The dehumanisation of Jews has been a tragic constant throughout history, reaching its most horrific expression during the Holocaust. Nazi propaganda deliberately stripped Jews of their humanity, debasing them as malignant vermin worthy of extermination.
This wasn’t just cruel rhetoric; it was a calculated effort to desensitise an entire continent, paving the way for the Holocaust. It worked by eroding empathy, pitting neighbour against neighbour, turning a blind eye and enabling the Nazis to carry out their plans with widespread apathy.
Eighty years later, as we approach Holocaust Memorial Day, we are reminded that these history lessons are hardly anachronistic. The same dehumanising tactics, albeit in different forms, are reappearing today — impacting Jews worldwide.
Social media has become a battleground for this modern hatred. Antisemitic tropes — many dating back centuries—are repackaged under the ostensibly innocuous guise of anti-Zionist sentiment and amplified on a global scale. From memes comparing Israelis and Jews to Nazis to hashtags inciting violence, these platforms have created an unfiltered pipeline for hate.
This rhetoric doesn’t just stay online; it spills into the real world, shaping public opinion and emboldening those who seek to harm Jews. CST’s Antisemitic Incidents Report documented a record 1,978 real-life instances of Jew hatred in the first half of 2024 — including acts of assault, extreme violence and threats against Jewish people across the UK, up 105% from 964 antisemitic incidents in 2023. In the UK, and across the Western world, some have become increasingly comfortable with expressing open and brazen anti-Jewish sentiment – through violence and words on our streets.
Beyond social media, dehumanisation is evident in how some international bodies approach Israel and Jewish life. The United Nations, for example, has passed countless resolutions condemning Israel while ignoring far worse human rights abuses elsewhere. From 2015 through 2023, the UN General Assembly adopted 154 resolutions against Israel, with just 71 against all other countries combined. At the UN Human Rights Council, 108 resolutions were adopted against Israel from 2006 through 2024, according to UN Watch data. Resolutions against Syria, Iran, Russia and Venezuela totalled a meagre 74 during that same time period. The message this sends is clear: Israel, and by extension Jews, are uniquely malevolent — a narrative that seeps into public discourse and fuels antisemitic attitudes globally.
The impact of this isn’t abstract. It’s personal and immediate against Jewish people worldwide. Across Europe and the United States, Jews are experiencing a spike in antisemitic attacks. In Amsterdam, mobs hunted down Jews in scenes chillingly reminiscent of pogroms. Synagogues across the West are tightening security, and Jewish students on university campuses are reporting unprecedented levels of hostility.
Even walking down the street wearing a Star of David can feel like an act of defiance.
The media, too, has played a role in shaping this environment. Coverage that equates self-defence by Israelis with terrorism or fails to report antisemitic violence accurately feeds into a cycle of distortion.
This isn’t just about politics or policies — it’s about people. It’s about Jewish parents hesitating to send their children to school in a kippah, or to certain university campuses at all. It’s about young Jews questioning whether they have a future in countries where their ancestors lived for centuries.
But history also tells us another story: the resilience of the Jewish people. Time and again, we’ve faced dehumanisation and violence, yet we’ve survived. We’ve rebuilt.
We’ve contributed immeasurably to the world. The very existence of vibrant Jewish communities today is a testament to our enduring spirit.
As we approach the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, this resilience offers a powerful reminder: survival isn’t just about enduring; it’s about thriving. It’s about creating, contributing, and living proudly as Jews, despite the hatred that surrounds us.
The lessons of history compel us to act. Education is critical—not just for remembering the Holocaust, but for understanding how dehumanisation begins and how it can be stopped. Social media platforms and owners must take responsibility for combating hate speech. International bodies must apply consistent standards, ensuring that Jews and Israelis aren’t unfairly singled out. And individuals — Jewish and non-Jewish alike — must challenge antisemitism whenever and wherever it appears.
In the words of Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert, “The Holocaust did not start with actions. The gas chambers and Auschwitz did not fall from the sky. It started with words.”
In the face of hatred, Jews have always chosen life, joy, and community. So the message is clear: the Jewish people have survived before, and we will survive now. But survival isn’t enough. We must also ensure that no one else is subjected to the dehumanisation and hatred that Jews have endured. In that fight, we all have a role to play.
This Holocaust Memorial Day, we must remember not just the past but ensure we act on the present; united against hate, reaffirming the simple truth that binds us all: every human life is sacred and despite our differences, we all bleed the same colour - red.
Dov Forman is the great-grandson of Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert, an international best-selling author of Lily’s Promise, and a leading voice in Holocaust education and remembrance on a global stage.
Jonathan Harounoff is a British journalist, Israel’s international spokesperson to the United Nations, and the author of the upcoming book Unveiled: Inside Iran’s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt.
