The rise of antisemitism in the US and how you can fight it

(Courtesy of BSK)

Jewish student BSK explains the links between low levels of Holocaust knowledge and high levels of antisemitic violence.

In the U.S., there is a shockingly low level of knowledge about the Holocaust and a shockingly high level of misinformation. At the same time, there has been a surge in antisemitic rhetoric and violence. I see a direct correlation between the two.

Antisemitism is the term for hatred and prejudice against Jewish people just because they are Jewish. Six million Jews were murdered during WWII in what is referred to as the Holocaust. The organization Claims Conference recently conducted a survey in the U.S. on Holocaust awareness, revealing “critical gaps both in awareness of basic facts as well as detailed knowledge of the Holocaust.” The survey found that 48% of American millennials and Gen Z can’t name a single ghetto or concentration camp. During the Holocaust there were about 40,000 camps and ghettos.

“The survey found that 48% of American millennials and Gen Z can’t name a single ghetto or concentration camp. During the Holocaust there were about 40,000 camps and ghettos.”

— BSK

Claims Conference also found that 36% of American millennials and Gen Z believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed during the Holocaust and 49% of millennials believe that only Jews were persecuted in or during the Holocaust. This is not true. Nazis targeted and killed Germans with mental and physical disabilities, Roma and Sinti peoples, Soviet prisoners of war, non-Jewish Poles, Jehovah’s Witnesses and LGBTQ+ individuals alongside Jews. And the scariest figure of all: 11% of American millennials and Gen Z believe that the Holocaust was caused by the Jews.

While this is happening, antisemitic incidents, including vandalism, harassment and assault, have been on the rise in the U.S. When I was younger I was bullied because of my Jewish identity. Now antisemitic attacks are getting progressively worse. On October 27, 2018 a man named Robert Bowers opened fire inside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania yelling, “All Jews must die.” He killed 11 people and injured six. Bowers was a frequent user of extremist right-wing social media platforms and his accounts were filled with antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial. In 2018 the number of antisemitic assaults doubled from the previous year. 2019 saw the highest number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) began tracking them back in 1979.

(Courtesy of BSK)

On January 6, 2021 a mob of domestic terrorists attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of our presidential election. The terrorists displayed numerous symbols of antisemitism and racism, including Confederate flags, the Nazi swastika and the Nazi salute. One man was photographed wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt with “Staff” written on the back. Auschwitz was a concentration camp where 1.1 million people were murdered during the Holocaust.

Many in the crowd sported symbols of QAnon, a popular alt-right conspiracy theory. Even though some followers claim that it is not overtly antisemitic, QAnon recycles far older antisemitic conspiracies such as the “Blood Libel,” which is a medieval theory claiming that Jews consume Christian children’s blood. QAnon has updated this and other old antisemitic conspiracy theories such as the theory that Jews control the government, media and banking systems to serve their own purposes. In 2019 97 candidates who ran for U.S. Congress could be linked to QAnon. Two won. One has even gone so far as to claim that the 2018 California wildfires were caused by a secret space laser controlled by the Jewish banking family the Rothschilds, who have been the subjects of many antisemitic conspiracy theories.

This isn’t just an American problem. According to a recent CNN poll conducted in Europe one in five people in Austria, France and Germany said that Jews had too much influence in the media and one in three Europeans believe that Jews are too influential in political affairs around the world, reflecting old antisemitic conspiracy theories that Jews control the world. These perceptions are often based on widespread misinformation. In the same poll 25% of Hungarian and one-fifth of British and Polish respondents estimated the world’s population as 20% Jewish, when in reality an estimated 0.2% of the world’s population is Jewish.

“The remaining survivors and the educators they work with have been repeating the same message for years: These things happened once, they can happen again. And they do.”

— BSK

The current misinformation and violence affecting Jews make me feel angry and scared. I want to help counter the spread of lies and hate. I believe there is a way to turn some of this around. My generation, Generation Z, has an opportunity that future generations may not. We still have living survivors of the Holocaust. Many still use their voices to speak and educate. The remaining survivors and the educators they work with have been repeating the same message for years: These things happened once, they can happen again. And they do. All over the world different kinds of hate are on the rise, many countries are divided and genocide continues to occur. It’s important to keep learning about the Holocaust. It is a terrifying and devastating story about where hate and misinformation can lead us.

If you would like to learn more about the Holocaust and fighting hate these resources and ideas can help:

1. Educate yourself from trusted resources. Sponsored by the World Jewish Congress, UNESCO and the United Nations, About Holocaust has basic facts about the Holocaust in 20 languages. Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, has comprehensive archives and digital collections. 

2. Learn about the ways antisemitism manifests itself in your country and be on the lookout for antisemitic stereotypes. The Anti-Defamation League has many useful reports and statistics about hate and discrimination.

3. Read a book or watch a movie about the Holocaust, such as Hana’s Suitcase.

4. Find a Holocaust survivor’s story, whether it be video, audio or an in-person encounter. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has survivors’ stories as well as resources to learn about the Holocaust, genocide and antisemitism.