8 | APRIL 27 • 2023
essay
A Closer Look at the Relationship
Between Holocaust Knowledge,
Education and Antisemitism
W
ith increased
hate-fueled vio-
lence, incidents of
antisemitism, and challenges
to democratic values and insti-
tutions, Holocaust education
remains an integral aspect of
countering prejudice and culti-
vating inclusion.
However, Holocaust edu-
cation is currently mandated
in only 25 states, and there
remains a need to understand
how learning about this event
affects individuals’ belief sys-
tems and the willingness to act
upon those beliefs.
Antisemitism threatens the
safety of Jewish people and
communities around the world
and is an animating force of
dangerous extremist ideologies.
Like all forms of prejudice and
discrimination, antisemitism
has a profound impact on the
whole of society, undermin-
ing peace and human rights.
Antisemitism is no longer
confined to extremist circles
and has become increasingly
mainstreamed, a major driver
of which is social media and
the online sphere.
In an era of rising antisem-
itism, coupled with the fading
memory of the Holocaust, the
relationship between Holocaust
education and combatting
antisemitism has become even
more critical to understand.
HOLOCAUST KNOWLEDGE
IS LACKING AMONG
YOUNGER AMERICANS
The latest research from ADL’s
Center for Antisemitism
Research (CAR), suggests a
direct relationship between
deficiencies in Holocaust
education and heightened
prejudicial, antisemitic beliefs.
Our findings reveal that
believing in antisemitic tropes
is strongly correlated with a
lack of knowledge about Jews,
Judaism, and the Holocaust.
First, CAR found that
basic knowledge about the
Holocaust is severely lacking
in the general U.S. population,
and particularly among young-
er Americans.
Most Americans cannot
accurately identify the number
of Jews killed in the Holocaust;
nearly 1 in 4 Americans say
they “don’t know” and more
than 1 in 5 significantly
under-estimate the number of
Jews killed.
Nearly 6 out of 10
Americans under 30 can-
not accurately identify how
many Jews were killed in the
Holocaust.
In an era where preserving
the memory of the Holocaust
is becoming paramount, as
more and more survivors who
experienced the Holocaust
first-hand are passing away,
research suggests that
Holocaust learning also plays
an important role in combat-
ting antisemitism:
Respondents who correctly
answered that 6 million Jews
were killed in the Holocaust
believed the fewest anti-Jew-
ish tropes: only 3.2 tropes,
on average, compared to 7.3
tropes for those who under-
estimated the number of Jews
killed at 1 million or fewer.
Those who indicated they
did not know the number of
Jews killed in the Holocaust
believed, on average, 5.3
anti-Jewish tropes.
This strongly indicates that
Holocaust education can be an
effective intervention against
antisemitic beliefs.
These findings strongly
support the need for more
and higher quality education
on the Holocaust. In addition
to building knowledge about
the events surrounding the
Holocaust, secondary school
education on the Holocaust
is correlated with reduced
antisemitism, increases open-
ness to differing viewpoints
and builds civic efficacy.
Education on the Holocaust
instills more in students than
facts and figures. Holocaust
education aims to teach moral
lessons on empathy and edu-
cate on the fragility of democ-
racy, the role of antisemitism
as Nazi ideology, and the
importance of bearing witness
to the past.
Individuals who have had
education on the topic of the
Holocaust also show higher
rates of critical thinking and
a greater willingness to chal-
PURELY COMMENTARY
ADL CENTER FOR ANTISEMITISM RESEARCH