80 years after Auschwitz … now what?

In January of 1945, the Death Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. What should have been a harsh lesson learned by humanity has slowly eroded and is running the risk of becoming what the late French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen called “a hiccup of history.” The torture, bloodshed and ashes of the Holocaust should remain a scar on the face of humanity, but not an open wound upon which more salt is thrown.

I will never apologize for reminding people about the horrors of the Holocaust. Sure, it probably has something to do with the loss of my maternal grandfather, Maurice Weinzveig, at Auschwitz in 1942. May his memory be a blessing! But it goes way beyond my loss and should hit a nerve with people of goodwill around the world, Jews and Gentiles alike. The memory must live on!

Every year on Jan. 27 – the date of Auschwitz-Birkenau’s liberation – the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and this year marks the 80th anniversary of that day. Is 80 years a long time or a short time? If you consider that the vast majority of Holocaust survivors have now passed away or are primarily in their late eighties and nineties, it is a long time, and it presents a real danger; very soon, there will be no more firsthand witnesses of the Holocaust, facilitating the work of deniers and historical revisionists even more.

It used to be that those belittling the Holocaust were not taken seriously. They were on the fringe of society and could easily be ignored – but things have changed as anti-Semitism is increasingly becoming more normalized. The Holocaust is becoming trivialized by people who, at one point in time, were trustworthy researchers and influencers. Their voices are still heard and influencing people, not in a good way.

The most terrifying example can be found in the recent multiple diatribes spewed by internet influencer Candace Owens. She was once an up-and-coming young voice of reason and conservatism. I do not know what happened in her life, but she has now become the poster child for neo-Jew hatred from the right. She claimed that the human experiments performed by the infamous Dr. Mengele never happened. Owens also has bought into the lie that Jews control the world and the banks and are demon-possessed. She has 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and 6.4 million followers on X. Who exactly are these people following?

Well, maybe I am overreacting, and maybe nobody is buying her lies against the Jews. Then again, maybe they are, as was the young shooter at a Nashville high school on Jan. 22, 2025. He killed someone and then committed suicide. In his manifesto, he openly praised Hitler and claimed that he was inspired by … wait for it … Candace Owens. So, YES, words do matter! The influencers are also working with people who are poorly educated on the Holocaust if educated at all, for example:

• 52% of millennials cannot name one ghetto or camp.
• 22% of millennials have not heard of the Holocaust or can’t explain what it is.
• 65% of people surveyed couldn’t tell the questioner that 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust.

This year, as the world continues to distance itself from supporting Israel and helping Jewish people in need, let’s all do our part to remember the Holocaust and teach the truth to our younger generation. Visit a camp, read a book, speak to a survivor or watch a movie, but DO SOMETHING!

Did you know that if we were to recite the names of all the victims of the Holocaust, it would take us 10.5 years non-stop? Do you have a few minutes to pray for your Jewish friends, Israel and any survivors or their families? Am Yisrael Chai and NEVER AGAIN!