Is It Ever Appropriate To Compare Modern Crises To The Holocaust?
Image by Forward Montage
By The Scribe June 19, 2018
In the United States, we’re currently facing a crisis: Trump’s latest policy move has resulted in thousands of children being separated from their families and kept in large cages. While it’s undeniable that the situation is terrible, there’s a debate in the Jewish community about whether or not it’s appropriate to compare the atrocities in any way to the Holocaust.
The Anti-Defamation League released a video in which children hidden during the Holocaust share just how terrible family separation policies are:
WATCH: Children separated from their parents during the Holocaust speak out about the trauma it has caused. How can anyone defend such inhumane policies? https://t.co/YjxQzAQ2s8 #FamiliesBelongTogether pic.twitter.com/QqavaIcZai
— ADL (@ADL_National) June 19, 2018
And Forward columnist Elad Nehorai says we have bigger things to worry about than the appropriate use of the term:
As a Jew, I find it much more offensive that some of my fellow Jews are more upset about Holocaust comparisons than about the actual atrocities happening in our country.
— Elad Nehorai (@PopChassid) June 18, 2018
But there are some who find the comparisons to the Holocaust offensive, or just a bad idea:
One of the many reasons Holocaust analogies are a bad idea is that they let the bigots turn the debate into one over whether the analogy is correct, when the policies are in fact evil *regardless* of whether they are anything like the Holocaust. https://t.co/tfh78gcnfv
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) June 19, 2018
What do you think?
Is it ever appropriate to compare modern crises to the Holocaust?
— The Forward (@jdforward) June 19, 2018
Have more to say? Email us.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
-
Community Readers help a ‘left-wing Zionist’ find their political tribe
-
Community You say matzah — and matzo and matzuh and matzee and more
-
Community Houdini, J.D. Salinger and Elvis: Your ideas for our list of Jews who made history
-
Community The great-granddaughter of a Hollywood pioneer called out Dave Chappelle, and we got mail
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Fast Forward Deborah Lipstadt says Trump’s campus antisemitism crackdown has ‘gone way too far’
-
Fast Forward 5 Jewish senators accuse Trump of using antisemitism as ‘guise’ to attack universities
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.