent, as it fosters dangerous narratives equating the Holocaust with other conflicts. Educators must emphasize the Holocaust's unique nature to combat revisionism effectively. It's time for a profound reassessment of Holocaust education to ensure future generations understand this pivotal chapter in history and counter rising antisemitism. https://lnkd.in/d92F34QK #SixMillionVoices #HolocaustEducation #AntisemitismAwareness #EducationReform

Joint statement issued by The Florida Holocaust Museum, Holocaust Center for Humanity, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Holocaust Museum LA, The Holocaust and Humanity Center, The Zekelman Holocaust Center, and Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in response to the vandalism at Seattle's Holocaust Center for Humanity: Holocaust museums are no strangers to acts of antisemitism. We teach how those acts, celebrated and reinforced at all levels of Nazi society, led to the murder of approximately six million Jews. The senseless scapegoating of Jews did not begin or end with the Holocaust. It's been happening for thousands of years, and while the pretext may change, the antisemitic motivation is the same. Last week saw another example of scapegoating, this time in the form of vandalism against Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity, where a photo of a child Holocaust Survivor was defaced with the phrase “Genocide in Gaza.” As leaders of many of America’s Holocaust museums, we strongly condemn this crime – and we also recognize it as an opportunity to educate. Holding Jews - much less a Holocaust museum - responsible for the wartime actions of a foreign government is unacceptable and straightforwardly antisemitic. Hate crimes against American Jews have tripled since Hamas’ unprovoked terrorist attack against Israeli civilians on October 7th, 2023, with many of those crimes motivated by inaccurate allegations of genocide against Israel. Our mission to guard the memory of Holocaust Survivors and victims requires clarity on what does and does not constitute genocide, especially where misconceptions lead to hateful acts of antisemitism. Education is the only way to break this cycle. Let’s commit to working together toward a more peaceful and accepting world. Schedule a visit to your local Holocaust museum today and empower your community to stand as allies in the fight against antisemitism!

Tomorrow is Holocaust Remembrance Day, otherwise known as Yom HaShoah, a Jewish day of commemoration that remembers the six million Jews who were killed during the horrific atrocities of the Holocaust, honors the survivors and their stories, and educates against the terrible consequences of hate and racism. In recent months, we have seen an alarming increase in hatred and antisemitism across the globe, reminding us of the consequences if hate is not actively addressed. Jewish people are once again experiencing hate and violence due to their identity, and on this day, we should be weary of history repeating itself. No group of people should experience discrimination, fear or prejudice at the hands of others, and we are called upon to stand up against hate in all of its forms. As we honor Yom HaShoah, we encourage you to take the opportunity to connect with your communities, share educational resources on Antisemitism, such as materials from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and work towards a better future for all. Never Again is Now. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum resources: https://lnkd.in/eY-wMdEC

Tune in May 8 at 11:30 ET: https://lnkd.in/e2PMguch More: 31st Annual Federal Inter-Agency Holocaust Remembrance Program Stories of Courage Wednesday, May 8, 2024 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (EDT) This year’s program will feature two Holocaust survivors: Ruth Cohen, from Rockville, Maryland, and Allan Hall, from Miami, Florida. The program will be moderated by Ellen Germain, Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues at the U.S. Department of State. The program will also feature remarks from other federal officials, including Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. The program will be broadcast live from the U.S. Department of State. To view the livestream, please visit the Federal Inter-Agency Holocaust Remembrance Program website: HolocaustRemembrance.org. Sign language interpreting will be provided. Requests for reasonable accommodation may be submitted to wendy.doernberg@eeoc.gov. The Federal Inter-Agency Holocaust Remembrance Program started at the Department of Education in 1994 and now includes dozens of federal agencies. The Program educates federal employees, students, and the public about the Holocaust through the stories of survivors, who show what can happen if prejudice, hate, and intolerance against any individual or group of people goes unchallenged. The Holocaust (also called the Shoah) was the systematic, state-sponsored murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II. It was part of the “Final Solution” – the Nazi plan to annihilate more than nine million Jews in Europe. The Nazis murdered millions of others as well. In 1980, Congress expressed its intent that Holocaust remembrance should be observed throughout the United States each year...

Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of Smokey the Bear. Incidentally, it was also Holocaust Remembrance Day. What do they have in common? Both are meant to warn the world about fires. And the world right now is definitely on fire. Maybe that’s the problem with Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s just one day, when we really need to be vigilant everyday against the evils of terrorism, political, cultural, and academic institutional decay, persecution of any social group, the long-smoldering chaos of far-left ideologies or far right conspiracy theories like replacement, or the religious extremist intentions of Iran and its proxies to take down the west. All of these have been happening over decades. My favorite line since 10.7 is still Jim Gaffigan’s tweet, “Does anyone else feel the need to call all their Jewish friends and say, “Okay, you weren’t being paranoid.”? We weren’t. We’ve been saying to you Never Again a long time for a reason. Yet we’ve all been so accepting of a constant, historic #antisemitism, that this is just how it is for Jews, that the outrage just wasn’t there, by Jews and non alike. Though #Neveragain always felt more aimed at Non-Jews. After all, (sorry not sorry) Non-Jews are the ones persecuting us. Again. So again, the world Jewish population being about 15 million, and Israel being the size of New Jersey and virtually alone politically, we could use a little more help. For Jews, every day since 10.7 has been Holocaust Remembrance Day. That’s why every day it needs to be remembered that evil is possible, that we need to stand by our brothers and sisters, that hateful ideologies and threats of annihilating a people should be taken seriously, that anti-semitism is racism, that we are all capable of moral courage, that we all have a stake in the world and a voice to do something about it, that it isn’t too late. After all, remembering the Holocaust is less about remembering the dead, but standing by the living. If we blink, the moral pillars of the West can easily catch fire and fall. They haven’t burned down yet. But the match is lit, and it will take all of us to put it out.