How Bystanders Support Hate and Violence from the Holocaus
Channel: Parliament of the World's Religions
Date: 2014-04-28

Presented by Beth Lilach, Senior Director of Education and Outreach from the Holocaust Memorial Museum and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. In highly developed nations, the horror of the Holocaust may seem like a distant historical event that "we" would "never" let happen again. But in the time leading up to the genocide of millions, history shows that Antisemitism crept into the mindsets of the majority who eventually gave tacit consent through silence, fear, and ignorance to the killings in the Holocaust. Cultural silence creates a bystander effect acting as a sound barrier between majority populations and the religious minority groups, dehumanizing the "others." Beth shares a historical narrative of the Holocaust, providing a tool for insight useful to educators, faith leaders, and interfaith advocates Beth's lesson provides historical evidence helpful in the work to stop fear, anger, and hate in the United States.