OSWIECIM, Poland — Attending the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation — at the site itself — was a profoundly surreal experience. I have visited Auschwitz more than 13 times, primarily leading delegations of non-Jewish leaders. Yet this visit felt especially poignant, marked by the passage of time and the weight of remembrance. As I lit a candle on the tracks for my dear friend and mentor, the late Max Eisen, I felt the solemn responsibility of carrying his legacy forward.
The presence of Holocaust survivors at the Auschwitz memorial was a poignant reminder of the passage of time. Many are well into their 90s, with one survivor announcing to the audience that he is 99 years old. By their own admission, they said this might be their final commemoration at Auschwitz. Even Ronald Lauder, who has devoted considerable efforts to preserving Holocaust memory, lamented that this could be his last gathering at the site.
This commemoration had the air of a finale. Ideally, it should have signified the culmination of an era of hatred, marking the triumph of Holocaust education over the social disease that fuelled the most extensive genocide in human history. After eight decades of remembrance initiatives, survivors should have found solace in the assurance that “Never Again” had been realized. Instead, the reality was quite the opposite. The promise of “Never Again” has been broken, undermined by the alarming resurgence of antisemitism, which has escalated to unprecedented levels following the events of Oct. 7, 2023.
At this juncture, society must engage in serious discourse about how to address the resurgence of antisemitism. Decades of Holocaust education, the establishment of Holocaust museums and extensive awareness campaigns have seemingly dissipated in the wake of recent events. The aftermath of October 7 exposed a disturbing reality: when antisemitic rhetoric and incitement erupted on university campuses and on our streets, few voices emerged in defence of the Jewish community.
Survivors who spoke at the memorial implored the audience to carry forward the torch of remembrance, particularly to the younger generation, many of whom have not only forgotten this history but, in some cases, outright deny it. While Holocaust denial was once confined to fringe pamphlets and underground networks, the advent of social media has enabled its rapid proliferation, reaching millions instantaneously with the click of a button.
This year’s commemoration at Auschwitz felt markedly different because the global landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation. Society has become increasingly polarized, angrier and more prone to extremism. Holocaust survivors, like the rest of us, have borne witness to pro-Hamas demonstrations that openly call for the annihilation of the Jewish people in Israel. Slogans such as “From the river to the sea,” the boycott campaigns and accusations branding Jews as colonizers — asserting they do not belong — mirror the very rhetoric employed by the Nazis to justify the Holocaust.
The oft-repeated assertion that “silence is the ally of antisemitism” remains true, but it raises an important question: is mere condemnation sufficient? Over 50 world leaders attended the Auschwitz memorial, a well-intentioned gesture aimed at demonstrating solidarity with Jewish communities. However, some of these leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, drew scrutiny due to the dissonance between their rhetoric and their actions. Despite their public statements against antisemitism, the measures they have put in place to combat it remain wildly inadequate.
Beyond addressing silence, it is imperative to confront those who are actively weaponizing international institutions against Israel, thereby exacerbating global antisemitism. The United Nations has passed more resolutions condemning Israel than any other country, including totalitarian regimes such as Iran and North Korea. Meanwhile, it has largely overlooked the atrocities committed by Hamas.
Similarly, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice have been exploited to target Israel and its leaders. The willingness of certain world leaders, including Trudeau, to accept the ICC’s biased arrest warrants against Israeli officials reflects a deeply flawed moral equivalence — one that equates a democratic state defending itself with a terrorist organization that seeks genocide.
Furthermore, Trudeau’s criticism of Israel’s military response to Hamas, his government’s ban on arms exports to Israel and his tacit support for legal actions against the Jewish state have emboldened antisemitic rhetoric and actions within Canada. As a result, Canadian streets have become hotbeds of antisemitic agitation. Many have asked if it was right for him to attend the memorial at all, given the fact that Canada has become ground zero for antisemitism.
The act of lighting a memorial candle for the six-million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust must be accompanied by action. Symbolic gestures are no longer sufficient. The growing disparity between words and actions is glaring, constituting an affront to the survivors who pleaded for the Jewish peoples’ right to live in dignity in their homeland.
One of the most profound lessons of the Holocaust is that evil often operates under the guise of deception. Like the Nazis, Hamas employs subterfuge to mask its intentions, targeting civilians with brutality and barbarism. The October 7 massacre underscored this point — Hamas’s strategy of deceit mirrors the Nazis’ methods of misleading their victims. Both sought to commit genocide under the pretense of legitimacy.
Sadly, my foundation was the only major Canadian organization at the international memorial at Auschwitz. As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, we must recognize that remembrance alone is insufficient. The resurgence of antisemitism demands not only vigilance but decisive action. “Never Again” must be more than a slogan — it must be a commitment upheld through concrete policies, unwavering advocacy and a resolute defence of truth against historical revisionism and contemporary hate.
National Post
Avi Benlolo is the founder and CEO of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.