Press Release: Defeating Distortion: New Report Highlights Holocaust Distortion Amid Rising Antisemitism

Berlin (14 May 2025): Eighty years after the liberation of Auschwitz, Holocaust distortion remains a widespread and pressing challenge across the Europan Union. A new report by ENMA, the European Network on Monitoring Antisemitism, sheds light on this persistent threat from a cross-European perspective. Published as part of a two-year project, the report establishes a transnational framework for documenting Holocaust denial and distortion. It was presented today at an international conference in Berlin.

New Report Reveals Scope of Holocaust Distortion Across Europe

The ENMA report provides a sobering analysis of Holocaust denial and distortion in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Poland. It demonstrates how antisemitic narratives adapt to societal crises, are exploited for political gain, often evade legal accountability, and erode historical truth—with harmful consequences for Jewish communities, Holocaust survivors, and their descendants.

“We are at a dangerous crossroads: As antisemitism rises and historical ignorance grows, we face an era marked by an antisemitic tide,” said Benjamin Steinitz, Executive Director of Bundesverband RIAS. “We need sound, comparable data in order to develop strategies that can effectively counter antisemitic narratives.“

The report introduces ashared framework for the documentation and monitoring of antisemitic incidents, aligning with the IHRA Working Definition of Holocaust Denial and Distortion. “Holocaust distortion is not only growing – it is growing everywhere. That is why the work of the IHRA and ENMA is so urgent,” said Michaela Küchler, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

A Coordinated Response to a Europe-Wide Threat

The report was launched at the international conference Defeating Distortion: Holocaust Denial and Distortion in an Era of Antisemitic Tidal Change, held in Berlin. The event convened representatives from the European Commission, World Jewish Congress, Jewish Claims Conference, USC Shoah Foundation, and a broad spectrum of pan-European Jewish and non-Jewish civil society organizations. Discussions centred on the rising impact of Holocaust distortion on Jewish communities as well as Holocaust survivors and their descendants, the digital dissemination of these antisemitic narratives and the role of remembrance institutions in a contested field of memory politics.These transnational challenges require a coordinated effort to understand both their national and international dimensions — a task for which ENMA provides a comprehensive framework.

Ariella Woitchik, Director of European Affairs at the European Jewish Congress, warned of a “tsunami of antisemitism and Holocaust denial following the October 7 Hamas massacre” and underscored the critical role of ENMA’s monitoring of antisemitic incidents and standardised reporting across European borders.

Rüdiger Mahlo, Representative of the Jewish Claims Conference in Europe and funder of the project, added: “This manipulation of Shoah history is endangering the very foundation of our democratic societies. The ENMA report provides an evidence-based foundation for urgently needed political action to counter this trend.”

About the Project

The project “Standardised Recording of Holocaust Denial and Distortion in Five European Countries” has developed a methodology to enable comparative documentation of antisemitic incidents that involve Holocaust denial and distortion. It is funded with assistance from the Jewish Claims Conference and supported by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ), as well as the German Federal Ministry of Finance. The project is co-funded by the European Union.

The publication can be downloaded here https://enma.eu/wp-content/uploads/ENMA_Holocaust-Distortion-in-Europe.pdf

 

To find out more about the project visit enma.eu/factsmatter and follow the campaign on social media instagram.com/enma.eu

For inquiries, please reach out to contact@enma.eu.

 

Statements

Benjamin Steinitz, Executive Director of Bundesverband RIAS:
“We are at a dangerous crossroads: as antisemitism rises and historical ignorance grows, we face an era marked by an antisemitic tide. This is a threat to Jewish communities and democracies as a whole. We need sound, comparable data in order to develop strategies that can effectively counter antisemitic narratives.. ENMA delivers a framework that can be implemented continent-wide. Our guidelines for documenting Holocaust denial and distortion are a vital step toward understanding and combatting cross-border antisemitism.”

Ariella Woitchik, Director of European Affairs at the European Jewish Congress:
“As the representative of Jewish communities in Europe, the EJC is alarmed by the tsunami of antisemitism and Holocaust denial following the October 7 Hamas massacre. In these challenging times, ENMA’s role in monitoring antisemitic incidents and standardising reporting across borders is more critical than ever.”

Michaela Küchler, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA):
“Holocaust distortion is not only growing – it is growing everywhere. That’s why the work of the IHRA and ENMA is so urgent. Together, we are building tools to make distortion visible and challenge it – online, on the ground, and across borders. Because facts are not negotiable. They are the foundation of remembrance – and its defence.”

Rüdiger Mahlo, Representative of the Jewish Claims Conference in Europe:
“Since the genocidal attack of Hamas against Israel on October 7, we are witnessing an escalation in the distortion and denial of the Shoah. The Shoah is exploited to justify questioning Israel’s legitimacy and to rationalize violence against Jews. This manipulation of Shoah history is endangering the very foundation of our democratic societies. The EMNA report provides an evidence-based foundation for the urgently needed political action to counter this trend.”

 

The project #FACTSMATTER. Defend Truth, Defeat Distortion is funded