WhyHolocaustAwarenessIsJustAsRelevantin2023

AlexandraMalamud

Antisemitism is defined as hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people The Holocaust was shown to be the most extreme example of antisemitism ever to occur, resulting in the persecution andmurderofsixmillionJews by Nazi Germany However, violent antisemitism and hatred did not end with Nazi Germany's defeat. Antisemitismhasbeenonthe rise, and it remains a critical issuetoday

The Holocaust was the most profound expression of antisemitism Antisemitism has endangered and continues to threaten the safety of Jewish people and communities worldwide. Like all forms of intolerance and discrimination, Jew hatred underminespeaceandhuman rightsand,mostconcerning,it has entered the mainstream. Once on the peripheries of society, antisemitism now hidesinplainsightandhas become normalized and weaponized Therefore, it should come as no surprise that awareness of the Holocaust is crucial to counter and eliminate antisemitism Essentially, the solution to combating and eradicating antisemitism is education. Awareness is both a short-term security imperative and a long-term educationalinvestment Itwill promote human rights and global citizenship, as well as prevent future acts of violence motivated by hate andprejudice

This task of educating and creating awareness of the Holocaust is easier said than done Thus, the question is not whether that the Holocaustshouldbetaughtin schools, but rather how it should be taught to accomplish the true goal of awareness.

The Holocaust should not only be taught at the primary and secondary school levels, but at college and university as well Universities can learn from the prominent Holocaust museums in North America as to the most effective manner in which a topic as difficult as the Holocaust can be taught For example, the Montreal Holocaust Museum lists eleven recommendations for teaching about the Holocaust to middle and highschoolstudents Similar recommendations are found inthemissionstatementsof the United States Holocaust Memorial Museums and the Vancouver Holocaust Center.

As a result of education on thereasonswhyandhowthe Holocaust occurred, a generalawarenessofthe

Holocaustwillfinditswayinto society. The result will be a broader understanding of the Holocaustandthegenocideof the Jewish people by the Nazis, which will expand into discussions on related topics such as global human rights Hopefully, studying this history will create an atmosphereofdiscussion amongst students that will lead to a consensus whereby all global citizens can enjoy fundamental human rights andrecognizehowtheJewish people were on the receiving end of avowed efforts to annihilation The goal is to prevent the elements of divisiveness which lead to societalconflict Inshort,

Holocaust awareness can be an effective tool in the preventionnotonlyoffurther acts of antisemitism, but also to prevent future atrocities throughout the world In addition, Holocaust awareness will also be an effective tool for combating Holocaust deniers and those whodistorttheHolocaust,