{"id":3319,"date":"2025-05-14T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T10:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/?p=3319"},"modified":"2025-05-14T12:03:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T10:03:51","slug":"press-release-defeating-distortion-new-report-highlights-holocaust-distortion-amid-rising-antisemitism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/press-release-defeating-distortion-new-report-highlights-holocaust-distortion-amid-rising-antisemitism\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Release: Defeating Distortion: New Report Highlights Holocaust Distortion Amid Rising Antisemitism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Berlin (14 May 2025): Eighty years after the liberation of Auschwitz, Holocaust distortion remains a widespread and pressing challenge across the Europan Union. A new report by ENMA, the European Network on Monitoring Antisemitism, sheds light on this persistent threat from a cross-European perspective. Published as part of a two-year project, the report establishes a transnational framework for documenting Holocaust denial and distortion. It was presented today at an international conference in Berlin.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

New Report Reveals Scope of Holocaust Distortion Across Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ENMA report provides a sobering analysis of Holocaust denial and distortion in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Poland. It demonstrates how antisemitic narratives adapt to societal crises, are exploited for political gain, often evade legal accountability, and erode historical truth\u2014with harmful consequences for Jewish communities, Holocaust survivors, and their descendants.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are at a dangerous crossroads: As antisemitism rises and historical ignorance grows, we face an era marked by an antisemitic tide,\u201d said Benjamin Steinitz, Executive Director of Bundesverband RIAS. \u201cWe need sound, comparable data in order to develop strategies that can effectively counter antisemitic narratives.\u201c<\/p>\n

The report introduces ashared framework for the documentation and monitoring of antisemitic incidents, aligning with the IHRA Working Definition of Holocaust Denial and Distortion. \u201cHolocaust distortion is not only growing \u2013 it is growing everywhere. That is why the work of the IHRA and ENMA is so urgent,\u201d said Michaela K\u00fcchler, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).<\/p>\n

A Coordinated Response to a Europe-Wide Threat<\/strong><\/p>\n

The report was launched at the international conference\u00a0Defeating Distortion: Holocaust Denial and Distortion in an Era of Antisemitic Tidal Change, held in Berlin. The event convened representatives from the European Commission, World Jewish Congress, Jewish Claims Conference, USC Shoah Foundation, and a broad spectrum of pan-European Jewish and non-Jewish civil society organizations. Discussions centred on the rising impact of Holocaust distortion on Jewish communities as well as Holocaust survivors and their descendants, the digital dissemination of these antisemitic narratives and the role of remembrance institutions in a contested field of memory politics.These\u00a0transnational\u00a0challenges\u00a0require\u00a0a\u00a0coordinated\u00a0effort\u00a0to\u00a0understand\u00a0both\u00a0their\u00a0national and international dimensions \u2014\u00a0a\u00a0task\u00a0for\u00a0which\u00a0ENMA\u00a0provides\u00a0a\u00a0comprehensive\u00a0framework.<\/p>\n

Ariella Woitchik, Director of European Affairs at the European Jewish Congress, warned of a \u201ctsunami of antisemitism and Holocaust denial following the October 7 Hamas massacre\u201d and underscored the critical role of ENMA\u2019s monitoring of antisemitic incidents and standardised reporting across European borders.<\/p>\n

R\u00fcdiger Mahlo, Representative of the Jewish Claims Conference in Europe and funder of the project, added: \u201cThis manipulation of Shoah history is endangering the very foundation of our democratic societies. The ENMA report provides an evidence-based foundation for urgently needed political action to counter this trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

About the Project<\/strong><\/p>\n

The project\u00a0\u201cStandardised Recording of Holocaust Denial and Distortion in Five European Countries\u201d has developed a methodology to enable comparative documentation of antisemitic incidents that involve Holocaust denial and distortion. It is funded with assistance from the Jewish Claims Conference and supported by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ), as well as the German Federal Ministry of Finance. The project is co-funded by the European Union.<\/p>\n

The publication can be downloaded here https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/ENMA_Holocaust-Distortion-in-Europe.pdf<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To find out more about the project visit enma.eu\/factsmatter<\/a> and follow the campaign on social media instagram.com\/enma.eu<\/a><\/p>\n

For inquiries, please reach out to contact@enma.eu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Statements<\/h2>\n

Benjamin Steinitz, Executive Director of Bundesverband RIAS:<\/strong>
\n\u201cWe are at a dangerous crossroads: as antisemitism rises and historical ignorance grows, we face an era marked by an antisemitic tide. This is a threat to Jewish communities and democracies as a whole. We need sound, comparable data in order to develop strategies that can effectively counter antisemitic narratives.. ENMA delivers a framework that can be implemented continent-wide. Our guidelines for documenting Holocaust denial and distortion are a vital step toward understanding and combatting cross-border antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ariella Woitchik, Director of European Affairs at the European Jewish Congress:<\/strong>
\n“As the representative of Jewish communities in Europe, the EJC is alarmed by the\u00a0tsunami of\u00a0antisemitism and Holocaust denial following the October 7 Hamas massacre. In these challenging times, ENMA\u2019s role in monitoring antisemitic incidents and standardising reporting across borders is more critical than ever.”<\/p>\n

Michaela K\u00fcchler, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA):<\/strong>
\n“Holocaust distortion is not only growing \u2013 it is growing everywhere. That\u2019s why the work of the IHRA and ENMA is so urgent. Together, we are building tools to make distortion visible and challenge it \u2013 online, on the ground, and across borders. Because facts are not negotiable. They are the foundation of remembrance \u2013 and its defence.”<\/p>\n

R\u00fcdiger Mahlo, Representative of the Jewish Claims Conference in Europe:<\/strong>
\n\u201cSince the genocidal attack of Hamas against Israel on October 7, we are witnessing an escalation in the distortion and denial of the Shoah. The Shoah is exploited to justify questioning Israel\u2019s legitimacy and to rationalize violence against Jews. This manipulation of Shoah history is endangering the very foundation of our democratic societies. The EMNA report provides an evidence-based foundation for the urgently needed political action to counter this trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The project #FACTSMATTER. Defend Truth, Defeat Distortion is funded <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Berlin (14 May 2025): Eighty years after the liberation of Auschwitz, Holocaust distortion remains a widespread and pressing challenge across the Europan Union. A new report by ENMA, the European Network on Monitoring Antisemitism, sheds light on this persistent threat from a cross-European perspective. Published as part of a two-year project, the report establishes a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"class_list":["post-3319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nicht-kategorisiert-en"],"acf":{"bs_modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"bs_media","acfe_flexible_toggle":"","bs_media_title":"","bs_media_text":"With Assistance from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany<\/em>\r\nSupported by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future and by the German Federal Ministry of Finance<\/em>","bs_media_items":[{"bs_media_item_source":"image","bs_media_item_image":2732,"bs_media_item_video_file":null,"bs_media_item_video_oembed":null,"bs_media_item_video_poster":null,"bs_media_item_video_caption":""}],"bs_media_button_items":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"bs_logos","acfe_flexible_toggle":"","bs_logos_title":"","bs_logos_text":"Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.<\/em>","bs_logos_items":[{"bs_logo":2309,"bs_link":""}],"bs_logos_button_items":null}]},"lang":"en","translations":{"en":3319},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3319"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3333,"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3319\/revisions\/3333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enma.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}