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