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Nearly two-thirds of American young adults are unaware that six million Jews were exterminated during the Holocaust, and one in ten believes that Jews were responsible for the Holocaust. Also, about half do not mention a concentration camp or a ghetto created during World War II.
These are some of the results of an investigation presented Wednesday, requested by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (better known as the Claims Conference), a Jewish organization that negotiates compensation for victims of the Holocaust and defends the preservation of memory. history of the victims.
The survey focused on young adults between the ages of 18 and 39, belonging to the “millennial” generation (born between 1981 and 1994) or Generation Z (born after 1995).
According to the results, 63% of those surveyed did not know that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust and more than one in three (36%) believed that the death toll would be two million or less.
Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) said the Holocaust is a myth or the way it is presented is exaggerated, while one in eight (12%) said they had never heard of the Holocaust.
“The results [do inquérito] they are shocking and sad, and demonstrate that we must act now, while Holocaust survivors are still with us to share their stories, “said Gideon Taylor, Claims Conference chairman, quoted by The Guardian.
“We need to understand why we are not providing better education about the Holocaust and the lessons of the past to younger generations. This should serve as a red flag for all of us, ”he added.
Nationally, 11% (more than one in ten) of those surveyed believe that Jews were responsible for the Holocaust, a number that is increasing among New York’s young adults (19%). In the states of Louisiana, Tennessee and Montana the percentage rises to 16% and in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Nevada and New Mexico it is 15%.
Nearly half (48%) of American young adults did not name a concentration camp, a Nazi death center, or a ghetto to which Jews were sent during World War II.
The numbers assume more worrying proportions in Texas (60%), New York (58%) and South Carolina (57%). Nationally, 56% were unable to identify the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp and only 6% were aware of the Dachau camp, while Bergen-Belsen was identified by 3% and the Treblinka and Buchenwald camps only by 1% .
In addition to the “worrying lack of knowledge about the Holocaust” reported by the Claims Conference, the survey also revealed that more than half (56%) of young adults have already been exposed to Nazi symbols on their social media or on communities, and 49% reported who has viewed posts online that deny or distort the Holocaust.
“We must fight this distortion of history and do everything we can to ensure that the social media giants stop allowing such harmful content on their platforms,” Claims Conference Executive Vice President Greg Schneider was quoted as saying. The Jerusalem Post. “The survivors have lost their families, friends, homes and communities. We cannot deny their history, ”she reiterated.
The survey consisted of 1,000 interviews nationwide in the United States and 200 interviews in each state, with young adults (18-39) selected at random.
