“Whoever listens to a witness, becomes a witness. It is all about memory. The survivor’s duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.”
— Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel
The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—the concentration and death camp where the Nazis murdered 1 million of the 6 million Jews exterminated in the Holocaust—is a somber reminder of what happens when societies allow hateful words and attacks to go unchallenged. Memories of that horror are fading as Holocaust survivors pass away.
“Hunger, horrible winters, savage beatings, seven sharing a bunk and lice were not the worst conditions at Auschwitz. Humiliation was the worst. Because we were Jewish, we were treated like cockroaches. What do people do with cockroaches? They step on, they crush, they suffocate, they kill, they annihilate.”
— Marian Turski, Holocaust survivor
Survivor testimonies: ‘Hatred of Jews led to the Holocaust’
Marian Turski survived the largest death march of the Holocaust; the German Nazis forced 56,000 individuals at Auschwitz to walk 35 miles in harsh winter conditions. A death march was a forced evacuation under brutal conditions, resulting in mass deaths from starvation, exhaustion and violence. She watched as 15,000 others perished in the winter weather.
The United Nations established the annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day to mark the liberation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945. The 98-year-old Polish historian addressed world leaders at the gates of Auschwitz: “Now, we see a huge rise in antisemitism (anti-Jewish hatred) and it is precisely antisemitism that led to the Holocaust.”

Auschwitz was one of six Nazi death camps designed to exterminate Jews, who were gassed to death and their bodies burned in industrial ovens. Of the more than 6 million killed, at least a million were shot to death and buried in mass graves throughout Eastern Europe.
Only 50 Auschwitz survivors attended this year’s ceremony at Auschwitz since most have now reached their 90s. Britain’s King Charles headlined world leaders joining this year’s remembrance event. For the first time, leaders did not speak. Instead, they listened to survivor testimonies. There are growing concerns that after all survivors pass away, the Holocaust will become forgotten history, especially among younger generations who know the least about one of history’s greatest tragedies.
Worldwide rise in attacks against Jews
The Holocaust began with words and escalated into anti-Jewish laws, dehumanization and government-directed attacks against Jewish civilians in Germany and other European countries in the 1930s.
Today, anti-Jewish incidents in France are at a “historic” high. Assaults on Jews walking in New York City, the firebombing of synagogues in Australia, the harassment of Jewish university students around the world and anti-Jewish incitement on social media are only a few of the escalating attacks against Jews around the world. They demonstrate a somber reminder for Jews of the perilous nature of their lives. The Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023—the deadliest violence against Jews since the Holocaust—serve as a painful reminder that hatred is alive and well.

Holocaust survivor Moshe Ridler narrowly escaped death after a Ukrainian couple found him nearly frozen following a successful escape. Two of his relatives died from a 186-mile death march during the Holocaust. Ridler moved to Israel in 1951, where he investigated sexual predators, thieves and drug dealers as a Tel Aviv police officer.
He survived the Holocaust but not the resurgence of hate. Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists murdered him in his kibbutz home on Oct. 7.
Anti-Israel students at the University of Pennsylvania applauded a speaker who stated, “Jews go back to f**king Berlin where you came from.” Neo-Nazi vandals desecrated a synagogue in Slovenia: “Jews are the evil of the world” and “Death to the Jews, Glory to Slovenia.” Terrorists torched a Jewish childcare center and spray-painted anti-Jewish graffiti, including, “F**k Jews,” in Australia, a few days after attackers targeted the previous home of a Jewish leader. StandWithUs Australia launched a nationwide campaign to combat rising antisemitism: “Defend the Truth, Empower the Future.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared: “I call on all civilized nations to confront antisemitism wherever it appears: on college campuses, city streets or international forums like the International Criminal Court.” Israeli President Herzog echoed his sentiments: “The United Nations, International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice time and again exhibited moral bankruptcy, allowing antisemitic genocidal doctrines to flourish uninterrupted in the wake of the largest massacre of Jews since World War II.” Pope Francis urged for the eradication of anti-Jewish hatred and stated that the horror of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.
Surveys say more education is needed to combat hate
Students and professionals are falling for anti-Jewish conspiracy theories at an alarming rate. Some students on campuses repeat Hamas slogans that are similar to Nazi propaganda.
A new study by an international organization, the Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, found that 56% do not know that 6 million Jews were killed, 21% think it was less than 2 million, and 48% cannot name a single concentration camp or ghetto. In the weeks following the atrocities against Israel Jews on Oct. 7, some 76% of Americans agreed that “another mass genocide against the Jewish people could happen again today.”

The ADL Global 100: Index of Antisemitism found that 46% of the world’s adult population (about 2.2 billion) hold deeply entrenched anti-Jewish attitudes, more than double the number compared to its survey a decade ago. The numbers are even worse among younger adults and the most educated. Even countries deemed the least antisemitic have been rocked by major incidents, including recent “Jew hunts” in the Netherlands. The World Zionist Organization recorded a 340% surge in the past two years, including a 228% increase in anti-Jewish incidents in America and a 562% increase in Canada. The WZO noted that the term “Zionism” is often used as a cover to discriminate against Jews.
The increasing number of Jews sharing their stories of being attacked underscores new studies and statistics about the threats Jews are facing in countless countries. The Oct. 7 massacre opened the floodgates of hate against Jews, especially among younger generations. An educational organization, Echoes & Reflections, revealed that Holocaust education is essential, but it is not enough to curb antisemitism alone; students also must learn about contemporary antisemitism.
Points to consider:
- Remember the past to prevent it from repeating.
In Hebrew, there is no word for “history.” Instead, Jews emphasize memory. This distinction reminds us that remembering is not passive; it is an active, intentional and vital action. The Holocaust was not inevitable. Individuals and groups made choices to act while others missed opportunities to counter evil. The Holocaust began with verbal attacks against Jews; laws excluding them from their schools, jobs and society; and culminated in genocide. Teaching about and remembering the Holocaust is not just about the Jewish people. It is a lesson to us all that if we are silent against indifference, we risk losing our humanity—toward Jews or anyone else.
- The Holocaust began with words, not gas chambers.
The Holocaust did not start with the horrors of concentration camps, the forced evacuation to cramped ghettoes or even Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”) in Germany and Austria in November 1938. The mass murder of Jews and other populations deemed undesirable began with hatred, stereotypes and propaganda that gradually stripped Jewish people of their humanity and laid the groundwork for genocide. Language was weaponized to sow division and justify unimaginable acts of cruelty. This serves as a powerful reminder: Hate speech is never “just words.” It is our responsibility to challenge harmful rhetoric from politicians, celebrities and social-media influencers and to teach future generations how language shapes our society.
- Minimizing the uniqueness of the Holocaust will only lead to more hate.
The Holocaust stands as a singular atrocity—a genocide meticulously planned by a government to exterminate the Jewish people. Attempts to reject its uniqueness not only dishonor the victims but also fuel hatred of Jews. The decreasing number of living survivors makes educational efforts more difficult. This is not an abstract issue. The Iranian-backed Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7 were the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust and have unleashed a worldwide surge in attacks against Jews. Preserving the Holocaust’s horrific legacy is not about looking backward; it is about confronting hatred now, ensuring “Never Again” means something and protecting the safety of all individuals.
- Holocaust denial and distortion legitimize hatred.
Holocaust denial and distortion erase history. These tactics fuel hatred of Jews, delegitimize Jewish identity and embolden bigots. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism identifies these dangerous practices, helping us confront attempts to rewrite history and spread hate. Harmful lies about individual Jews and groups of Jews, as well as Israel, poison discourse, deepen divisions and inspire violence. We must expose and reject these distortions. Holocaust remembrance is about education, commemoration and historical responsibility.
- Holocaust education in schools helps fight antisemitism
Holocaust education is a call to action. Teaching children about the Holocaust fosters empathy, critical thinking and an understanding of where hatred can lead if left unchecked. Students who learn about the Holocaust in schools are proven to be less likely to believe anti-Jewish tropes. This is why efforts to include Holocaust history in school curricula are vital to ensuring future generations recognize warnings and act against prejudice. Educating young minds strengthens the resolve to fight hate, making Holocaust education a cornerstone in building any society rooted in tolerance.
- Everyone has a responsibility to keep the memories of the Holocaust alive.
Remembering the Holocaust is not just the duty of Jewish communities; it is a responsibility we all share. As survivors pass away, the torch of memory must be carried by all who believe in justice and humanity. Forgetting the Holocaust allows hatred to fester and repeats the mistakes of the past. Through storytelling, education and public commemoration, the world must honor the 6 million Jews murdered and countless others persecuted. Keeping their memory alive is a moral obligation to ensure such atrocities never happen again. Together, we must stand against hate and preserve the lessons of the Holocaust.