Holocaust denial takes many forms. Sometimes it is claimed that the Holocaust never happened, and it is instead part of the “Zionist propaganda”, as is typical of the Iranian regime and its proxies. Other times, the number of Holocaust victims is minimized and dismissed as exaggerated, with anti-Semites claiming that the actual number of victims is much lower. In recent times, Holocaust denial has taken on a new form, attempting to deny its unique nature and make it seem more “inclusive”. This is often done by comparing the Holocaust to other wars and conflicts and avoiding mention of “the Jews” specifically.
Here are some important facts that clarify the Nazis’ specific obsession with the Jews (inspired by the ideas of Professor Shelomo ben Yosef):
THE FINAL SOLUTION
On January 20, 1942, the Wannsee Conference was held. This meeting of the highest officials of Nazi Germany and the leaders of the SS established the strategy for the implementation of the “Final Solution” specifically to the Jewish problem. The Jews of Europe would be deported to occupied Poland and killed in death camps. It was decided “unanimously” at this conference to implement the genocide of men, women, and children, and there was not a single voice of dissent.
JUDENREIN
For the first time in history, a government – democratically elected – implemented a plan for the total annihilation of other people, most of whom did not live within its territory. The goal of the Nazis was to “annihilate the Jews, no matter where they were.” They sought to wipe every single Jew off the face of the planet.
NO OPTIONS FOR JEWS
Unlike in other wars and persecutions, there was no choice for the Jews. Jews could not save themselves by surrendering or accepting the authority of the enemy, as was the case with all other European citizens. They could not save their lives by abandoning their territory, renouncing their religion, converting, or being baptized. They had nowhere to go. The only option left for the Jews by the Nazis was “death”.
PRIORITIZING GENOCIDE
As shown at the beginning of Steven Spielberg’s documentary “The Last Days,” the Germans acted against their own military interests. When Hitler had to decide whether to send his last troops to fight in Russia, where they were losing the battle, or to use these troops to deport half a million Hungarian Jews and send them to death camps, he decided to invest his efforts in murdering the Jews instead of trying to win the war. The Nazis were not savages or crazy; they were educated, professional, and family-oriented people. Millions of German citizens and common people participated in this extermination plan. It was not a mental illness that made them act in this way, but a visceral ideological hatred against the Jews (Amalek).
