There is #NoDenyingIt

Facebook must tackle Holocaust revisionism

Facebook and other social media platforms can be useful in promoting civility and rallying folks to work toward social justice and equality. Unfortunately, these same sites can—and have—become stages for Holocaust deniers, Nazi sympathizers, and anti-Semites to spew their venom.

Still, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is Jewish and has publicly called Holocaust denial “personally offensive,” refuses to remove an increasing number of nonfactual, inflammatory, and hate-filled posts on Facebook. He says he does not believe Holocaust deniers are “intentionally getting it wrong” and, therefore, they are not violating Facebook’s standards on hate speech.

SURVIVORS, OTHERS OBJECT

But Holocaust Survivors—and groups such as Kol Israel Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League, and the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany—vehemently disagree. The latter organization, which advocates for Holocaust Survivors worldwide, has launched a campaign dubbed #NoDenyingIt.

Each day, a Holocaust Survivor posts a video on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In the video, they share accounts of surviving the Holocaust and implore Zuckerberg to remove Holocaust denial content. They invite supporters to share the videos and the movement’s hashtag on their own social media sites. By revealing these deeply personal stories, the Survivors hope Zuckerberg will agree Holocaust denial is hate speech that violates Facebook’s standards and, ultimately, that he will remove these appalling messages.

There has been tremendous support for the initiative. On July 1, more than 500 companies pulled their ads from Facebook.

OBJECTIONABLE POSTS

Some social media trolls attempt to disguise their views with euphemisms while others are blatant. Among the terms they use:

• Rats

• Tribe

• Zionists

• Hoax

• Alternative view of history

Deniers claim Jews contrive evidence of the Holocaust to elicit pity and extract reparations from Germany. Their messages often:

• Idolize Adolf Hitler

• Glorify Nazis

• Contain links to neo-Nazi extremists

• Accuse Jews of using the Shoah as a means of gaining world domination

Accompanying graphics often depict hooked-nosed Jews, yellow Jewish stars, rats, dogs, and manipulated photographs, such as this altered image of the Auschwitz gate:

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Now, more than ever, Kol Israel Foundation is committed to combatting the proliferation of Holocaust denial by educating the next generation about the consequences of hate—and you can help.

KIF’s Holocaust Education Programs, Face to Face® and Sharing Our Stories, teach the history of the Holocaust and contextualize the Shoah to promote civility and tolerance in today’s world. We invite you to join us via Zoom on Thursday, August 27, at 7 p.m. to learn about our Education Programs and get a sneak peek of our Holocaust education exhibit’s newly redesigned banners. We encourage you to share this invitation with the teachers in your life, especially those who work with students in grades 7-12.

Please register at the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/face-to-face-reveal-tickets-114285793886