For the past two years, a deeply troubling dynamic has been taking shape: accusing Jews of lying about the scale and brutality of the October 7 massacres, and then extending that suspicion to their entire history. Contemporary suspicion fuels historical suspicion. The denial of October 7 now feeds Holocaust denial — and vice versa. Refusing to acknowledge the magnitude of the crimes committed by Hamas leads some to relativize, or even rewrite, the extermination of the Jews of Europe.

The underlying logic is painfully clear: if Jews are said to be “exaggerating” October 7, then they must also have lied about the Holocaust. In this rhetorical slide, contemporary trauma is transformed into supposed proof of an age-old falsification.

The consequences are already visible. The conflict in the Middle East now serves as a pretext to prevent Holocaust survivors from testifying. A recent case in New York offers a striking illustration.

Silencing a Survivor in the Name of “Neutrality”

In Brooklyn, the principal of a public middle school (MS 447) rejected a parent’s request to invite Sami Steigmann, 85, a Holocaust survivor, to speak to students about antisemitism. The reason given: his pro-Israel views were deemed “not appropriate” in a public school setting.

The principal insisted that lectures on the Holocaust and on fighting antisemitism remain welcome—while........

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