Universities Facing Rise in Anti-Semitism - Spielberg Foundation combats massacre dismissers
The Shoah Foundation, founded in 1994 by director Steven Spielberg, aims to combat this phenomenon, according to its director Robert Williams, through film accounts from survivors.
Williams finds it troubling that the reactions to the massacre that occurred on October 7 on college campuses are cause for concern. Although only a small number of activists participated in occupations and actions, a significant number of them were not even associated with the universities. "However, the activists garner a lot of attention," Williams says.
The motivations for these activists are diverse, as Williams explains. Some hold views drastically different from the majority. Others are influenced by postmodernism, dismissing the existence of objective truths, distorting every fact until the truth becomes unrecognizable. And finally, there are these individuals who vehemently oppose the stronger side or who view the US as an ally. "These individuals deny the crimes committed on October 7 by constantly demanding new 'evidence', as if the crimes weren't already well-documented," he says.
The situation is particularly shocking considering the inclusion of women's rights activists who deny the rape of Israeli women, Williams notes. "They have all seen the photos of abused Israeli women with their underwear bloodied and shredded, yet they deny the crimes."
To date, the foundation has conducted over 400 interviews with survivors of the October 7 attack to thwart the denial of these events.
"We initiated the first interviews just a week after the massacre," Williams shares.
As the survivors' recollections of the October 7 catastrophe remain fresh, the plan is to conduct further interviews in five or ten years' time when they've had more chance to deal with their traumas.
The goal isn't just to preserve the memories and make these testimonies accessible to the public, but also to fight the growing antisemitism.
Prior to October 7, discussions about the culture of remembrance and antisemitism had already taken place at the university representatives. However, following the massacre and the protests at the universities, this has taken on a new level of importance, both in the US and in Germany.
"Germany and the US are the two countries most committed to remembering the Holocaust." Williams now hopes to engage in talks with Berlin university representatives to preserve the memory of the October 7 victims through cooperation.
Read also:
- Leipzig battles for top attacker Sesko.
- Fortuna determines to face relegation head-on.
- The insanely adventurous cycling route in Germany poses growing risks.
- Söder explores Rome with selfies.
Source: symclub.org
