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Geography | PSHE

Anti-Semitism surge 75 years after Auschwitz

We have to remember what happened. We have to make sure that it never happens again. Millions perished as NaziA German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II. Germany combined modern technologies with ancient hatreds. Anti-SemitismShowing hatred or prejudice towards Jewish people. was weaponised. Two-thirds of Europe's Jews were murdered. Today is HolocaustThe murder of six million Jewish people in Europe by Nazi Germany. Members of other minority groups were also killed. Memorial Day. Seventy-five years on from the liberation of the largest Nazi death camp, AuschwitzNazi death camp where over a million people lost their lives during WW2.-Birkenau, world leaders have gathered in Jerusalem. Similar events are taking place all across the planet. The Holocaust on ShoahHebrew term for the Holocaust. was an unthinkable atrocity. It has re-shaped the way that we understand the history of Western civilisation. As the German philosopher Theodor Adorno put it: "To write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric." European Jews were deliberately targeted by the Nazis for no reason other than their religion and ethnicity. The Nazis described the Jews as "pigs" and "rats", presented them as aliens in their own country and repeated age-old stereotypesStereotypes are ideas about how people will act, based on the group to which they belong. about them rigging the economy. Tragically, most of Europe's Jews were in fact utterly powerless as Nazi fascismA political ideology that rose to power in 20th-Century Europe. It stressed militarism and order over personal freedom, and often divided society according to racial hierarchies. ramped up its hateful rhetoricThe art of persuasion. and adopted to a programme of ethnic cleansingThe systematic forced removal from one area or killing of an ethnic group, with the aim of creating a region that is ethnically homogeneous. . Astonishingly, anti-Semitism is once again on the rise. Major terrorist attacks have targeted Jews in both the US and Europe, including shootings in synagoguesJewish places of worship. . One poll found that a quarter of Europeans hold anti-Semitic views. Anti-Jewish graffiti was spray-painted on the streets of London in December. The Labour Party is currently under investigation for anti-Semitism. A combination of vocal resentment for the world's only majority-Jewish nation, Israel; the insidious nature of internet filter bubbles, and the simple fact that less people personally remember the Holocaust have all contributed to this sad state of affairs. We know what happened at places like Treblinka and Auschwitz because the people who survived could tell their story. But now, 75 years on, we are losing these living relics of humanity's darkest hour. Without them among us, we will ever be able to defeat anti-Semitism? People are not born hateful. Ideas appear, but they also disappear. Though anti-Semitism's presence in modern-day society must not be tolerated, there is no reason it should carry on existing forever. All prejudice is the result of ignorance. So long as people are taught to be fair and to understand the weight of history, there is a chance that hatred will be overcome. That said, the history of anti-Semitism does run deep, not for nothing is it known as the oldest hatred. Online conspiracy theories mean that anti-semitism is re-establishing itself for new generations. Some people are still racist, still sexist. So long as there are people, there will be vicious ways for them to behave. Q & A What do we know? The Holocaust or Shoah is commemorated on 27 January — the day Red Army troops liberated Auschwitz. Between 1941 and 1945, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population was murdered by the Nazi regime. This was some 6 million people. Anti-Semitic beliefs helped the Nazis justify their brutal executions. Some of these are still common today, including tropes like Jews having too much power in business, and Jews not being loyal to the country they live in. What do we not know? How attitudes towards the Holocaust might evolve after the last survivors pass away. The increasing politicisation of remembrance also risks tarnishing its solemnity (Poland and Russia have recently fallen out over who should speak at a remembrance event). The State of Israel's increasing susceptibility to criticism also means that the blurring of lines between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism could allow more anti-Jewish hate to spread.KeywordsNazi - A German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II.

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