Holocaust education stands at a difficult and challenging crossroads. In recent years, and especially since October 7, we are witnessing a troubling phenomenon of Holocaust distortion and misuse of historical memory to promote contemporary political narratives.
The Holocaust, an unprecedented event in human history, is often turned into a rhetorical tool to justify political positions, intensify public and international conflicts, and incite hatred.
A new and dangerous dimension has now joined this phenomenon: the endless production of narratives, images, and fabricated “testimonies” by means of new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) now enables the distortion of reality and well-documented historical facts.
These trends can undermine the ethical and educational dimensions of Holocaust remembrance and blur its historical understanding.
Holocaust distorted
Moreover, the Holocaust and its horrors are frequently invoked to describe events occurring in Israel, Gaza, and around the world, in ways that reinforce tendencies toward trivialization and distortion.
At the same time, there are monthly reports of a steep rise in antisemitic acts. Jews and Israelis in Western countries are being attacked and excluded, directly and indirectly. These trends point to a complex and troubling reality.
The generation of Holocaust survivors is dwindling, and in the coming years we will be teaching and commemorating the Holocaust in a reality in which there are no survivors to tell their stories and bear firsthand witness.
We stand before an immense challenge that demands we “recalculate our route” and find innovative avenues in all aspects of Holocaust education. We are required to “think outside the box,” to adopt new approaches and utilize diverse tools – social media, AI, and advanced technologies – to face these challenges.
I see no harm in using these tools, but they must be employed wisely and cautiously, with a clear understanding of their advantages and a readiness to address the dangers they pose.
The Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum are now convening a large group of educators, researchers, and educational entrepreneurs from Holocaust museums and heritage sites around the world at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oswiecim.
The group is working to develop groundbreaking solutions to address urgent questions:
How can Holocaust memory be passed on in the post-testimony era, when direct encounters with survivors are being replaced with mediated representations?
How can we generate interest and meaning among younger generations in a global digital age?
And how do we confront new waves of antisemitism and Holocaust distortion?
The event offers an innovative format. Instead of lectures and a passive audience, it offers a dynamic, creative marathon of development, collaboration, and project planning aimed at producing tangible educational tools.
Participants work in international teams, guided by expert mentors from the fields of education, history, innovation, and technology. Together, they will develop ideas with the potential to transform the future of Holocaust education.
Auschwitz-Ghetto Fighters collab
The collaboration between the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the most recognized symbol of Nazi crimes, and the Ghetto Fighters’ House, a leading educational museum founded in 1949 in Galilee by Holocaust survivors, was formed for a universal purpose: to teach the Holocaust and ensure its relevance for future generations.
Holocaust education today is, therefore, a dynamic field, grappling with ethical, political, and social tensions in light of the changes in memory culture, media, and values-based discourse.
I believe that if we do not confront the most sensitive issues with honesty, integrity, and courage, we will gradually lose the ability to preserve Holocaust education as relevant both in Israel and around the world.
This is a call for renewed thinking, for a creative look at how we educate, and for finding meaningful and relevant approaches. We should not settle only for preserving the past: we must give it contemporary, educational, and vital significance for future generations.
The writer is CEO of the Ghetto Fighters’ House at Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot.