Program in Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
Introduction
This digital project is part of a Jewish Studies Capstone Project in the Program in Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. The project explores how Holocaust denial is used by American right-wing extremist groups in their ideology and rhetoric. The documents used for this project are held by the Harry W. Mazal Holocaust Collection at the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries. Harry Mazal was the son of Sephardic Jews who raised their children Protestant to protect them from antisemitism. Mazal accrued these materials so that by knowing how white supremacist groups were operating, he could better combat their rhetoric and beliefs.
The paradox raised by this project is that acquiring this knowledge by examining these documents (and spreading awareness of the dangers of this ideology) inherently raises the profile and reach of extremist ideologies, which is precisely the opposite of what we would want to occur. What is the appropriate balance? Researching extremism and communicating its dangers to the public is necessary work, but also serves to spread their message. This project does not offer an answer to this important question, but rather believes in the importance of researching extremism so as to gain insight into these ideologies. As Deborah Lipstadt notes, some Holocaust denial groups “attempt to portray themselves as legitimate historians engaged in the traditional practice of illuminating the past” (Denying the Holocaust, New York: Plume, 1994). By dissecting their claims with scholarship, their arguments can be dismantled. The belief that scholarship is a means to combat these views requires hope—hope that reason will prevail, that understanding, respect and human dignity will prevail. This belief requires assuming that the benefit of educating people on these issues will outweigh the publicity given to these views.
Measures have been taken to ensure that this website does as little as possible to amplify these views. URLs in documents have been redacted, and image descriptions that appear in search engines simply read "image" rather than describing the content or origin of the documents.
All the documents in this project were created by American and Canadian right-wing extremist groups between approximately 1985 and 2005. Holocaust denial in North America began immediately after World War II, and during this time period, proliferated with the rise of the internet. While these ideologies cross borders, this project only focuses on North American-based extremist organizations. Their linkages across the US-Canadian border are strong, as seen by the document below.
Exploring different forms of hate
The ideologies presented in these documents are all very similar, and all work on the basis of exclusion. In some way or another, all these documents indicate who these groups believe to be ‘true Americans or Canadians’ and who are ‘outsiders.’ As you explore the following documents, consider which categories of people are classified as ‘real Americans or Canadians’ or ‘outsiders.’ Click on each image to view information about it and to view a larger image. Then, you may click in the upper left to expand the image further. The arrows on the sides allow you to navigate between the images in the section.
This selection of documents shows us that a wide variety of different demographics are seen as ‘outsiders’ in North American extremist ideologies. These groups of people include Jewish people and other religious minorities, women (and more specifically, women who are perceived to hold feminist views), immigrants, Black Americans or Canadians, gays and lesbians, and intellectual, economic and political elites.
What is the purpose of targeting these groups? These extremist ideologies exclude certain groups of people to defend what they see as the ‘true culture.’ What threats do extremists think the ‘outside’ groups of people pose to the ‘true culture' and its adherents? In addition to the four documents above, the following documents should help us explore these perceived threats.
As you’ve seen, the extremist groups identify multiple threats to what they see as the ‘real America or Canada.’ These threats can be categorized as economic, political, and social threats. The main economic threat seen in the documents is globalization. These documents were created at a time when the global economy was becoming more interconnected. Deindustrialization and increased free trade are blamed on some of the excluded groups we explored above. Political elites are seen as causing globalization, in concert with Jews. Political elites and the political system are viewed as corrupt and beholden to ‘outside’ interests. The extremists are particularly fixated on the idea that Jews and Israelis control foreign policy.
The extremist groups also focus on social threats, of which they identify many. Protestant Christianity is viewed as being undermined by religious minorities and secular values. Women and gays are identified as challenging these traditional mores. Racism is seen in many of these documents. Extremist ideologies believe immigrants will outnumber the ‘real American or Canadian culture’ and together with other groups like Jews, gays, and feminists will force their progressive values on the ‘real America or Canada.’
Exploring Holocaust Denial
Apart from explaining the dangerous threats posed by ‘outside’ categories of people to their ‘real America,’ these extremist groups frequently return to one theme: a belief that the Holocaust did not occur whatsoever, or a belief that the Holocaust has been exaggerated and the actual event was much smaller in scale. These beliefs are called Holocaust denial, as they are denying the existence of the Holocaust or denying its magnitude. Let’s explore documents from the extremist groups to analyze what forms Holocaust denial takes.
These documents show a spectrum of Holocaust denial, from claims of total fabrication to claims that the Jews who died during the Holocaust instead died in ghettos or the deportation process, or of natural illnesses in concentration camps. Regardless of the extent to which the Holocaust is denied, all Holocaust denial seeks to delegitimize the concept of the Holocaust and its memory. We also see in these documents that denial is often presented with an academic façade. This strategy seeks to cast Holocaust denial as a legitimate historical perspective (which it is not) and provide more legitimacy to a belief that has none. These documents also show how extremist groups attempt to argue that they are being persecuted even though they are protected by freedom of speech. This claim does not hold because Holocaust denial is factually incorrect. Now, let’s turn to see how these groups use Holocaust denial to support their ideologies. As you read the following documents, consider how Holocaust denial relates to antisemitic tropes like Jewish control of the world and Jewish greed.
When examining these documents, we also see that extremist groups employ Holocaust denial as evidence for certain arguments their ideology makes. While Holocaust denial in and of itself is a form of antisemitism, the way Holocaust denial is used taps into long standing antisemitic tropes like Jewish greed or Jewish control of Hollywood and the media. Often, these extremists explain that because the Holocaust did not occur, the fact that everyone believes it occurred demonstrates the extent to which Jews control the US government and US culture. In this way, Holocaust denial combines new and old elements of antisemitism.
Conclusion
Throughout this project, very hateful documents have been presented. While it is difficult to engage with these materials, it is also critically important that we do so. Understanding the internal logic of the extremist groups allows us to tease out reasons why one would be attracted to these ideologies. Currently, our country faces rising levels of domestic terrorism and white supremacism. These documents have shown us that these ideologies offer solace to people who feel as if the economy that used to work for them or worked for their parents is gone, and/or feel that their values and way of life are threatened by their fellow citizens. These groups offer the ease of an all-encompassing worldview that explains all complex problems in simple terms. They offer camaraderie and belonging. These groups are aware that the cultural, social, political, and economic fabric of this country includes and relies upon many individuals who are not ‘true Americans’ per their definition. While we certainly must acknowledge the many historic and contemporary barriers to many peoples’ full participation in civic, economic and social life, we should also take solace in the fact that so much progress has been made so as to defeat these groups’ efforts to separate our nations’ institutions from the people who they view as inferior.
Only through understanding these groups’ grievances and thought patterns can we help to counter this hateful rhetoric. Study of these documents can be undertaken without giving these views legitimacy, but through scholarship, we can and should give legitimacy to the belief that these views can be countered, that hearts and minds can be changed, and that we all can—and must—do our part to help realize a nation that more closely resembles its possibility and promise.
This project is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.