A Denial of History

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By Nina Grotch

 
Entrance of a San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Station

Entrance of a San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Station

 

Many riders of the Bay Area’s Rapid Transit (BART) expressed shock and anger to see ads from the Institute for Historical Review (IHR) appearing this week. IHR purports to be an academic institution but actually promotes Holocaust denial and is recognized by both the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League as an extremist organization. While avoiding blatantly antisemitic language and outright denial that the Holocaust occurred, the group spreads false claims about the numbers of victims and the events and methods of the most well-documented event in history. As time passes and we continue to lose the first-person witnesses of the Holocaust, acceptance of the facts is in even more jeopardy. 

 
Passengers riding a Bay Area Rapid Transit train

Passengers riding a Bay Area Rapid Transit train

 

Holocaust denial is not a new phenomenon but the emergence of Holocaust denial groups and pages on social media continues to be a growing concern. These groups spread conspiracy theories about Jews and claim that the facts of the Holocaust were fabricated by Jews in search of monetary gain and public sympathy. In other words, Holocaust denial is another form of antisemitism and groups such as IHR are hate groups.  

The troubling ads on BART highlight the tension between freedom of expression and protecting the rights of all.  A BART representative claims that the ads do not contain offensive images or text and that under the First Amendment, BART has the responsibility to accept this advertisement.  Many Jewish advocacy groups feel that the ads unfairly target the Jewish community, a fact that is amplified by the timing of these ads, running during the Jewish High Holidays. Leaders from the Bay Area Jewish community have suggested that BART run ads next to the ads from the IHR that provide more information about the true nature of the IHR and counter these hateful messages.  It seems likely that if BART refused the IHR, they would run afoul of the First Amendment and likely lose a challenge in the courts.

What about human rights law? The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR or the Covenant)—ratified in 1966—built upon the foundation laid by the UDHR and added several important rights to international law. Article 20 states, “Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.” Once again, how do we balance the right to free expression with the rights of the individual or a community, especially a minority community? The issue of hate speech is a complicated one in both federal and international law. Many European countries such as Germany Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands etc. have criminalized Holocaust denial.  Holocaust denial is also illegal in Israel. 

A photo of the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial and museum and learning center in Israel). "The Hall of Names at Yad Vashem is the Jewish People’s memorial to each and every Jew who perished in the Holocaust – a place where they m…

A photo of the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial and museum and learning center in Israel). "The Hall of Names at Yad Vashem is the Jewish People’s memorial to each and every Jew who perished in the Holocaust – a place where they may be commemorated for generations to come." Image by Yad Vashem

Tragically, the issue of denial is not limited to the Holocaust. Historians agree that denial is in fact, a component of every genocide.  Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch and President, International Association of Genocide Scholars explains: “Denial. It is actually a continuation of the genocide, because it is a continuing attempt to destroy the victim group psychologically and culturally, to deny its members even the memory of the murders of their relatives.” 

The emergence of these groups as well as a recent survey about the Holocaust from the are troubling. The study from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) shows that the details and the specifics of the Holocaust are not known by an alarming number of Americans.

“A substantial number of the survey’s respondents were unaware of basic facts about the Holocaust. Forty-one percent did not know what Auschwitz was. Nearly one-third of respondents (31 percent) believed that less than 2 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust; the actual number is closer to 6 million. Only 37 percent of people were able to identify Poland as a country where the Holocaust occurred, even though at least 3 million Jewish citizens of Poland were murdered during WWII.”

The necessity for education about the Holocaust and the patterns of genocide is clear. Ads for Holocaust deniers online and most recently in the Bay Area provide an opportunity for educators to discuss the tension between the First Amendment and freedom of expression and historical fact. The acceptance of scientific and historical facts is in jeopardy today. Many Americans cannot agree on the “facts” of recent events. The acceptance and understanding of historical truths and events from more than 70 years ago are in increasing danger. Teaching our students critical thinking skills must be an essential part of their education. Lessons about identifying and deconstructing propaganda, using primary sources, and questioning the veracity of traditional and social media are key as we continue to foster inquisitive and well-informed students.

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