History As It Happens

Episode: Hollowing Out Holocaust Memory

Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Martin Di Caro
Guests: Dirk Moses (City College of New York), Omar McDoom (London School of Economics)

Overview

This episode examines the erosion of Holocaust memory in contemporary political and media discourse, particularly how it is invoked in debates about Israel's Gaza campaign. Host Martin Di Caro talks with genocide scholars Dirk Moses and Omar McDoom about the transformation, politicization, and potential self-destruction of Holocaust memory—how it’s used to justify state actions, its generational shifts in meaning, and what this portends for international norms and moral universalism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Politicization and Weaponization of Holocaust Memory

• Invocation to Justify/Condemn Israel: Both Israeli defenders and critics invoke the Holocaust: defenders cast Hamas and Iran’s leaders as "modern-day Nazis," while critics claim the memory of the Holocaust is used cynically to justify the current destruction of Gaza (00:21–01:20; 03:10–03:55).

  • Dirk Moses: “Everyone is Hitler and therefore Hamas is Hitler. Khamenei is Hitler.” (00:48)
  • Omar McDoom: “The way that the Israeli government is using the memory of the Holocaust in order to justify what they are doing to the Gazans is a complete insult to the memory of the Holocaust.” (00:32)

• Emotional Manipulation: The appeal to Holocaust analogies heightens the pathos and emotional stakes of the conflict, mobilizing public opinion and stifling nuanced debate (17:52–20:11).

2. The Shift in Generational Memory and Moral Authority

• Younger Generations' Perspective: For many youth, the moral archetype of absolute evil has shifted from the Holocaust to Gaza, as they see similarities in oppression and power abuse (01:20–01:58; 20:53–23:45).

  • Dirk Moses: “Young people don’t see it that way anymore... for them the absolute evil in world history is no longer the Holocaust, it’s what’s happening in Gaza.” (01:20; 20:53)

• Loss of Universalism: Holocaust “never again” is increasingly interpreted as applying only to Jews, not people in general. This selective application is leading to disillusionment and charges of hypocrisy (01:58; 24:00).

  • Host summary: “Younger people argue Holocaust memory, which was designed to prevent the worst, is being used to motivate and justify the worst, and they feel outraged and betrayed.” (01:58)

3. Historical Development of Holocaust Memory

• Delayed Acknowledgment: It took decades for Germans and Americans alike to fully confront the full scope of the Holocaust; popular discourse lagged well behind historians and only entered mass consciousness through cultural products like the US TV miniseries "Holocaust" (13:37–14:51).

  • Dirk Moses: “No one in the 1940s and 50s used the term Holocaust. That’s a term that really only breaks through as a metaphor in the 1970s and 80s.” (07:17)

• State-Sponsored Memorials Under Attack: The right-wing resurgence targets Holocaust memorial institutions in Germany’s eastern regions, further undermining collective memory (14:51–17:52).

  • “Some of those [memorials] are under attack... by members of the far right AfD party and people even further from the Right.” (14:51)

4. Genocide Denial, Selective Memory, and the Gaza Context

• Techniques of Denial: Drawing from Stan Cohen’s work, McDoom highlights various kinds of denial (literal, implicatory, interpretive), noting intentional ignorance and cognitive filtering in contemporary societies (12:13).

  • Omar McDoom: “People who consciously deny... deliberately misrepresent or deny that it’s happening... But this cognitive filtering... we are seeing certainly in that generation.” (12:13)

• Parallels with Past Denial: Political and public responses to Israeli actions are compared to early postwar German denial of responsibility for the Holocaust (10:35–11:40).

5. Unresolved Tensions in Holocaust and Genocide Discourse

• Holocaust as Unique vs. Comparable: Scholars debate the uniqueness of the Holocaust and whether comparisons with other genocides (e.g., Rwanda) are legitimate or diminish its memory (27:08).

  • Omar McDoom: “For me personally, there is no reason why we should not seek to compare the Holocaust with other cases of genocide or other cases of mass atrocity.” (27:08)
  • “There is a tension... between the desire to protect the Holocaust and by extension, Israel... and then the claim that Israel should not be unfairly singled out...” (27:04)

• Public Opinion and Political Disconnect: German public largely opposes their government’s support of Israel’s war, despite official rhetoric rooted in Holocaust guilt/remembrance (39:39).

  • Dirk Moses: “59% [of Germans] think it’s genocide... The population’s not anti-Israel. There’s a general principle commitment to the protection of civilian life and opposition to genocidal wars. The German re-education process has been quite successful because you now have this consensus in the population. It’s the political class... that has learned the wrong lessons." (39:39)

• Effects on the Historical Field: Holocaust scholars are divided, with notable historians shielding Israel from genocide charges, and a generational split in the interpretation and relevance of Holocaust memory (30:34).

  • Dirk Moses: “A number of Holocaust historians have been very vocal in defending Israel’s conduct and shielding it from the charge of genocide.” (30:34)
  • Shira Klein’s article on this divide has seen “40,000 downloads in a year, which is an extraordinary number for an academic article.” (31:28)

6. Broader Implications for International Law and Order

• Normative Erosion: The rules-based order built after WWII is under threat as principles of civilian protection, accountability, and humanitarian law are disregarded or selectively enforced (35:52–38:28).

  • Omar McDoom: “These principles of distinction and precaution and proportionality... are really being tested, if not broken... The attacks on the ICC... the UN... All of this calls into question the moral authority and the entire framework that was set up after WWII...” (35:52)

• Danger of Selective Application: Shielding Israel from criticism may bolster anti-Israel sentiment and even antisemitism abroad, making denial more dangerous for Jewish communities (43:04).

  • “It strengthens the anti Israel and anti Semitic sentiment... continued denial that any wrong is being committed makes those who deny it seem complicit in that situation…” (43:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dirk Moses (on generational shift):

  • "Young people don’t see it that way anymore... For them, the absolute evil in world history is no longer the Holocaust, it’s what’s happening in Gaza." (01:20)

• Omar McDoom (on denial):

  • “This cognitive filtering... we are seeing certainly in that generation, like Hillary Clinton, and also in elements of Israeli society as well.” (12:13)

• Martin Di Caro (moral universality):

  • “I come away [from Holocaust Museum] with that as a universal value. Never again, not just to the Jewish people, never again to anyone else.” (20:11)

• Dirk Moses (on object of empathy):

  • "The object of empathy, of absolute innocence, is Hind Rajab—this Palestinian girl who was shot to death... For them, she is the Anne Frank of 2025–26." (26:28–26:47)

• Omar McDoom (on universalism and risk):

  • “The message should be that the commitment to universalism means that we call out violence that is transgressive, no matter who’s committing it...” (45:30)
  • "Neither occupation nor expulsion is the answer." (48:14)

• Dirk Moses (on political memory):

  • “The version of Holocaust memory, its conscription into genocidal warfare by the German state and by other states as well, has been discredited.” (41:25)

Timeline of Key Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Content | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–01:20 | Opening and framing; emotional debate and Hitler analogies | | 01:20–03:10 | Generational change: Gaza as evil supplanting Holocaust | | 03:10–04:17 | Media/political invocation of Holocaust in Israel-Gaza discourse | | 07:17–09:44 | History of Holocaust memory development in Germany; silence and apologia | | 10:35–12:13 | Patterns of genocide denial: historical and present | | 13:37–14:51 | Holocaust consciousness takes hold: role of TV and memorials in Germany | | 14:51–17:52 | State memorials under attack; self-destruction of the memory | | 20:11–23:45 | Universalization vs. narrowing of Holocaust memory; generational transformation | | 26:28–26:47 | Hind Rajab as "the Anne Frank of 2025–26" | | 27:04–29:51 | Tension: Holocaust uniqueness vs. comparability; debates on shielding/singling out Israel | | 30:34–31:28 | Academic divisions and public engagement: Holocaust studies, Klein article | | 35:52–38:28 | Gaza and the global implications for humanitarian law and the rules-based order | | 39:39–42:33 | Public opinion vs. political class; shifting lessons of the Holocaust | | 43:04–45:30 | Dangers of denial, rise in antisemitism, risk to Diaspora and Israel’s long-term security | | 48:14 | Final moral affirmation: "Neither occupation nor expulsion is the answer." |

Tone & Character

The conversation is frank, urgent, and at times somber, bringing together rigorous scholarship and emotional insight. Moses and McDoom balance academic objectivity with clear moral commitments, openly critiquing both the abuse of historical memory and the contemporary realities in Israel/Palestine. Di Caro guides the dialogue with incisive questions and a focus on connecting history to the present moment.

Summary for the Uninitiated

If you haven’t listened, this episode offers a nuanced, challenging exploration of how the Holocaust’s legacy is being hollowed out and politicized in today’s debates over Israel and Gaza. It uncovers a generational and institutional rift over the meaning of “never again,” the dilemmas faced by historians, and the grave implications for international justice and the protection of civilian life. The discussion compels listeners to reconsider how we use memory, history, and moral lessons from the past in shaping our current responses to atrocity and political violence.