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The Milwaukee Jewish Federation is dismayed by the increasingly frequent Holocaust comparisons being made in local public discourse, as well as on social and news media. Invoking Nazi imagery and rhetoric to express a position on public health protocols and other current issues that do not involve the systematic genocide of an entire people, trivializes the brutal murders of the six million Jews and five million other human beings. It harms the Jewish community and others by dishonoring the memories of family and loved ones who were killed, as well as needlessly stirring up painful experiences of Holocaust survivors and their descendants.
From 1933-1945, the Nazis targeted Jews and other minority groups though persecution, violence, and ultimately death. The Holocaust should be remembered with sensitivity and studied with precision in order to accurately understand the lessons of this history; it should not be exploited for opportunistic purposes.
While individuals are entitled to their opinions on public policies, making false equivalencies to the Holocaust must be condemned because they open the door to Holocaust denial and other forms of dangerous antisemitism. The Jewish community calls on our elected officials, community leaders, and engaged citizens to stop using the Holocaust to make political points. It is unacceptable, and those who do so must be held accountable.
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation is proud to serve as a resource in antisemitism prevention and Holocaust education through the following programs:
Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center
Contact: HERC@MilwaukeeJewish.org | HolocaustCenterMilwaukee.org
Services: Educator workshops, printed and digital lesson plans and resources, community programs
Jewish Community Relations Council
Contact: KaiG@MilwaukeeJewish.org | MilwaukeeJewish.org/JCRC
Services: Antisemitism audit, incident response, speakers and educational resources
Confidential reports of antisemitic incidents can be made at MilwaukeeJewish.org/Antisemitism.
About the Milwaukee Jewish Federation: For more than 100 years, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation has been dedicated to building a strong Jewish community. We distributed $19 million last year to Jewish and non-Jewish organizations locally and around the world, and manage philanthropy through our $200 million Jewish Community Foundation.
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