Some deny the Holocaust happen?

By Maggie DeBlasis on May 9, 2014

During World War II, Nazis targeted primarily Jews, but also any other social minorities they considered inferior. These included mentally and physically disabled people, gypsies, homosexuals, not to mention scores of other belief systems and ways of living. They were forced into concentration camps or ghettos, both which exhibited deplorable living conditions for any animal, let alone humans.

When the war wrapped up on V-E Day, more than an estimated 17 million people lost their lives during the Holocaust, whether from the effects of maltreatment or gas chambers or twisted science experimentation. Those who did survive carry their experiences both as burdens and badges of honor to this day.

So, it begs the question why, with all these facts and physical sites and stories of first hand experiences, people deny such an event even occurring.

A California school district recently rescinded and publicly apologized for an eighth grade writing prompt asking to “…write an argumentative essay, based upon cited textual evidence, in which you explain whether or not you believe [the Holocaust] was an actual event in history or merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain wealth…” While their reaction and response saying the Holocaust did happened is slowly cleaning the mess they made, there are actually people out there who insist that the genocide of millions in Nazi Europe didn’t transpire.

Some deniers say not only the murders didn’t happen, but the Nazi party didn’t have an intention of killing Jews and the infamous gas chambers of Auschwitz weren’t used or even existed. Others distort the facts, saying that it did happen, but all the numbers are exaggerated or deaths in camps and on death marches were unfortunate cases of starvation or illness and not policy-made killings, according to the U.S. Holocaust Museum website.

Their reasoning behind these beliefs vary from person to person, as would be expected. An Egyptian parliament member once said in an interview the Holocaust was “a rumor started by the U.S. during World War II to ruin Germany’s reputation,” according to this article. Others deny it in order to “reduce perceived public sympathy to Jews” or undermine Israel, which they believe to be compensation for suffering during the Holocaust.

Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion, but when it comes to something as huge, historical, and undeniably true as the Holocaust, anyone who claims it didn’t happen needs to reread their history books.

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