Why Holocaust Education Matters More Than Ever
Understanding the past to stand up to hate today
Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen
In Toronto, anti-Jewish hate crimes more than doubled in 2023, and a staggering 81% of religion-targeted hate crimes were towards Jews (CIJA, 2025). The rise in Jew-hatred is not isolated to Toronto, but is a global virus that seems impossible to tackle. From elementary to post-secondary, schools have been breeding grounds for blatant antisemitism, causing Jewish students to feel increasingly unsafe. One Jewish resident at the University of Toronto, hid his Star of David necklace after observing signs reading “Jews go back to Europe” (Aschaiek, 2024). One Grade 9 boy witnessed a Nazi salute in downtown Toronto (Rothman, 2023), while a third grader experienced a peer going from table to table saying “Jews suck,” “Jews kill babies,” and “I hate Jews” (Consky, 2025).
The list only goes on.
A common thread in modern antisemitism is Holocaust distortion and denial. These are not harmless “alternative interpretations” of history, but deliberate strategies rooted in antisemitic bias that normalize hate. Preserving Holocaust memory is becoming harder as we lose the last generation of survivors able to share their stories firsthand. The truth is, Holocaust education is not just about the past, but about preventing hate in the present and in the future, meaning that combating antisemitism starts in classrooms.
The Danger of Forgetting
In 2020, a survey among millennials and Generation Z was done across all 50 U.S. states, focusing on Holocaust knowledge. The results were disturbing. Reportedly, one in ten respondents had never heard the word “Holocaust.” Additionally, 63% of the surveyees did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered, and over half of those, thought the death toll was fewer than 2 million. Even more concerning than that, was that 11% believed that Jews caused the Holocaust (Ramgopal, 2020). This is the danger of Holocaust distortion and denial, as perhaps, it may not be the most important to be able to name all the concentration camps and ghettos off by heart. This lack of knowledge creates fertile ground for denial and distortion, which in turn normalises antisemitism. It has been shown time and time again in modern times, that being blind to the Holocaust makes people blind to antisemitism, as Deborah Lipstadt puts it, Holocaust denial or distortions exist solely to “inculcate and foster antisemitism” (Lengel et al., n.d.). When memory fades, denial grows. And when denial grows, so does antisemitism.
Why Storytelling Works
Facts alone rarely change minds or open people up to new perspectives, yet stories do. Experiences build up personal narratives and can dismantle harmful ones, which is why even facts and logic often meet resistance when they challenge someone’s lived perspective.
When it comes to Holocaust education, survivor stories are key to unlocking empathy and connection. At ProjectBaldor, our Holocaust education presentations center on these personal narratives, allowing students to engage with the past in a way a textbook alone cannot offer. As one student shared, learning these stories helped them understand “the emotional and human impact of the Holocaust beyond just the historical facts.” Stories transform the unimaginable figure of six million murdered into real people with families, dreams, and lives, emphasizing the human cost of hatred and the importance of remembrance.
The Importance Today
Many see antisemitism as a relic of the past, but it remains a rising threat, especially following the October 7th, 2023 Hamas terror attacks. Hate begins with ignorance and lies, and education can interrupt this cycle. Learning about the Holocaust is more than a history lesson; it teaches the consequences of conformity and the importance of empathy and standing up against hate.
Educators, bring these stories to your students while we still can. If you are unsure how to recognize and teach about antisemitism, download our FREE guide. ProjectBaldor offers immersive Holocaust education presentations led by descendants of survivors. Our approach connects past to present, helping schools address antisemitism.
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References
Aschaiek, S. (2024, October 7). How antisemitism has roiled university campuses. University Affairs. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from https://universityaffairs.ca/features/how-antisemitism-has-roiled-university-campuses/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
CIJA. (2025, May 14). Antisemitism in Toronto Is Escalating — And the Numbers Prove It. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. https://www.cija.ca/antisemitism_in_toronto_is_escalating_and_the_numbers_prove_it
Consky, M. (2025, May 16). Toronto school board census angers parents for ‘erasing’ Jewish identity. The Canadian Jewish News. https://thecjn.ca/news/toronto-school-board-census-angers-parents-for-erasing-jewish-identity/?
Lengel, L. M., Montenegro, D., & Newsom, V. A. (n.d.). Denial, Distortion, and Dis/Misinformation. The Pennsylvania State University.
Ramgopal, K. (2020, September 16). Survey finds ‘shocking’ lack of Holocaust knowledge among millennials and Gen Z. NBC News.
Rothman, J. (2023, November 7). Jewish students in public high schools say they are afraid in the classroom — and frustrated by the indifference of administrators. The Canadian Jewish News. https://thecjn.ca/news/jewish-students-in-public-high-schools-say-they-are-afraid-in-the-classroom-and-frustrated-by-the-indifference-of-administrators/?
