Horrifying survey
One in ten young adults does not know what the Holocaust is
It is the greatest crime in human history, but the Holocaust seems to be forgotten by the younger generation – throughout Europe.
According to a survey, a good one in ten young adults in Germany have never heard of the terms Holocaust or Shoah. In Germany, 12 percent of the 18 to 29 year olds surveyed said this when asked. In Austria it was 14, in Romania 15, in France even 46 percent of young people.
The survey was commissioned by the Jewish Claims Conference with 1,000 respondents in eight countries. These countries were Germany, France, Austria, Great Britain, Poland, Hungary, Romania and the USA.
40 percent of young people do not know how many people were murdered in the Holocaust
According to the survey, in all of these countries there is a significant proportion of young people who do not know that up to six million Jews were killed during the Nazi era. In Germany the proportion of 18 to 29 year olds is 40 percent. 15 percent said the number of murdered people was two million or fewer. In the other countries the proportion was even higher, the highest in Romania at 32 percent. In Germany, two percent of all respondents said yes to the statement that the Holocaust did not happen.
In almost every country surveyed, a large majority said something like the Holocaust could happen again today. In the USA the proportion was 76 percent, in Great Britain 69 percent, in France 63 percent, in Austria 62 percent and in Germany 61 percent. The survey took place in November 2023. The data has now been published for the first time.
Central Council of Jews: “Worrying increase in anti-Semitic violence”
The Central Council of Jews in Germany was alarmed by the results. “The worrying rise in anti-Semitic verbal and physical violence that we are witnessing in Germany is largely rooted in disinformation and the lack of information about the Holocaust,” said Central Council President Josef Schuster. The study shows the dimension, especially with regard to young adults. Politics, education and the media must work together to counteract this.
The term Holocaust describes the systematic persecution and murder of European Jews by the German National Socialists and their supporters between 1933 and 1945. According to current research – described on the website of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial – up to six million Jews were killed, including around one million in the Auschwitz extermination camp. This was liberated 80 years ago, on January 27, 1945.
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
