Herbert Rubinstein, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, recounts his harrowing experiences as a five-year-old boy during the Holocaust, when he and his mother were rounded up by Romanians collaborating with the Nazis and taken to a cattle wagon destined for death. Miraculously, they survived after obtaining forged Polish identity documents, which allowed them to escape the train. Rubinstein is now participating in a new digital campaign called #CancelHate, launched by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. This campaign features videos of Holocaust survivors reading Holocaust denial posts from social media platforms to illustrate how denial and distortion can perpetuate anti-Semitic tropes and spread hate.
The Claims Conference’s #CancelHate campaign comes at a time of increasing anti-Semitic incidents, triggered by recent events including Hamas’ attack on Israel and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The rise in anti-Semitic incidents has been noted by major Jewish organizations and comes at a time when Holocaust survivors are confronting a wave of Holocaust denial and distortion online. The objective of the campaign is to ensure that current and future generations understand the dangers of unchecked hatred, as exemplified by the Holocaust. The survivors who participate in the campaign are sharing their stories to combat hate and promote tolerance.
In one video for the campaign, Rubinstein reads out a hate post denying the Holocaust, only to refute it by sharing his own family’s suffering during the Holocaust. He emphasizes that the Holocaust did happen, despite the denial in the post, and speaks about the loss that his family endured during that time. Rubinstein describes his own persecution as a Jewish child during the Holocaust and the difficult journey they undertook to survive, eventually settling in Duesseldorf. He continues to fight against anti-Semitism, believing in the power of words and the importance of canceling hate.
Rubinstein’s message to the young generation of Jews is to not panic and to believe that good will prevail. Despite the resurgence of hate and Holocaust denial in society today, Rubinstein remains optimistic and determined to combat anti-Semitism on a daily basis. The story of his survival and resilience during the Holocaust serves as a powerful reminder of the atrocities that occurred and the importance of standing up against hate and intolerance. As Israel prepares to observe Yom HaShoah, honoring the victims of the Holocaust, Rubinstein’s message serves as a call to action for individuals to use their words as a means of power to combat hate and promote unity.
