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HMD commemoration told that ignorance creates 'vacuum for denial and distortion'

Nearly two-thirds of Britons either do not know or hugely underestimate how many Jews died in the Shoah

January 27, 2019 14:56
Candles are lit at the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in Westminster on January 27, 2019
3 min read

A poignant Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) commeration ceremony has heard how the level of ignorance about the Shoah creates a "vacuum" in which "denial and distortion" can thrive.

This year's event took place as research showed that, not only do one in 20 British adults believe the Holocaust did not happen, 64 per cent either don't know or hugely underestimate the number of Jews murdered.

As survivors, dignatories and politicians gathered at the Westminster venue on Sunday, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman told the JC: "We thought the number of Jews murdered was such an iconic number... We were really surprised and very depressed at how few people could remember [it].

"What worries us most about these figures is that you have a high number of respondents who cannot even say how many Jews were murdered, it's much more likely to make them very suseptible if they come across Holocaust denial or distortions.