The film "Holocaust Distortion: A Growing Threat" responds to the dangerous phenomenon of Holocaust distortion, a critical threat to Holocaust memory and to fostering a world without genocide. Distortion excuses, minimizes, or misrepresents the known historical record of the Holocaust. By desensitizing people to hatred and extremist ways of thinking, distortion paves the way for Holocaust denial, conspiracy thinking, violent antisemitism and dangerous forms of nationalism.
In this short film, international experts explore what Holocaust distortion is, how it manifests itself and why it poses such a threat to the legacy of the Holocaust.
This 12-minute film…
- Offers a first introduction to the topic of Holocaust distortion suitable for a variety of audiences without prior subject-matter knowledge
- Explains the pressing need to counter Holocaust distortion
- Functions as an awareness-raising and advocacy tool to encourage historically informed policymaking
- Makes an ideal starting point for discussion or programming on countering distortion and denial
This succinct film uses expert voices and an international lens to challenge distortion and denial of the Holocaust.
IHRA Secretary General Dr. Kathrin Meyer, Ambassador Michaela Küchler (former president of the IHRA), Ambassador Victor Micula (Head of the Romanian Delegation to the IHRA), Andrea Szőnyi (Zachor Foundation for Social Remembrance, Hungary), Dr. Juliane Wetzel (Center for Research on Antisemitism at the Technical University Berlin, Germany) and Dr. Robert Williams (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, USA) speak on the issue.
Watch the short film Holocaust Distortion: A Growing Threat
Subtitles for the film are currently available in English, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Slovenian - further subtitle languages will be available soon.
Join the movement against Holocaust distortion
We must challenge distortion and denial of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma. The IHRA strives to uphold the terrible truth of the Holocaust against those who distort it and to uphold the commitments of the 2000 Stockholm Declaration and 2020 IHRA Ministerial Declaration.
Here are ways you can get involved:
- Explore further materials, such as this lecture by Professor Yehuda Bauer, and the publication Recognizing and Countering Holocaust Distortion: Recommendations for Policy and Decision Makers.
- Join the #ProtectTheFacts campaign.
- Further important resources include the IHRA working definition on Holocaust denial and distortion, IHRA Project on Holocaust Denial and Distortion Laws and the IHRA Statement on Rehabilitation.
