MEDIA RELEASES
ANTISEMITISM IN AMSTERDAM AND IN NEW ZEALAND
9 November 2024
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand expresses its dismay and solidarity with the victims of the brutal and orchestrated attack on Jews following the Maccabi Tel Aviv game in Amsterdam, the city of Anne Frank.
Images of gangs of people attacking Jews are a stark reminder of the persistent and current threat posed by antisemitism to our communities.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Chair, Deborah Hart, said, “These shocking and shameful acts took place as the Amsterdam Jewish community joined with local officials to commemorate the 86th anniversary of the pogrom of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, at the city’s synagogue, which was established by Jews who escaped the Inquisition.”
“On the anniversary of Kristallnacht, it is profoundly alarming to witness yet another act of violence targeting Jewish people. This incident underscores the alarming resurgence of antisemitism. “
“New Zealand cannot be complacent. Whilst Jews make up only 0.2% of the New Zealand population, in the past year, 13% of all hate crimes in our largest city, Auckland were against Jews. Recent attacks have included a Jewish business targeted by a lit Molotov cocktail, vandalism to Jewish homes and community facilities and threats of violence to individual Jews and Jewish organisations, as well as Jewish children assaulted at schools.”
“We know from history, that we cannot be complacent in the face of rising antisemitism. Hate starts small and ends in places that should be unimaginable. We urge people not to look away or to make excuses for antisemitism.”
For further comment: contact Deborah Hart: 022 125 2967; [email protected]
About the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand inspires and empowers action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy, by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
About Kristallnacht
On 9 – 10 November 1938, authorities looked on as synagogues burned throughout Nazi Germany, Austria and Sudetenland. During the November Pogrom, also called Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass, rioters ransacked and damaged thousands of Jewish businesses, schools and homes. 91 Jews were murdered, with 30,000 more arrested and sent to concentration camps.
Images of gangs of people attacking Jews are a stark reminder of the persistent and current threat posed by antisemitism to our communities.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Chair, Deborah Hart, said, “These shocking and shameful acts took place as the Amsterdam Jewish community joined with local officials to commemorate the 86th anniversary of the pogrom of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, at the city’s synagogue, which was established by Jews who escaped the Inquisition.”
“On the anniversary of Kristallnacht, it is profoundly alarming to witness yet another act of violence targeting Jewish people. This incident underscores the alarming resurgence of antisemitism. “
“New Zealand cannot be complacent. Whilst Jews make up only 0.2% of the New Zealand population, in the past year, 13% of all hate crimes in our largest city, Auckland were against Jews. Recent attacks have included a Jewish business targeted by a lit Molotov cocktail, vandalism to Jewish homes and community facilities and threats of violence to individual Jews and Jewish organisations, as well as Jewish children assaulted at schools.”
“We know from history, that we cannot be complacent in the face of rising antisemitism. Hate starts small and ends in places that should be unimaginable. We urge people not to look away or to make excuses for antisemitism.”
For further comment: contact Deborah Hart: 022 125 2967; [email protected]
About the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand inspires and empowers action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy, by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
About Kristallnacht
On 9 – 10 November 1938, authorities looked on as synagogues burned throughout Nazi Germany, Austria and Sudetenland. During the November Pogrom, also called Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass, rioters ransacked and damaged thousands of Jewish businesses, schools and homes. 91 Jews were murdered, with 30,000 more arrested and sent to concentration camps.
CALL FOR THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT TO APPOINT AN ENVOY TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM
Tuesday 9 July 2024
Today, Prime Minister Albanese announced the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism, saying “there is no place for violence or hatred of any kind in Australia.”
The Australian appointment joins an international coalition of special envoys to combat antisemitism in the UK, USA, Canada and numerous European nations including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and others*.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair, Deborah Hart said, there is no place for violence or hatred of any kind in New Zealand and yet we have witnessed an exponential rise in antisemitism in the months since October 7th.”
Ms Hart said, “It is time that, like many countries around the world, New Zealand gets serious about battling the world’s oldest hatred – antisemitism. We call on the government to appoint a special envoy to combat antisemitism and work with envoys internationally to rout out this scourge in Aotearoa New Zealand”.
In June this year the Centre surveyed Jewish parents of school-aged children. A staggering 80% of respondents said their children had suffered antisemitic episodes in their schools. This was an increase in the survey results last year when just over 50% of the parents who completed the survey said their children had been subjected to antisemitism in school since October 7th 2023. The age range of children affected was 9 -18 years of age.
“The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has been dealing with an influx of complaints about antisemitism in schools. Usually, we might deal with two complaints a year. We are dealing with that amount on a weekly basis.”
President of the New Zealand Jewish Council, Juliet Moses said, “antisemitism is rife with Jewish institutions and individuals targeted.”
Ms Moses commented, “No matter what is going on internationally or politically, all people should be safe in New Zealand, including Jewish people.“
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand and the New Zealand Jewish Council are calling for the government to appoint an envoy to combat antisemitism, joining those nations who are already confronting the threat of antisemitism.
Interviews can be arranged by calling: Deb Hart, Chair, 022 125 2967
*Special Envoys and Coordinators Combatting Antisemitism.
Chryssoula ALIFERI
Ambassador, Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Combatting Anti-Semitism and for the Protection of Holocaust Remembrance, Greece
Andrew BAKER
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism
Luiz BARREIROS
Head of Delegation to IHRA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal
Delphine BORIONE
Ambassador at Large for Human Rights responsible for international issues relating to the Holocaust, looted property and remembrance, France
Michal COTLER-WUNSH
Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism
Arvydas DAUNORAVIČIUS
Lithuania’s Ambassador-at-Large for the Holocaust remembrance issues
Irena DIMITROVA
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and National Coordinator on combating antisemitism
David FERNANDEZ PUYANA
Ambassador, Permanent Observer of the UN University for Peace to the UN Office & intl. organizations in Geneva & Permanent Delegate of UPEACE to UNESCO
Simon GEISSBÜHLER
Ambassador, Head of Peace and Human Rights Division,
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
Alexandre GUESSEL
Special Representative of the Secretary General on antisemitic, anti-Muslim and other forms of religious intolerance and hate crimes, Council of Europe
Michel HEINTZ
Interministerial Delegate in charge of the coordination of policies to combat racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBTIQ+ hatred, Luxembourg
Felix KLEIN
Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism
Olivier KLEIN
Former Minister, French national Delegate against racism, antisemitism and LGBTI-phobia
Robert KLINKE
Ambassador, Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organisations, Issues relating to Antisemitism, International Sinti and Roma Affairs, Holocaust Remembrance
Deborah LIPSTADT
Ambassador, US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
Maria Fabiana LOGUZZO
Ambassador, Argentina’s Special Representative for the fight against Antisemitism and Head of Delegation to IHRA
Fernando K. LOTTENBERG
Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Organization of American States
Sara LUSTIG
Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Croatia for Holocaust Issues and Combating Antisemitism
Øystein LYNGROTH
Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, and head of the IHRA delegation, Norway
Deborah LYONS
Ambassador, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism
Lord John MANN
UK Government Advisor on Antisemitism
Antonio MARTINO
Director, Department for Fostering Austrian-Jewish Cultural Heritage and Combating Antisemitism, Federal Chancellery, Austria
Bogdan MAZURU
Ambassador, Special Representative of the Government of Romania for the remembrance policies and for the fight against antisemitism and xenophobia
Ulf MELGAARD
Director, International law and Human rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
Jaime MORENO
Coordinator of the Spanish National Plan against Antisemitism and Head of Delegation to IHRA
Giuseppe PECORARO
Italian Coordinator on Combating antisemitism, Italian Government
Rt Hon the Lord Eric PICKLES
UK Special Envoy on Post Holocaust Issues
Robert ŘEHÁK
Czech Republic’s Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Interfaith Dialogue and FoRB
Ringo RINGVEE
Estonia’s National coordinator of measures against anti-Semitism
Jillian SEGAL AO
Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Australia
Vince SZALAY-BOBROVNICZKY
Deputy State Secretary, Civil and Social Affairs. Prime Minister’s Office, Hungary
Ulrika SUNDBERG
Special Envoy to the OIC, Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue of Sweden
Eddo VERDONER
National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, The Netherlands
Katharina VON SCHNURBEIN
European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life
Tuesday 9 July 2024
Today, Prime Minister Albanese announced the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism, saying “there is no place for violence or hatred of any kind in Australia.”
The Australian appointment joins an international coalition of special envoys to combat antisemitism in the UK, USA, Canada and numerous European nations including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and others*.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair, Deborah Hart said, there is no place for violence or hatred of any kind in New Zealand and yet we have witnessed an exponential rise in antisemitism in the months since October 7th.”
Ms Hart said, “It is time that, like many countries around the world, New Zealand gets serious about battling the world’s oldest hatred – antisemitism. We call on the government to appoint a special envoy to combat antisemitism and work with envoys internationally to rout out this scourge in Aotearoa New Zealand”.
In June this year the Centre surveyed Jewish parents of school-aged children. A staggering 80% of respondents said their children had suffered antisemitic episodes in their schools. This was an increase in the survey results last year when just over 50% of the parents who completed the survey said their children had been subjected to antisemitism in school since October 7th 2023. The age range of children affected was 9 -18 years of age.
“The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has been dealing with an influx of complaints about antisemitism in schools. Usually, we might deal with two complaints a year. We are dealing with that amount on a weekly basis.”
President of the New Zealand Jewish Council, Juliet Moses said, “antisemitism is rife with Jewish institutions and individuals targeted.”
Ms Moses commented, “No matter what is going on internationally or politically, all people should be safe in New Zealand, including Jewish people.“
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand and the New Zealand Jewish Council are calling for the government to appoint an envoy to combat antisemitism, joining those nations who are already confronting the threat of antisemitism.
Interviews can be arranged by calling: Deb Hart, Chair, 022 125 2967
*Special Envoys and Coordinators Combatting Antisemitism.
Chryssoula ALIFERI
Ambassador, Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Combatting Anti-Semitism and for the Protection of Holocaust Remembrance, Greece
Andrew BAKER
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism
Luiz BARREIROS
Head of Delegation to IHRA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal
Delphine BORIONE
Ambassador at Large for Human Rights responsible for international issues relating to the Holocaust, looted property and remembrance, France
Michal COTLER-WUNSH
Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism
Arvydas DAUNORAVIČIUS
Lithuania’s Ambassador-at-Large for the Holocaust remembrance issues
Irena DIMITROVA
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and National Coordinator on combating antisemitism
David FERNANDEZ PUYANA
Ambassador, Permanent Observer of the UN University for Peace to the UN Office & intl. organizations in Geneva & Permanent Delegate of UPEACE to UNESCO
Simon GEISSBÜHLER
Ambassador, Head of Peace and Human Rights Division,
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
Alexandre GUESSEL
Special Representative of the Secretary General on antisemitic, anti-Muslim and other forms of religious intolerance and hate crimes, Council of Europe
Michel HEINTZ
Interministerial Delegate in charge of the coordination of policies to combat racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBTIQ+ hatred, Luxembourg
Felix KLEIN
Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism
Olivier KLEIN
Former Minister, French national Delegate against racism, antisemitism and LGBTI-phobia
Robert KLINKE
Ambassador, Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organisations, Issues relating to Antisemitism, International Sinti and Roma Affairs, Holocaust Remembrance
Deborah LIPSTADT
Ambassador, US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
Maria Fabiana LOGUZZO
Ambassador, Argentina’s Special Representative for the fight against Antisemitism and Head of Delegation to IHRA
Fernando K. LOTTENBERG
Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Organization of American States
Sara LUSTIG
Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Croatia for Holocaust Issues and Combating Antisemitism
Øystein LYNGROTH
Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, and head of the IHRA delegation, Norway
Deborah LYONS
Ambassador, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism
Lord John MANN
UK Government Advisor on Antisemitism
Antonio MARTINO
Director, Department for Fostering Austrian-Jewish Cultural Heritage and Combating Antisemitism, Federal Chancellery, Austria
Bogdan MAZURU
Ambassador, Special Representative of the Government of Romania for the remembrance policies and for the fight against antisemitism and xenophobia
Ulf MELGAARD
Director, International law and Human rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
Jaime MORENO
Coordinator of the Spanish National Plan against Antisemitism and Head of Delegation to IHRA
Giuseppe PECORARO
Italian Coordinator on Combating antisemitism, Italian Government
Rt Hon the Lord Eric PICKLES
UK Special Envoy on Post Holocaust Issues
Robert ŘEHÁK
Czech Republic’s Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Interfaith Dialogue and FoRB
Ringo RINGVEE
Estonia’s National coordinator of measures against anti-Semitism
Jillian SEGAL AO
Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Australia
Vince SZALAY-BOBROVNICZKY
Deputy State Secretary, Civil and Social Affairs. Prime Minister’s Office, Hungary
Ulrika SUNDBERG
Special Envoy to the OIC, Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue of Sweden
Eddo VERDONER
National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, The Netherlands
Katharina VON SCHNURBEIN
European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life
Child Holocaust Survivor Urges ‘Never Again’ as Hate Against New Zealand Jews Grows
A New Zealand Holocaust survivor who witnessed growing hate towards Jewish people in Europe as a child – and is now seeing it again here – is calling on New Zealanders to remember the world promised “Never Again”.
Bob Narev was only six-years-old in 1942 when he and his family were sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. All his immediate family died there except his mother, who was forced to work in an armaments factory.
“As a small child in Germany, I understood what it felt like to fear being Jewish. I saw firsthand how hatred can strip people of their humanity,” he says.
Since the Hamas-led October 7 terror attack on Israel, New Zealanders with Jewish heritage – including children – have been the target of widespread antisemitism which has included physical assault, name calling, online abuse and the vandalism of Jewish property.
On Sunday 28 January New Zealand marks United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day* and Bob Narev says rising racism towards Jews in New Zealand shows that Holocaust remembrance is more important than ever.
“Reports that Jewish children are hiding their identity here in New Zealand today for fear of persecution are heartbreaking,” he says. “The world promised ‘Never Again’ after the Nazis murdered six million Jewish people, and persecuted and killed millions of others including Romani, Sinti, black, gay and disabled people.”
“The Holocaust didn’t happen in a vacuum, nor did it just begin with the rise of Hitler. It followed hundreds of years of hate speech towards Jews and other minorities, often including physical attacks on Jewish people and their property,” Bob Narev says.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair, and New Zealand expert delegate to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Deborah Hart says the Hamas-led massacre in Israel which killed more than 1200 people was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.
“It was a tragedy, as is the subsequent death of innocent Palestinians.”
There has been a five-fold increase in the number of complaints the Holocaust Centre has received about antisemitic incidents since October 7.
“Forty percent of these involve dehumanising or demonising allegations about Jewish people including being called a ‘dirty Jew’, being told ‘Jews control the world’ and play-acting that involved gassing a Jewish student,” she says.
“Concerns from the Jewish community for their safety has sadly resulted in there being no New Zealand events this year to commemorate United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day being open to the public, the first time in 16 years,” Deborah Hart says.
Almost 80 years since the end of the Holocaust, the only firsthand witness accounts that remain are from the youngest survivors who were children or young teenagers.
“Such eyewitness accounts are undeniable and the strongest antidote to the rise worldwide in Holocaust distortion and denial. To ensure we protect their stories, and to combat racism against all New Zealand’s minority communities, the Holocaust Centre calls on the Government to make New Zealand a full member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
“New Zealand became an Observer member in 2022. The rise of antisemitism shows the need for New Zealand to follow Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and most European nations and seek full membership as soon as possible,” Deborah Hart says.
“We know that learning about the Holocaust teaches our young people and future leaders to look at one another with humanity. The Holocaust shows us how hate can start small and that we all have a responsibility to counter it,” she says.
ENDS
* United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day is held annually on 27 January but this year falls on the Jewish holy day of Saturday or Shabbat so is being commemorated on Sunday 28 January.
Rampant antisemitism in New Zealand’s schools
14 December 2023
In an ongoing survey of Jewish parents being undertaken by the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand since 22 November 2023, there is concerning evidence of high levels of antisemitism in New Zealand’s schools.
50% of the parents who have completed the survey said their children had been subjected to antisemitism in schools since 7 October 2023. The age range of children affected was 9 -18 years of age. Only 40% of parents reported incidents to schools, one commenting that the school in question had handled incidents badly previously. Other respondents reported that they find it preferable to go directly to the parents of the bullying child and another saying their school was ill-equipped to deal with antisemitism.
40% of the incidents reported concerned dehumanizing or demonizing allegations about Jews including allegations of an international Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
Some of the antisemitic episodes described by parents included a physical assault on a Jewish student, students giving Nazi salutes to Jewish students, and various name-calling including “dirty Jew”. Also reported were allegations that Jews control the world. Another incident involved a student taking a Jewish student’s school shirt and drawing a swastika and a Star of David side by side on it. Yet another student play-acted gassing a Jewish student. And in a further incident a Jewish child, when talking about not celebrating Christmas, was told by a fellow student that Jews chop off babies' heads.
Not all incidents involved students. On one occasion a teacher was stood down and has since resigned over their display of antisemitism.
In a comment that has resonance for many Jewish parents, one parent commented that their child did not feel safe to claim their Jewish identity at school.
“The survey results are entirely in keeping with what we are hearing. The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has been dealing with a recent influx of complaints about antisemitism in schools,” said Deborah Hart, chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. “Usually we might deal with two formal complaints a year. In the two months since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, we have dealt with five times that many formal complaints and there are many, many more that may, in time, turn into formal complaints.”
Lisa Ben Haim, a parent of one of the affected Jewish students, said her son had been followed home by a group of children, yelling “Free Palestine - six million Jews were killed by Hitler. Why don’t you die?” He was later barricaded into a room with students on the outside yelling, “Free Palestine” and when the door was opened, one student attempted to assault him with a broom. Lisa says, “I have been distraught about the ongoing episodes and I’m now pretty angry that the school seems unable to provide a safe environment for my 13-year-old son.”
Ms Hart commented, “No matter what is going on internationally or politically, schools should be a place of learning and safety for all children. Teachers and schools need to ensure that Jewish children are protected and that schools are places of tolerance and understanding.“
“As schools prepare for the summer close-down, there is an opportunity for them to consider what they need to do to protect Jewish children and ensure their school is a safe and nurturing place for all when students return to the classroom. The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has programmes and tools to assist them in that task.”
ENDS
Interviews can be arranged by calling: 022125 2967
Image: Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
50% of the parents who have completed the survey said their children had been subjected to antisemitism in schools since 7 October 2023. The age range of children affected was 9 -18 years of age. Only 40% of parents reported incidents to schools, one commenting that the school in question had handled incidents badly previously. Other respondents reported that they find it preferable to go directly to the parents of the bullying child and another saying their school was ill-equipped to deal with antisemitism.
40% of the incidents reported concerned dehumanizing or demonizing allegations about Jews including allegations of an international Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
Some of the antisemitic episodes described by parents included a physical assault on a Jewish student, students giving Nazi salutes to Jewish students, and various name-calling including “dirty Jew”. Also reported were allegations that Jews control the world. Another incident involved a student taking a Jewish student’s school shirt and drawing a swastika and a Star of David side by side on it. Yet another student play-acted gassing a Jewish student. And in a further incident a Jewish child, when talking about not celebrating Christmas, was told by a fellow student that Jews chop off babies' heads.
Not all incidents involved students. On one occasion a teacher was stood down and has since resigned over their display of antisemitism.
In a comment that has resonance for many Jewish parents, one parent commented that their child did not feel safe to claim their Jewish identity at school.
“The survey results are entirely in keeping with what we are hearing. The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has been dealing with a recent influx of complaints about antisemitism in schools,” said Deborah Hart, chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. “Usually we might deal with two formal complaints a year. In the two months since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, we have dealt with five times that many formal complaints and there are many, many more that may, in time, turn into formal complaints.”
Lisa Ben Haim, a parent of one of the affected Jewish students, said her son had been followed home by a group of children, yelling “Free Palestine - six million Jews were killed by Hitler. Why don’t you die?” He was later barricaded into a room with students on the outside yelling, “Free Palestine” and when the door was opened, one student attempted to assault him with a broom. Lisa says, “I have been distraught about the ongoing episodes and I’m now pretty angry that the school seems unable to provide a safe environment for my 13-year-old son.”
Ms Hart commented, “No matter what is going on internationally or politically, schools should be a place of learning and safety for all children. Teachers and schools need to ensure that Jewish children are protected and that schools are places of tolerance and understanding.“
“As schools prepare for the summer close-down, there is an opportunity for them to consider what they need to do to protect Jewish children and ensure their school is a safe and nurturing place for all when students return to the classroom. The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand has programmes and tools to assist them in that task.”
ENDS
Interviews can be arranged by calling: 022125 2967
Image: Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
New Zealand Jewish Council & the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Statement
On Language Used In Parliament
8 December 2023
The New Zealand Jewish Council and the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand are dismayed at the use of inflammatory and Holocaust-related language in the political arena in New Zealand.
At the first sitting of the new Parliament, we witnessed multiple examples labelling the Israeli response to the October 7th terrorist attacks as a “genocide.” In addition, we saw the use of the term “ethnic cleansing” as well as suggestions that Israel’s 75-year sovereignty is an “occupation.”
The Jewish community in New Zealand is made up in part by Holocaust survivors and their descendants and at a time of heightened antisemitism in this country, this language inflames tensions in New Zealand and adds to the trauma the Jewish community already feels after the terrorist attacks. Labelling Israel’s existence as an occupation denies Jews self-determination and a right to a sovereign homeland.
The misuse of the Holocaust for political ends is a form of Holocaust denial as it belittles what occurred in the Holocaust. What is occurring in Israel and Gaza is horrific, but it cannot be correctly compared to the Holocaust. “Words matter and it is a time that all, but especially political leaders, should choose their words carefully, to ensure they do not inflame tensions in New Zealand,” said Deborah Hart, chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. “The misuse of the Holocaust, and the terms “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” have specific meanings and should not be bandied about.”
These statements are counter-productive and, rather than furthering peace between Israelis and Palestinians, it causes the two sides to be further apart. “Accusing Israel of not learning from the Holocaust and becoming Nazi-like perpetrators is a malicious trick, aimed to inflict hurt on Jewish people.”
Associate Professor Giacomo Lichtner, Deputy Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand commented that: “These are false and dangerous equivalences that rest both on partial narratives of a decades-old conflict and on selective historical analyses. Such analyses are misleading and harmful: they feed anti-Jewish conspiracies and effectively justify Hamas’s unspeakable and openly antisemitic brutality.”
“When some of our political leaders in New Zealand continue to use these terms, it directly incites antisemitic behaviour and we call on all leaders to consider their words carefully,” said Ben Kepes, Spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC).
The NZJC and Holocaust Centre noted with dismay the marked escalation of antisemitic abuse on social media, at protest rallies and in person, since the 7 October terrorist attacks by Hamas.
New Zealand Jewish Council & the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Statement On Bomb And Death Threats In New Zealand
24 November 2023
The New Zealand Jewish Council, along with the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, is dismayed that Jewish Synagogues, Temples and centres in New Zealand have been the target of bomb and death threats. The organisations call on all parties to de-escalate the antisemitic rhetoric that is growing in New Zealand.
“When some of our political leaders in New Zealand scream Hamas terrorist chants, or use inflammatory terms, this directly incites antisemitic behaviour and we call on all leaders to consider their words carefully,” said Ben Kepes, spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC).
The NZJC has noted with dismay the escalation of abuse on social media and at protest rallies since the 7 October terrorist attacks by Hamas. The council considers that holding Jews in New Zealand collectively responsible for the actions of the State of Israel is patently antisemitic.
Responding to the bomb threats, Deb Hart, Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand commented that “the incendiary language of some protesting against Israel at the moment is inflaming tensions and has real-world consequences for the New Zealand Jewish community. Kiwis have a right to protest but should choose their words carefully and not be part of inciting violence or calling for genocide against Jewish people.”
For 180 years, Jews have been part of New Zealand society and have participated actively in all facets of public and private life. The Jewish community is feeling increasingly marginalised and calls on all New Zealanders to embrace social cohesion rather than fuelling further division.
The New Zealand Jewish Council, along with the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, is dismayed that Jewish Synagogues, Temples and centres in New Zealand have been the target of bomb and death threats. The organisations call on all parties to de-escalate the antisemitic rhetoric that is growing in New Zealand.
“When some of our political leaders in New Zealand scream Hamas terrorist chants, or use inflammatory terms, this directly incites antisemitic behaviour and we call on all leaders to consider their words carefully,” said Ben Kepes, spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC).
The NZJC has noted with dismay the escalation of abuse on social media and at protest rallies since the 7 October terrorist attacks by Hamas. The council considers that holding Jews in New Zealand collectively responsible for the actions of the State of Israel is patently antisemitic.
Responding to the bomb threats, Deb Hart, Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand commented that “the incendiary language of some protesting against Israel at the moment is inflaming tensions and has real-world consequences for the New Zealand Jewish community. Kiwis have a right to protest but should choose their words carefully and not be part of inciting violence or calling for genocide against Jewish people.”
For 180 years, Jews have been part of New Zealand society and have participated actively in all facets of public and private life. The Jewish community is feeling increasingly marginalised and calls on all New Zealanders to embrace social cohesion rather than fuelling further division.
Call to the Government to Designate Hamas a Terrorist Organisation
24 October 2023
The New Zealand Government must immediately designate Hamas a terrorist organisation to protect Jews in New Zealand and worldwide from a grave threat, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand says.
Hamas, in its 1988 founding charter specifically directs the killing of Jews. It repeats conspiracy theories about Jews including that they “were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments…”
It explicitly references age-old antisemitic stereotypes and conspiratorial texts such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and accuses Jews of forming “…secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others … for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests”.
Whilst Hamas released “A Document of General Principles & Policies” in 2017 which toned down some of the more openly anti-Jewish rhetoric, it has never repealed its charter.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair Deborah Hart says: “The barbaric recent events in Israel by Hamas in targeting and murdering civilians – men, women and children, and taking hostages, including babies and children, shows Hamas has not moderated at all.
“The ongoing harassment of Jewish communities outside Israel, at the direction of Hamas, demonstrates that their antisemitic charter remains in practice despite the much-publicised 2017 declaration.”
The mission of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is to inspire and empower action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
“We have once again witnessed a hate-filled pogrom with the largest number of Jews killed in any one day since the Holocaust,” Deborah Hart says.
“Whilst New Zealand has designated the Hamas military wing as a terrorist organisation, through its charter, Hamas itself makes no such distinction.
“The Holocaust Centre calls on the Government to join others including the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States to cease aiding hate and to recognise Hamas, in its entirety as a terrorist organisation. Such a designation would make the Jewish community in New Zealand safer by criminalising support for Hamas.”
The Holocaust Centre is devastated by the events of 7 October when Hamas murdered over 1,300 innocent Israeli men, women and children, Deborah Hart says.
"We condemn without reservation its heinous acts of terror including rape and the taking hostage of innocent civilians. And we stand with compassion for all those innocent casualties of the war initiated by Hamas,” Deborah Hart says.
For media enquiries: Holocaust Centre of New Zealand: 022 125 2967
Hamas, in its 1988 founding charter specifically directs the killing of Jews. It repeats conspiracy theories about Jews including that they “were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments…”
It explicitly references age-old antisemitic stereotypes and conspiratorial texts such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and accuses Jews of forming “…secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others … for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests”.
Whilst Hamas released “A Document of General Principles & Policies” in 2017 which toned down some of the more openly anti-Jewish rhetoric, it has never repealed its charter.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair Deborah Hart says: “The barbaric recent events in Israel by Hamas in targeting and murdering civilians – men, women and children, and taking hostages, including babies and children, shows Hamas has not moderated at all.
“The ongoing harassment of Jewish communities outside Israel, at the direction of Hamas, demonstrates that their antisemitic charter remains in practice despite the much-publicised 2017 declaration.”
The mission of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is to inspire and empower action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
“We have once again witnessed a hate-filled pogrom with the largest number of Jews killed in any one day since the Holocaust,” Deborah Hart says.
“Whilst New Zealand has designated the Hamas military wing as a terrorist organisation, through its charter, Hamas itself makes no such distinction.
“The Holocaust Centre calls on the Government to join others including the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States to cease aiding hate and to recognise Hamas, in its entirety as a terrorist organisation. Such a designation would make the Jewish community in New Zealand safer by criminalising support for Hamas.”
The Holocaust Centre is devastated by the events of 7 October when Hamas murdered over 1,300 innocent Israeli men, women and children, Deborah Hart says.
"We condemn without reservation its heinous acts of terror including rape and the taking hostage of innocent civilians. And we stand with compassion for all those innocent casualties of the war initiated by Hamas,” Deborah Hart says.
For media enquiries: Holocaust Centre of New Zealand: 022 125 2967
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising shows young people can lead the fight against racism in Aotearoa New Zealand
26 January 2023
Eighty years after Jewish youths fought for their lives on the streets of the Warsaw Ghetto, the family of an Auckland Holocaust survivor is calling on New Zealanders to reject hatred and treat everyone with dignity, no matter their background.
Alicja Newman was only 10 when her mother forced her to walk out of a Warsaw Ghetto gate while a complicit guard turned his back, saving her from certain death. She never saw her immediate family again and was forced to hide in war-torn Poland before working as slave labour until the end of the war. After years in Displaced Persons camps, she came to New Zealand with other Polish refugees in 1950.
The story of Alicja, who is now in her 90s, will be told on her behalf by her daughter, Lisa Newman, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum tomorrow as part of the United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Alicja – whose real name is Sala – will be at the museum, along with some of the original cobblestones from the Warsaw Ghetto where Jewish families like hers were forced to live in squalid conditions from 1940 onwards. The cobblestones were gifted by the United States Holocaust Museum to the Auckland Hebrew Congregation.
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair Deborah Hart says more than 400,000 Jews were forced to live in the Warsaw Ghetto, but by 1943 only about 50,000 remained; tens of thousands had died of starvation and disease, and the rest had already been sent to the Treblinka death camp.
“When the Nazis came to round up the remaining Jews, a group of youth leaders, roughly 2,000 men, women, and teenagers, refused to go quietly to their death. For a month they fought the Nazis street by street with few weapons.
“Their courage showed the Nazis and their collaborators that they were willing to choose their own deaths and fight for the Jewish people. At least 7,000 Jews in the Ghetto died fighting or in hiding and another 7,000 were captured by the SS and deported to the Treblinka death camp where they were murdered. But their heroism and sacrifice inspired other uprisings in ghettos and in camps around German-occupied Europe.
“These brave young people show us that we all have to stand up to antisemitism, racism and hatred. The next generation has the power to change the society they are inheriting from their parents.
“Sadly it is our young people today who are most exposed to hatred, rising antisemitism and Holocaust denial largely through social media by influencers such as US rapper Kanye West.
“That is why it is so important to hear stories such as Alicja Newman’s. We must teach future generations that allowing hate to grow can normalise racism. When communities stop standing up to ethnic hatred, atrocities such as the Holocaust and other genocides can occur again,” Deborah Hart says.
Lisa Newman says her mother has never forgotten the heroic people who hid her and helped her after she escaped the ghetto. “They were ordinary people who acted on their own principles rather than being bystanders.
“My mother can’t bear seeing people rejected or treated as less than others, particularly children. She related very strongly to the Auckland street kids in the 1970s. She often says wryly that so many people walk past and ignore a beggar with their hand out, but would eagerly reach for that same hand to pull them from a building after an earthquake.
“We all bear a moral responsibility to reject hatred and act decently to others, particularly the vulnerable and marginalised. The Holocaust teaches us what can happen; we have no excuse to behave otherwise,” Lisa Newman says.
Cobblestones from the Warsaw Ghetto will be at United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day events throughout New Zealand.
Alicja Newman was only 10 when her mother forced her to walk out of a Warsaw Ghetto gate while a complicit guard turned his back, saving her from certain death. She never saw her immediate family again and was forced to hide in war-torn Poland before working as slave labour until the end of the war. After years in Displaced Persons camps, she came to New Zealand with other Polish refugees in 1950.
The story of Alicja, who is now in her 90s, will be told on her behalf by her daughter, Lisa Newman, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum tomorrow as part of the United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Alicja – whose real name is Sala – will be at the museum, along with some of the original cobblestones from the Warsaw Ghetto where Jewish families like hers were forced to live in squalid conditions from 1940 onwards. The cobblestones were gifted by the United States Holocaust Museum to the Auckland Hebrew Congregation.
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair Deborah Hart says more than 400,000 Jews were forced to live in the Warsaw Ghetto, but by 1943 only about 50,000 remained; tens of thousands had died of starvation and disease, and the rest had already been sent to the Treblinka death camp.
“When the Nazis came to round up the remaining Jews, a group of youth leaders, roughly 2,000 men, women, and teenagers, refused to go quietly to their death. For a month they fought the Nazis street by street with few weapons.
“Their courage showed the Nazis and their collaborators that they were willing to choose their own deaths and fight for the Jewish people. At least 7,000 Jews in the Ghetto died fighting or in hiding and another 7,000 were captured by the SS and deported to the Treblinka death camp where they were murdered. But their heroism and sacrifice inspired other uprisings in ghettos and in camps around German-occupied Europe.
“These brave young people show us that we all have to stand up to antisemitism, racism and hatred. The next generation has the power to change the society they are inheriting from their parents.
“Sadly it is our young people today who are most exposed to hatred, rising antisemitism and Holocaust denial largely through social media by influencers such as US rapper Kanye West.
“That is why it is so important to hear stories such as Alicja Newman’s. We must teach future generations that allowing hate to grow can normalise racism. When communities stop standing up to ethnic hatred, atrocities such as the Holocaust and other genocides can occur again,” Deborah Hart says.
Lisa Newman says her mother has never forgotten the heroic people who hid her and helped her after she escaped the ghetto. “They were ordinary people who acted on their own principles rather than being bystanders.
“My mother can’t bear seeing people rejected or treated as less than others, particularly children. She related very strongly to the Auckland street kids in the 1970s. She often says wryly that so many people walk past and ignore a beggar with their hand out, but would eagerly reach for that same hand to pull them from a building after an earthquake.
“We all bear a moral responsibility to reject hatred and act decently to others, particularly the vulnerable and marginalised. The Holocaust teaches us what can happen; we have no excuse to behave otherwise,” Lisa Newman says.
Cobblestones from the Warsaw Ghetto will be at United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day events throughout New Zealand.
|
Alijca Newman returned to the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto in 2010
|
Media contacts:
Media are invited to attend the commemorations in Auckland, Wellington at Parliament and Makara Cemetery, Hamilton, Nelson, Christchurch and for the first time this year, in Dunedin.
For information about the events email Danya Levy at [email protected]
Background:
· In historical terms, the Holocaust refers to the genocide of six million Jews carried out by Nazi Germany and its allies between 1933 and 1945. The
term encompasses the disenfranchisement, discrimination and persecution that culminated in the Final Solution and extermination, leading to the
establishment of unprecedented Death Camps, such as Chelmno, Sobibor,Treblinka and Auschwitz.
· The Holocaust was the deliberate attempt to exterminate the Jews, defined by antisemitic ideology, propaganda, legislation, and the systematic
implementation of unprecedented extermination techniques.
· The Holocaust did not happen in isolation, and many other people were also persecuted with dedicated measures. Some – such as the Roma people
and the disabled – were targeted for extermination alongside the Jews, while many others were also oppressed by the Nazis on the basis of their
ethnicity, political ideas, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
· The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is the country’s national Holocaust education and remembrance centre. It inspires and empowers
action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
· January 27 was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day because it was the
day in 1945 the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.
· Commemorative events are held around the world and in New Zealand this year seven locations throughout the country (please see list above).
Media are invited to attend the commemorations in Auckland, Wellington at Parliament and Makara Cemetery, Hamilton, Nelson, Christchurch and for the first time this year, in Dunedin.
For information about the events email Danya Levy at [email protected]
Background:
· In historical terms, the Holocaust refers to the genocide of six million Jews carried out by Nazi Germany and its allies between 1933 and 1945. The
term encompasses the disenfranchisement, discrimination and persecution that culminated in the Final Solution and extermination, leading to the
establishment of unprecedented Death Camps, such as Chelmno, Sobibor,Treblinka and Auschwitz.
· The Holocaust was the deliberate attempt to exterminate the Jews, defined by antisemitic ideology, propaganda, legislation, and the systematic
implementation of unprecedented extermination techniques.
· The Holocaust did not happen in isolation, and many other people were also persecuted with dedicated measures. Some – such as the Roma people
and the disabled – were targeted for extermination alongside the Jews, while many others were also oppressed by the Nazis on the basis of their
ethnicity, political ideas, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
· The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is the country’s national Holocaust education and remembrance centre. It inspires and empowers
action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
· January 27 was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day because it was the
day in 1945 the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.
· Commemorative events are held around the world and in New Zealand this year seven locations throughout the country (please see list above).
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand elects a new Board
22 September 2022
For the first time in its history, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand had to hold an election, following the nomination of more candidates than places on the Centre board.
At the Annual General Meeting held on 18 September 2022, the election results were announced. Three new members will join five re-elected Board members, offering a wide range of skills and experience to support the Holocaust Centre’s mission to inspire and empower action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy, by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
The re-elected Board members are:
Deborah Hart – Chair
Miriam Bookman – Deputy Chair
Jeremy Smith – Treasurer
Marcus Blomquist
Rivkah Nathan
The newly-elected Board members are:
John Goddard
Nicole Greensides
Rachel Korpus
John Goddard is a Wellington barrister and had previously volunteered to assist the Centre. Nicole Greensides is a history and social studies teacher in Marton, Whanganui. She is also a graduate of the Inge Woolf Memorial Seminar for NZ Educators at Yad Vashem. Aucklander, Rachel Korpus is a business person and has previously worked on the Hope Project and March of the Living.
Board Chair Deborah Hart welcomed the new Board as the organisation begins another active term of delivering across the nation.
“It is a sign of the increasingly high profile and vibrancy of our organisation that sees good people putting their hands up to steer the organisation, says Deborah Hart.
“The new board will be challenged as the Centre strives to raise more funds to support its increasing workload, looks to open a new centre in Auckland and reinvigorate the centre base in Wellington.
“We are seeing growth in all areas of the work we do with teachers and schools, government engagement, civil society partnerships and civic commemorative events.
“Holocaust education and remembrance are important for Aotearoa New Zealand society, and our materials and resources are increasingly used. Our visitor centre, events and touring exhibitions are well received. We are a trusted source of information for the media as we work to combat Holocaust misinformation and antisemitism. In the last year, we are particularly proud of helping to ensure New Zealand’s observer membership of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
“The Centre is grateful to the organisations and individuals who support by donating, making bequests and grants, volunteering and attending events.
Ends
Click to read Board Member Bios
Contact: Deborah Hart: [email protected]
At the Annual General Meeting held on 18 September 2022, the election results were announced. Three new members will join five re-elected Board members, offering a wide range of skills and experience to support the Holocaust Centre’s mission to inspire and empower action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy, by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
The re-elected Board members are:
Deborah Hart – Chair
Miriam Bookman – Deputy Chair
Jeremy Smith – Treasurer
Marcus Blomquist
Rivkah Nathan
The newly-elected Board members are:
John Goddard
Nicole Greensides
Rachel Korpus
John Goddard is a Wellington barrister and had previously volunteered to assist the Centre. Nicole Greensides is a history and social studies teacher in Marton, Whanganui. She is also a graduate of the Inge Woolf Memorial Seminar for NZ Educators at Yad Vashem. Aucklander, Rachel Korpus is a business person and has previously worked on the Hope Project and March of the Living.
Board Chair Deborah Hart welcomed the new Board as the organisation begins another active term of delivering across the nation.
“It is a sign of the increasingly high profile and vibrancy of our organisation that sees good people putting their hands up to steer the organisation, says Deborah Hart.
“The new board will be challenged as the Centre strives to raise more funds to support its increasing workload, looks to open a new centre in Auckland and reinvigorate the centre base in Wellington.
“We are seeing growth in all areas of the work we do with teachers and schools, government engagement, civil society partnerships and civic commemorative events.
“Holocaust education and remembrance are important for Aotearoa New Zealand society, and our materials and resources are increasingly used. Our visitor centre, events and touring exhibitions are well received. We are a trusted source of information for the media as we work to combat Holocaust misinformation and antisemitism. In the last year, we are particularly proud of helping to ensure New Zealand’s observer membership of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
“The Centre is grateful to the organisations and individuals who support by donating, making bequests and grants, volunteering and attending events.
Ends
Click to read Board Member Bios
Contact: Deborah Hart: [email protected]
Antisemitism survey underlines need for Holocaust education
30 March 2022
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand says a survey released today on the views of New Zealanders towards Jewish people, shows the need for more Holocaust education in Aotearoa New Zealand, board chair Deborah Hart says.
The Antisemitism Survey of New Zealand 2021 was conducted by Curia Research and put 18 internationally recognised statements to just over a thousand New Zealanders to measure antisemitic sentiment.
The survey asked about New Zealanders’ understanding of what occurred during the Holocaust.
Of those surveyed not even half, (only 42%) could correctly identify that six million Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust. Nearly a fifth, or 17%, said they knew virtually nothing about the Holocaust. Disturbingly, it also found that 6% agreed with the statement that the Jews brought the Holocaust on themselves.
Deborah Hart says the findings echo a 2019 poll which found 57% of New Zealanders were unaware that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. In that poll, 70% of New Zealanders said they had “little” or “no knowledge” of the Holocaust.
“Misinformation about the Holocaust – or Holocaust distortion – is a form of antisemitism. It minimises the suffering of a great number of Jewish families and the murder of their loved ones.
The survey also found that 63% of New Zealanders agree with at least one antisemitic view and 6% hold nine or more antisemitic views out of the 18 questions posed. Almost one in five Kiwis believe Jews have too much financial control and 10% believe they have too much control over the media.
Deborah Hart says the Holocaust is not just a Jewish issue.
“Holocaust education provides lessons for all humanity. Antisemitism is often considered the indicator of more widespread racism. A society that tolerates antisemitism will soon accept other forms of racism.”
The Holocaust was a critical event in world history and occurred in the context of the Second World War. But decades later, societies continue to wrestle with both the memory and historical record of the Holocaust in the midst of contemporary challenges. These include persistent antisemitism and racism.
“At the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, we educate about the Holocaust. Although unique in time and place, the Holocaust was a human event that raises challenges: about individual and collective responsibility, the meaning of citizenship, the rightful use of laws and about the structures and societal norms that can become dangerous for certain groups and society as a whole.
“If people understand what the Holocaust actually was, this acts as a buffer against the rise of antisemitism and other forms of racism. Holocaust education is a safeguard for civil society”, Deborah Hart says.
The Holocaust Centre would like to see more secondary schools adopt its successful #JustOneWeek programme which teaches students about the impact discrimination had through the real-life experiences of Jewish survivors. The resource is currently used by 262 secondary schools throughout the country.
The Holocaust Centre is planning to build a centre in Auckland which will increase access to Holocaust education for thousands of Auckland school children and their whānau. "However, we can't do it alone and would like to see public funding for this centre," Deborah Hart says.
Background information:
· The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is the country’s national Holocaust education and remembrance centre. It inspires and empowers
action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
· The Holocaust was the deliberate attempt to exterminate the Jews, defined by antisemitic ideology, propaganda, legislation, and the systematic implementation of unprecedented extermination techniques.
· The Holocaust did not happen in isolation, and many other people were also persecuted with dedicated measures. Some, such as the Roma People and the disabled, were targeted for extermination alongside the Jews, and many others were also oppressed by the Nazis on the basis of their ethnicity, political ideas, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
· The New Zealand Jewish Council is the representative body of Jewish communities in New Zealand. There are congregations in Auckland,
Waikato, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.
There are approximately 10,000 Jews in New Zealand with the largest population in Auckland followed by Wellington.
All contact to: Miriam Bookman, Deputy Chair, Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. 04 8019480
The Antisemitism Survey of New Zealand 2021 was conducted by Curia Research and put 18 internationally recognised statements to just over a thousand New Zealanders to measure antisemitic sentiment.
The survey asked about New Zealanders’ understanding of what occurred during the Holocaust.
Of those surveyed not even half, (only 42%) could correctly identify that six million Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust. Nearly a fifth, or 17%, said they knew virtually nothing about the Holocaust. Disturbingly, it also found that 6% agreed with the statement that the Jews brought the Holocaust on themselves.
Deborah Hart says the findings echo a 2019 poll which found 57% of New Zealanders were unaware that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. In that poll, 70% of New Zealanders said they had “little” or “no knowledge” of the Holocaust.
“Misinformation about the Holocaust – or Holocaust distortion – is a form of antisemitism. It minimises the suffering of a great number of Jewish families and the murder of their loved ones.
The survey also found that 63% of New Zealanders agree with at least one antisemitic view and 6% hold nine or more antisemitic views out of the 18 questions posed. Almost one in five Kiwis believe Jews have too much financial control and 10% believe they have too much control over the media.
Deborah Hart says the Holocaust is not just a Jewish issue.
“Holocaust education provides lessons for all humanity. Antisemitism is often considered the indicator of more widespread racism. A society that tolerates antisemitism will soon accept other forms of racism.”
The Holocaust was a critical event in world history and occurred in the context of the Second World War. But decades later, societies continue to wrestle with both the memory and historical record of the Holocaust in the midst of contemporary challenges. These include persistent antisemitism and racism.
“At the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, we educate about the Holocaust. Although unique in time and place, the Holocaust was a human event that raises challenges: about individual and collective responsibility, the meaning of citizenship, the rightful use of laws and about the structures and societal norms that can become dangerous for certain groups and society as a whole.
“If people understand what the Holocaust actually was, this acts as a buffer against the rise of antisemitism and other forms of racism. Holocaust education is a safeguard for civil society”, Deborah Hart says.
The Holocaust Centre would like to see more secondary schools adopt its successful #JustOneWeek programme which teaches students about the impact discrimination had through the real-life experiences of Jewish survivors. The resource is currently used by 262 secondary schools throughout the country.
The Holocaust Centre is planning to build a centre in Auckland which will increase access to Holocaust education for thousands of Auckland school children and their whānau. "However, we can't do it alone and would like to see public funding for this centre," Deborah Hart says.
Background information:
· The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is the country’s national Holocaust education and remembrance centre. It inspires and empowers
action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
· The Holocaust was the deliberate attempt to exterminate the Jews, defined by antisemitic ideology, propaganda, legislation, and the systematic implementation of unprecedented extermination techniques.
· The Holocaust did not happen in isolation, and many other people were also persecuted with dedicated measures. Some, such as the Roma People and the disabled, were targeted for extermination alongside the Jews, and many others were also oppressed by the Nazis on the basis of their ethnicity, political ideas, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
· The New Zealand Jewish Council is the representative body of Jewish communities in New Zealand. There are congregations in Auckland,
Waikato, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.
There are approximately 10,000 Jews in New Zealand with the largest population in Auckland followed by Wellington.
All contact to: Miriam Bookman, Deputy Chair, Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. 04 8019480
New Zealanders Who Stood Up To The Nazis Recognised For UN Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022
27 January 2022
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Scoop.co.nz
New Zealanders who stood up to the Nazis during World War 2 are being recognised at events around the country to mark this year’s United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This includes New Zealand soldiers who fought German forces and bore witness to the atrocities inflicted on Jewish people, and New Zealand immigrants whose brave actions saved Jewish lives.
The theme for this year’s commemorations is Resistance and a keynote speaker at the Auckland War Memorial Museum event is Chief of the Army, Major General John Boswell. The Chief of the Army, Major General John Boswell will speak at the Auckland War Memorial Museum about the part the New Zealand Army, Navy and Airforce played in Nazi Germany’s defeat.
“The New Zealand Army, indeed also our Navy and Airforce counterparts, through our contributions to World War 2 played our part in the resistance that occurred all those years ago,” Major General Boswell says.
“In May 1945, the 2NZEF captured Trieste in northern Italy and found the Nazi concentration and death camp called the Risiera di San Sabba. There they saw first-hand the atrocities Jewish people had suffered,” Major General Boswell says.
The late Private Tahu Potiki Hopkinson of Ngai Tahu was a member of the 28th Māori Battalion 18 Platoon and in 1994 gave a heartbreaking account of what he found at Trieste and how it haunted him. His daughter Gaye Stanley is also speaking at this year’s commemorations in Auckland.
Major General Boswell says New Zealand forces stood up to the Nazis as it was the right thing to do. “Our armed forces fought in World War 2 as part of the Allied forces, to achieve world and New Zealand security against the threat of conquest, and submission to the ideologies of Nazism and Fascism. “It was basic to the traditional values of the armed forces to resist those evils, which were unprecedented at that time but, regrettably, have occurred too often since,” Major General Boswell says.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair Deb Hart says Holocaust survivors and New Zealand’s Jewish community thank the Defence Force for being “upstanders not bystanders”. “Without such Resistance, the situation for Jewish people in Europe would have been even more tragic,” Deb Hart says.
Auckland Holocaust survivor Vera Krukziener says she owes her life to her mother and father, as well as nuns in their hometown of Budapest, Hungary, and renowned Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who provided safe houses for Jewish families. “They refused to accept the Nazis’ plan to exterminate the Jews. Their resistance continues to amaze me to this day and I will be forever grateful for their actions,” Vera Krukziener says.
Sir Peter Gluckman will speak about Antisemitism at this year’s Auckland event. He says this month’s hostage seige at the synagogue in Colleyville, Texas shows that 77 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, there remains a level of racial hatred towards Jewish people based on old stereotypes. “These stereotypes are far removed from reality and must be renounced wherever they are found.
“We must teach our children, and their children’s children, that allowing hate to grow normalises racism. When societies accept that some people are worth less than others, or when and where racism and hate are used as political and ideological tools, then we should not be surprised if atrocities such as the Holocaust and other genocides can evolve,” Sir Peter says.
Notes:
The theme for this year’s commemorations is Resistance and a keynote speaker at the Auckland War Memorial Museum event is Chief of the Army, Major General John Boswell. The Chief of the Army, Major General John Boswell will speak at the Auckland War Memorial Museum about the part the New Zealand Army, Navy and Airforce played in Nazi Germany’s defeat.
“The New Zealand Army, indeed also our Navy and Airforce counterparts, through our contributions to World War 2 played our part in the resistance that occurred all those years ago,” Major General Boswell says.
“In May 1945, the 2NZEF captured Trieste in northern Italy and found the Nazi concentration and death camp called the Risiera di San Sabba. There they saw first-hand the atrocities Jewish people had suffered,” Major General Boswell says.
The late Private Tahu Potiki Hopkinson of Ngai Tahu was a member of the 28th Māori Battalion 18 Platoon and in 1994 gave a heartbreaking account of what he found at Trieste and how it haunted him. His daughter Gaye Stanley is also speaking at this year’s commemorations in Auckland.
Major General Boswell says New Zealand forces stood up to the Nazis as it was the right thing to do. “Our armed forces fought in World War 2 as part of the Allied forces, to achieve world and New Zealand security against the threat of conquest, and submission to the ideologies of Nazism and Fascism. “It was basic to the traditional values of the armed forces to resist those evils, which were unprecedented at that time but, regrettably, have occurred too often since,” Major General Boswell says.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair Deb Hart says Holocaust survivors and New Zealand’s Jewish community thank the Defence Force for being “upstanders not bystanders”. “Without such Resistance, the situation for Jewish people in Europe would have been even more tragic,” Deb Hart says.
Auckland Holocaust survivor Vera Krukziener says she owes her life to her mother and father, as well as nuns in their hometown of Budapest, Hungary, and renowned Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who provided safe houses for Jewish families. “They refused to accept the Nazis’ plan to exterminate the Jews. Their resistance continues to amaze me to this day and I will be forever grateful for their actions,” Vera Krukziener says.
Sir Peter Gluckman will speak about Antisemitism at this year’s Auckland event. He says this month’s hostage seige at the synagogue in Colleyville, Texas shows that 77 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, there remains a level of racial hatred towards Jewish people based on old stereotypes. “These stereotypes are far removed from reality and must be renounced wherever they are found.
“We must teach our children, and their children’s children, that allowing hate to grow normalises racism. When societies accept that some people are worth less than others, or when and where racism and hate are used as political and ideological tools, then we should not be surprised if atrocities such as the Holocaust and other genocides can evolve,” Sir Peter says.
Notes:
- The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is the country’s national Holocaust education and remembrance centre. It inspires and empowers action against antisemitism, discrimination, and apathy by remembering, educating, and bearing witness to the Holocaust.
- January 27 was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day to remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and others who were also murdered by the Nazis.
- The day was chosen because it was the day in 1945 the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp.
- Commemorative events are held on January 27 around the world and in New Zealand this year in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Nelson and Christchurch
UN General Assembly Votes on Holocaust Denial
21 January 2022
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21 January 2022
Scoop.co.nz
A historic vote in the United Nations General Assembly urges the 193 member states “to reject without any reservation any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, in either full or in part, or any activities to this end.” The General Assembly adopted the resolution overnight by consensus — meaning it was approved without a country-by-country vote. Only Iran, objected.
“We welcome this support for the fight against those who want to falsify history by saying that the Nazi German Holocaust against Jews and other groups didn’t happen,” said chairperson of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, Deborah Hart. “It comes on a significant day: the 80th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference on 20 January 1942 when Nazi leaders approved the ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Question’ – the extermination of 11 million Jews,” she said.
“Antisemitism, including Holocaust denial and distortion, has been increasing around the world, including in this country,” Deborah Hart added.
The resolution asks member states and, significantly, social media companies to take active measures to combat antisemitism and Holocaust denial through information and communication technologies. “This UN resolution will help delivery of the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Christchurch mosques massacre: that the government increase efforts against racism and for greater social cohesion,” she concluded.
The resolution urges all U.N. members “to develop educational programs that will inculcate future generations with the lessons of the Holocaust in order to help to prevent future acts of genocide” In New Zealand that education is offered through our nation’s Holocaust centre – the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.
Contact:
For further information, contact Deborah Hart, [email protected].
Notes:
The resolution set out a definition of Holocaust denial that includes attempts to distort the historical facts:
· Intentional efforts to excuse or minimize the impact of the Holocaust or its principal elements, including collaborators and allies of Nazi Germany.
· Gross minimization of the number of the victims of the Holocaust in contradiction to reliable sources.
· Attempts to blame the Jews for causing their own genocide.
· Statements that cast the Holocaust as a positive historical event.
· Attempts to blur the responsibility for the establishment of concentration and death camps devised and operated by Nazi Germany by putting blame on other nations or ethnic groups.
“We welcome this support for the fight against those who want to falsify history by saying that the Nazi German Holocaust against Jews and other groups didn’t happen,” said chairperson of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, Deborah Hart. “It comes on a significant day: the 80th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference on 20 January 1942 when Nazi leaders approved the ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Question’ – the extermination of 11 million Jews,” she said.
“Antisemitism, including Holocaust denial and distortion, has been increasing around the world, including in this country,” Deborah Hart added.
The resolution asks member states and, significantly, social media companies to take active measures to combat antisemitism and Holocaust denial through information and communication technologies. “This UN resolution will help delivery of the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Christchurch mosques massacre: that the government increase efforts against racism and for greater social cohesion,” she concluded.
The resolution urges all U.N. members “to develop educational programs that will inculcate future generations with the lessons of the Holocaust in order to help to prevent future acts of genocide” In New Zealand that education is offered through our nation’s Holocaust centre – the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.
Contact:
For further information, contact Deborah Hart, [email protected].
Notes:
The resolution set out a definition of Holocaust denial that includes attempts to distort the historical facts:
· Intentional efforts to excuse or minimize the impact of the Holocaust or its principal elements, including collaborators and allies of Nazi Germany.
· Gross minimization of the number of the victims of the Holocaust in contradiction to reliable sources.
· Attempts to blame the Jews for causing their own genocide.
· Statements that cast the Holocaust as a positive historical event.
· Attempts to blur the responsibility for the establishment of concentration and death camps devised and operated by Nazi Germany by putting blame on other nations or ethnic groups.
Anti-vax protestors should not misuse the Holocaust and the Star of David
9 November, 2021
9 November, 2021
Increasingly we are seeing the Star of David being misused for “freedom’ protests and protestors invoking the Holocaust for their own ends.
If people wish to protest, they should do so without citing the industrialised genocide of six million Jews, including 1.5 million Jewish children as the reason they need to do so. Protests equating what the Government is doing to protect New Zealand citizens with the Holocaust are ill-founded on a false equivalence and an ignorance of what the Holocaust entailed. Nothing in New Zealand comes even close to the atrocities carried out, on an industrial scale, by the Nazis. To make the comparison trivializes the Holocaust and diminishes the enormity of what the Nazis did.
Deborah Hart, Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand said, “The comparisons are grotesque and deeply hurtful to Holocaust survivors and their families.” She added, “If people are so ignorant of the Holocaust and what it actually was, and was not, they could contact the Holocuast Centre to arrange a visit.”
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand condemns the use of the Star of David, a symbol embodying the Jewish people in recent protest action. Ms Hart said, “The Star of David is a beloved emblem of the Jewish people. It is bad enough that it was exploited by the Nazis to single out Jews for persecution, but now in a move of appalling cultural misappropriation, it’s being corrupted by the anti vax movement for its own ends. She said the movement and protestors should leave the Star of David where it belongs, with the Jewish people.”
If people wish to protest, they should do so without citing the industrialised genocide of six million Jews, including 1.5 million Jewish children as the reason they need to do so. Protests equating what the Government is doing to protect New Zealand citizens with the Holocaust are ill-founded on a false equivalence and an ignorance of what the Holocaust entailed. Nothing in New Zealand comes even close to the atrocities carried out, on an industrial scale, by the Nazis. To make the comparison trivializes the Holocaust and diminishes the enormity of what the Nazis did.
Deborah Hart, Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand said, “The comparisons are grotesque and deeply hurtful to Holocaust survivors and their families.” She added, “If people are so ignorant of the Holocaust and what it actually was, and was not, they could contact the Holocuast Centre to arrange a visit.”
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand condemns the use of the Star of David, a symbol embodying the Jewish people in recent protest action. Ms Hart said, “The Star of David is a beloved emblem of the Jewish people. It is bad enough that it was exploited by the Nazis to single out Jews for persecution, but now in a move of appalling cultural misappropriation, it’s being corrupted by the anti vax movement for its own ends. She said the movement and protestors should leave the Star of David where it belongs, with the Jewish people.”
600 NZ Schools to Get Diary of Anne Frank/ Te Rātaka a Tētahi Kōhine, in te reo Māori
Six hundred schools across New Zealand will receive a complimentary copy of Te Rātaka a Tētahi Kōhine / Diary of Anne Frank in te Reo Māori, bringing the story and its enduring message to an entirely new audience and generation for the first time.
Have we learnt nothing from the Holocaust? - HCNZ expresses disgust at use of Nazi symbols and acts of antisemitism
22 January 2020
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand is appalled and concerned by the recent use of Nazi symbols and actions of intolerance and antisemitism.
Kristallnacht unity concert to be held at synagogue for the first time
2019
The concert is a joint project of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand and Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music of Victoria University of Wellington, and for the first time, will be held in the Wellington Beth El Synagogue in Webb Street.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand condemns the Halle terror attacks
11 October 2019
New Zealand’s leading organisation for Holocaust education and remembrance, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, vehemently condemns the terror attacks that occurred on Wednesday on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, near a synagogue in Halle, Germany, killing two people...
HCNZ condemns John Tamihere for saying 'Sieg Heil' in mayoral debate
18 September 2019
Paul Seideman Annual Composition Prize: 2019 Winners Announced
Three young writers have been honoured for their moving and thoughtful compositions on the Holocaust, in the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand’s annual Paul Seideman Composition Prize for 2019. Generously funded and supported by Holocaust survivor Paul Seideman, this year’s competition introduced a new junior age category for students in Year 7-8.
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Welcomes New Board
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19 August 2019
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New Zealand’s leading organisation for Holocaust education and remembrance, yesterday, elected its Board to spearhead the burgeoning number of projects it has on offer, naming Deborah Hart as its new Chair.
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Survey finds New Zealanders know very little about the Holocaust
07/08/2019 Diary of Anne Frank in Te Reo Māori
07/06/2019
HCNZ Stands up to Antisemitism
31/01/2019
The Refugee Experience
27/11/2018
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Comic Rome 16 October 1943
25/11/2018
Labour raised expectations
04/09/2018
Holocaust Denial
30/07/2018
Statement on Genocide
24/05/2018
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DiversityIs Strength campaign
24/04/2018
Polish Holocaust Legislation
05/02/2018
Manus / Nauru Refugees
03/11/2017
False News / Freedom of Speech
26/04/2017
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