Holocaust Deniers

According to a survey by the ADL, 35% of people in the world have not heard of the Holocaust. And one-third of Americans believe that 4 million or less (the actual number are close to 6 million) were killed. Additionally, 11% of Americans believe that it is ok to hold neo-nazi beliefs.

But some people full-out deny the occurrence of the Holocaust.

Holocaust-denying is popular among conspiracy theory circles, but it has also infiltrated politics, with even the former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad propagating this belief publicly. What kind of arguments do deniers use? They often focus on the lack of evidence or common misunderstandings. For example, the Nazis tried to hide their activities, so there are false and underestimated reports that these deniers use as true evidence. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Common denial assertions are: that the murder of six million Jews during World War II never occurred; that the Nazis had no official policy or intention to exterminate the Jews; and that the poison gas chambers in Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp never existed.” These are clearly lies, and no serious historian would ever dispute that this event happened. While the group of deniers is small, they are usually quite vocal. For example, Iranian President, Mahmoud A., claims that: “All the studies and research carried out so far have proven that there is no reason to believe that the Holocaust ever occurred and that it is only a tale.” Additionally, Frederick Toben, an Austrian Holocaust Denier, claims “”The number of victims at the Auschwitz concentration camp could be about 2,007, no more.”

While we know their claims are wrong, and they can even be funny because they are so unbelievable, denying the holocaust is a harmful and dangerous thing. Holocaust-denying is denying facts, denying one the worst things that has ever happened in history. Denying it is to deny that the world has had a climate in which this could happen. Enough people had strong enough prejudice against Jewish people that they were able to systemically and legally killed right under their noses. We need to remember the Holocaust so we can recognize the warning signs and so that we can avoid another genocide in the future and respect the memory and horrific experience of those who died and the few who survived.