Antisemitism, Holocaust Denial, and the Demands of Catholic Truth

 

Antisemitism, Holocaust Denial, and the Demands of Catholic Truth

(Why I’m writing this now)

Antisemitism is not only a social evil. It is a theological error. It contradicts the Catholic understanding of creation, revelation, and the moral law. The Church teaches that God’s covenant with Israel is part of salvation history, and that the dignity of the Jewish people flows from the same divine source as the dignity of every human person. To hate Jews is to reject this truth. To deny the Holocaust is to abandon reason itself.

The Catholic tradition insists that faith and history must be taken seriously. A moral people cannot allow memory to collapse. The Holocaust is not an event that can be trimmed or blurred. It stands as a fact established by documents, testimony, physical evidence, and the recorded words of the perpetrators themselves. The suffering of six million Jews and the millions of others murdered by the Nazis happened; denial of it is a denial of the facts and a weakening of our moral defense.

A Wider Historical View

A more academic look at the Holocaust shows it was not chaos, and not an accident. It was the logical outcome of a worldview that rejected the equal worth of persons. Nazi ideology combined racial pseudoscience, biological determinism, and a totalitarian view of the state. It reduced human beings to categories meant to serve or to be removed. Jews were placed at the center of this system as the supposed existential enemy. This was not speculation. It was written in laws, speeches, and orders that defined Jews as a biological threat requiring elimination.

The genocide of the Jews was unique in its intent and scope. A government devoted its administrative machinery, diplomatic strategy, rail system, medical facilities, research institutions, and military cooperation to the aim of destroying an entire people. Recognizing this distinct horror is not a denial of the suffering of others. It is an acknowledgment of what the historical record confirms.

At the same time, a full academic account must note that the Nazi project attacked many groups. Millions of Poles, Romani people, disabled children and adults, LGBTQ individuals, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents, and religious figures suffered under the regime. For example, disabled children were killed in hospitals in the so-called euthanasia programme long before the death camps reached full operation. These facts reveal a larger pattern: when a society abandons the belief that every life carries intrinsic worth, it invites catastrophe.

Theological Ground for Catholic Rejection of Antisemitism

Catholic theology leaves no space for antisemitism. The Church teaches that the Jewish people remain part of God’s ongoing plan. Even with the New Covenant, the original covenant is not erased from salvation history. The coming of Christ fulfills the promises of God, but fulfillment is not the same thing as abolition. Respect for Jews does not require theological relativism; it requires honesty about our own beliefs and fidelity to the moral law.

The doctrine that every human being is created in the image of God (imago Dei) is not a metaphor. It is the foundation for our entire moral structure. The image of God is not altered by ethnicity, nationality, or religion. It is not canceled by disagreement, and it does not weaken when a government falls or when political movements rise. To deny the dignity of the Jewish people is to deny the doctrine of imago Dei.

Why I’m Saying This Now

We are living in a moment when antisemitism and Holocaust-denial are not relics of the past but live issues—increasing in many places, notably online and within far-right/alt-right spaces. I believe this deserves urgent attention.

• A 2024-2025 report tracked a global rise in antisemitic incidents. In July 2025, the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) documented 554 antisemitic incidents worldwide during that month—an increase of 21.2 % over July 2024 (457). Combat Antisemitism Movement

• According to the United Nations Department for Global Communications, social media remains a major vector for Holocaust-denial and distortion. United Nations

• A January 2024 report titled “The Fragility of Freedom: Online Holocaust Denial and Distortion” found that antisemitism rose across mainstream and fringe social media platforms, and especially flagged far-right extremism as a driver. ISD

• Another study found that fringe “alt-right” communities such as those on forums like Stormfront and similar websites played a major role in propagating antisemitic memes and Holocaust denial, which then spread into wider social media. arXiv+2Amadeu Antonio Stiftung+2

• A wide-scale study found that election-period and major geopolitical events (like the war in Gaza or October 7, 2023 attacks) correlate with surges in online hate, antisemitism and extremist content. arXiv+2Fighting Online Antisemitism+2

• A report noted that the rise in antisemitism is particularly recorded within far-right and alt-right networks, which increasingly use Holocaust denial and distortion as tools of propaganda. For instance, alt-right discussion forums promote conspiracy theories about “the Jewish question” and denial of Nazi genocide. Wikipedia+1

I want to state plainly: I am right-wing on most subjects. I believe in America First, I support Donald Trump’s vision of national strength, and I am deeply concerned about immigration, culture, national identity, and security. I believe we should defend our borders and our values. But I am appalled by antisemitism and Holocaust denial—even when it comes from corners that one might assume politically aligned with me. To tolerate or ignore these atrocities because they come from one’s political side is to surrender our moral integrity.

A Personal Clarification in a Confused Age

In today’s debates, the accusation of antisemitism is often used too broadly or too narrowly. So I want to make my position clear:

• It is not antisemitic to criticize the Israeli government.

• It is not antisemitic to question or reject Zionism.

• It is not antisemitic to believe, as Catholics do, that the New Covenant in Christ is the final revelation and that Judaism, like all religions outside the Gospel, remains incomplete.

These are theological positions held by many Christians over centuries. But none of these positions justifies disrespect or hostility toward Jews. Jews have the right to practice their faith. They have the right to safety. They have the right to live without harassment or intimidation. Religious freedom is not a conditional privilege—it is a moral duty owed to all people.

The line is crossed when criticism becomes prejudice. When Jewish identity is treated as collective guilt. When political anger merges with old hostility. When theological claims are twisted into accusations. Catholics must reject these moves without hesitation—they contradict both reason and revelation.

The Moral Weight of Memory

Holocaust denial is not a misguided opinion. It is a serious moral offense. It rejects the testimony of survivors, the records of governments, the findings of courts, and the evidence left behind by the perpetrators themselves. More importantly, it violates the moral duty to remember the dead. Christian faith does not allow us to forget suffering or to trivialize evil. The command to bear witness is part of our identity.

For Catholics, the Holocaust is not only a historical event. It is a sign of what happens when a society abandons truth and dignity. The Nazis built a world that rewarded cruelty, punished conscience, and replaced moral law with racial ideology. If Catholics fail to confront antisemitism today, we show that we have not learned the lessons that history was meant to teach.

Conclusion: The Duty to Speak and the Duty to Remember

To oppose antisemitism is not optional. It is part of Catholic fidelity to the Gospel. To acknowledge the full scope of the Holocaust is not negotiable. It is part of our commitment to truth. And to defend the dignity of Jews and all who suffered under Nazism is not a political posture. It is a theological mandate.

A Catholic who remembers rightly will resist hatred, confront denial, protect the vulnerable, and insist on the truth even when it is uncomfortable. Memory shapes conscience. Conscience shapes witness. And witness shapes the moral world we leave behind.

End Notes

1. See the documentation of the Nazi State’s administrative role in genocide, including transport records, Wannsee Conference minutes, and Reich Security Office files.

2. See United States Holocaust Memorial Museum research on Nazi persecution of non-Jewish groups.

3. CCC 121–123 on the unity of the Old and New Covenants.

4. Genesis 1:27 and Catechism 1700 on human dignity.

5. ARC report on 554 incidents in July 2025, a 21.2% increase over 2024.

6. UN Department of Global Communications on social media’s role in Holocaust denial.

7. The Fragility of Freedom, ISD Global, January 2024.

8. Studies of alt-right propaganda networks demonstrating widespread Holocaust denial.

9. Peer-reviewed research linking major political events with spikes in extremist content.

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Appendix: Full Sources with Hyperlinks

1. Global antisemitism data (21.2% rise, July 2025):
   https://combatantisemitism.org/studies-reports/escalation-unchecked-antisemitism-up-21-2-globally-in-july-2025

2. UN report: social media feeding Holocaust denial and distortion:
   https://www.un.org/en/outreach-programme-holocaust/social-media-feeds-holocaust-denial-and-distortion-finds-un-report

3. “The Fragility of Freedom: Online Holocaust Denial and Distortion” (ISD Global, 2024):
   https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/the-fragility-of-freedom-online-holocaust-denial-and-distortion

4. Alt-right spread of antisemitism and Holocaust denial (peer-reviewed research):
   https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.01644

5. Spikes in extremism linked to geopolitical events and elections:
   https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.00459

6. Documentation of alt-right communities spreading denial (example: The Right Stuff):
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_Stuff_(blog)