Invisible Years and Antisemitism

Dear friends,

Six weeks ago I experienced antisemitism firsthand while presenting Invisible Years to a Connecticut Voices of Hope audience via Zoom. Anonymous hacker(s) drew swastikas and wrote “kill Jews” and “f*ck Jews” over my screen share of images from the book, and a voice shouted out, “The Holocaust never happened!” I was horrified and enraged to see these words and symbols covering a page in my grandfather Chaim’s diary in which he documented a Nazi raid on the church where he was hiding. 

I was in shock, my instinct was to stop, but I did my best to continue. For fifteen more minutes, hateful words and images continued to appear as I shared my family members’ courageous stories of resilience in the face of evil. Since this attack, I have had a newfound understanding of how my family members felt as targets of hate by people who knew nothing about them. It is not about who we are as individuals; it is simply because we are Jewish. Distant and recent history reveals the horrors that happen when people make inaccurate and simplistic generalizations about entire groups of people. We must learn from these tragedies and instead get to know one another in order to end invented aversions toward those who are dissimilar. 

Connecticut Voices of Hope reported the hate crime to the police, the news media, and the Anti-Defamation League; they also issued a strong statement to the hundreds who signed up for the presentation. Their statement closed with a commitment to “work harder than ever before to create a culture of courage to stand up against hatred.”

I am thankful to all who reached out with words of support and outrage. In the days following the event, I had many discussions about whether or not to show the screen shots of the vitriol. Some thought showing the images would provide a platform for antisemites; others thought it would educate and inform. In my conversations, I discovered that words did not convey how disturbing the violation was, but the graphic reality of the screenshot did. If you choose to see it, click on the diary page above. 

This attack is no isolated incident. In 2019, the Anti-Defamation League reported an alarming increase in antisemitic acts in the United States: a 6-percent increase in harassment, a 19-percent increase in vandalism, and a 56-percent increase in assaults.

A recently released Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Study by the Claims Conference revealed an urgent need for Holocaust education. Among young adults in the United States: 22 percent have not heard of the Holocaust; 23 percent believe the Holocaust is a myth and did not happen; 66 percent cannot identify what Auschwitz was; 49 percent have witnessed Holocaust denial or distortion on social media; 30 percent have seen Nazi symbols on their social media platforms or in their community.

Only 15 out of 50 states require Holocaust education as part of the secondary school curriculum.

If we do not remember, if lies distort reality, if we do not treat one another with kindness, if we stereotype and discriminate, if we cannot empathize with others, if we are silent—then horrific cruelty and crimes against humanity will spread.

Hanna Arendt wrote that “facts need testimony to be remembered.” I am more determined than ever to inspire and enrich Holocaust education by incorporating Invisible Years into the curriculum in an effort for all of us to see each other as fully human.

Please share this email—and the book—and join me in standing up against hate.

Love,
Daphne