My letter in The New York Times about antisemitism and the Holocaust

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in The New York Times, about antisemitism, the Holocaust and the danger of downplaying Germany’s Nazi past:

January 30, 2025

To the Editor:

Re “On Auschwitz Anniversary, ‘Great Sorrow’ for Rising Nationalism” (front page, Jan. 28) and “Musk Urges End to Guilt for Nazi Past of Germany” (news article, Jan. 28):

As we mark 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and remember the unspeakable horrors that were perpetrated there against Jews, it is disconcerting that this significant and solemn anniversary is marred by a tsunami of antisemitism both in Germany and throughout the world.

When Holocaust survivors, who endured barbarism and torture, feel compelled to stand up eight decades later to sound the alarm of bigotry and rising Jew hatred, it is a stark reminder of the challenges we still face on a global scale. Efforts to normalize and legitimize the propagation of antisemitism are repugnant and have no place in a civilized society.

No one should be rolling out the red carpet for extremism, xenophobia and hate-mongering. And attempts to minimize or move past the Nazis’ crimes against humanity are an affront to all of us. We cannot and should not wipe away the memory of the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust, nor should we turn a blind eye to the tidal wave of antisemitism that is sweeping across the globe.

N. Aaron Troodler
Bala Cynwyd, Pa.