“Never Again” is the rallying cry of Jewish Holocaust survivors determined to prevent another genocide. How to ensure that the Holocaust happens “never again”? Education. History. Don’t let anyone forget — especially the descendants of those who enacted the Holocaust in the first place.
Survivors and fellow activists have had mixed success keeping the Holocaust in school curricula around the world, with the most difficulty being in countries that were far removed, geographically and culturally, from the scene of the crime.
But Germany — ah, well, that’s a different story. Of course there, of all places, the history of the Holocaust is drilled into every student’s head so that they never ever forget.
Right?
ONE-FIFTH of young Germans have never heard of Auschwitz, survey reveals
A survey carried out two days before Holocaust Memorial Day shows more than a fifth of young Germans do not know the name of Auschwitz or what happened there.
Twenty one per cent of people aged between 18 and 30 quizzed about the most notorious Nazi extermination camp had not heard of it, the survey revealed.
And almost half of all those canvassed by the Forsa research institute said they had never visited a concentration camp despite the fact Germany has made all of those on its soil permanent memorials to the dead.
Oh how quickly “Never Again” has opened the door to “Again.”
(The original article, in German, can be found here in Stern magazine.)
Join the conversation as a VIP Member