In an effort to combat the rising tide of Holocaust denial and misinformation, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) launched a new campaign targeting Gen Zers on social media platforms, particularly TikTok. Launching on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the new initiative utilizes the influence of prominent Jewish TikTok creators to share survivor testimonials and educational content, shedding light on the realities of the Holocaust and countering false narratives.

The campaign, “Spot Lies. Spread Facts,” addresses the concerning lack of knowledge about the Holocaust among young people, as highlighted in a recent ADL report. With social media platforms struggling to moderate Holocaust denial content, the ADL’s saw a critical need to provide accurate information and combat the spread of misinformation.

Leading figures in the TikTok community, including Ellie Zeiler, Eitan Bernath, Montana Tucker, Carly Weinstein and Tova and Aron Friedman, are lending their voices to the cause. Through a series of videos, these influencers will share personal accounts from survivors like Tova Friedman, who bravely recounts her experiences in Auschwitz, confronting the disturbing reality of denial in the face of undeniable evidence.

As Friedman implores in her TikTok video, the campaign is a call to action: to confront the spread of misinformation and honor the memory of the six million lives lost.

“At a time when denial is rising and general knowledge about the events of the Holocaust is diminishing, particularly among young people, there’s a need to reach this demographic with video testimonials and factual information about the murder of the six million,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “An important focus will be on misinformation: Our creators will help young people to learn how to spot the lies, spread facts, and not repeat or share things about the Holocaust that are false.”

Missouri schools transform Holocaust education with innovative pilot program

Locally, a cross-section of Missouri schools are using a new framework for Holocaust education. The pilot program of up to 25 school districts is the result of legislation signed into law by Governor Mike Parson in July 2022.

The Holocaust education bill was sponsored by Rep. Adam Schwadron, R-St. Charles, and Sen. Brian Williams, D-St. Louis County, with bipartisan support mandating Holocaust education in Missouri schools. The pilot program began last fall and will continue through the 2024-2025 school year. A full roll-out to all Missouri schools will begin in the 2025-2026 school year.

St. Louis area schools participating in the pilot program include educators from Affton, Riverview Gardens (Westview Middle School) and Hazelwood. They are using a curriculum framework for studying the Holocaust utilizing materials developed by the Missouri Holocaust Education and Awareness Commission, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. The education framework will serve as a resource to help educators integrate Holocaust education into their existing curriculum to best meet the needs of their students.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will obtain feedback from those school districts and other participants throughout the state on the teachers’ use of the new Holocaust education framework and its accompanying materials, according to DESE spokesperson Mallory McGowin.