Survey shows lack of Holocaust awareness in the Netherlands

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Jewish group that commissioned a survey on Holocaust awareness in the Netherlands said Wednesday that the results show “a disturbing lack of awareness of key historical facts about the Holocaust,” prompting calls for better education in the nation that was home to diarist Anne Frank and her family. The survey commisioned by the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany found that the number of respondents who believe the Holocaust is a myth was higher than in any of the other five nations previously surveyed, with 23 percent of adults under 40 and 12 percent of all respondents believing the Holocaust is a myth or the number of Jews killed has been greatly exaggerated. Eddo Verdoner, the Netherlands’ National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, said in a statement it was “shocking to see that 23% of Millennials and Gen Z believe the Holocaust is either a myth or has been exaggerated.” He said the finding “points to a growing gap in knowledge and awareness. If we do not, denial will soon outweigh knowledge, and future generations will have no exposure to the critical lessons of the Holocaust.” Only half of respondents said they supported recent speeches by Dutch leaders to acknowledge and apologize for the country's failure to protect Jews in the Holocaust.