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Herbert Rubinstein was 5 years aged erstwhile he and his mother were taken from nan Jewish ghetto of Chernivtsi and put connected a cramped cattle wagon waiting to return them to their deaths. It was 1941, and Romanians collaborating pinch Germany's Nazis were rounding up tens of thousands of Jews from his hometown successful what is now southwestern Ukraine.
"It was thing but a occurrence that we survived," Rubinstein told The Associated Press during a caller question and reply astatine his flat successful nan occidental German metropolis of Duesseldorf.
The 88-year-old Holocaust subsister is participating successful a caller integer run called #CancelHate. It was launched Thursday by nan New York-based Conference connected Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, besides referred to arsenic nan Claims Conference.
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It features videos of survivors from astir nan globe reference Holocaust denial posts from different societal media platforms. Each station illustrates really denial and distortion tin not only rewrite history but perpetuate antisemitic tropes and dispersed hate.
"I could ne'er person imagined a time erstwhile Holocaust survivors would beryllium confronting specified a tremendous activity of Holocaust denial and distortion, but sadly, that time is here," said Greg Schneider, executive vice president of nan Claims Conference.
"We each saw what unchecked hatred led to — words of dislike and antisemitism led to deportations, state chambers and crematoria," Schneider added. "Those who publication these depraved posts are putting speech their ain discomfort and trauma to guarantee that existent and early generations understand that unchecked hatred has nary spot successful society."
Holocaust subsister Herbert Rubinstein speaks astatine his location successful Duesseldorf, Germany, connected April 25, 2024. Holocaust survivors from astir nan globe are participating successful a caller integer run called "#CancelHate" which features videos of them reference Holocaust denial posts from societal media platforms. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The Claims Conference’s caller integer run comes astatine a clip erstwhile antisemitic incidents, triggered by Hamas’ deadly onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7 and Israel’s ensuing subject run successful Gaza, person accrued from Europe to nan U.S. and beyond, to levels not seen successful decades, according to major Jewish organizations.
Hamas and different militants abducted astir 250 group successful nan onslaught and killed astir 1,200, mostly civilians. They are still believed to beryllium holding astir 100 hostages and nan remains of immoderate 30 others. The warfare has crushed connected pinch small extremity successful sight: Israel’s violative successful Gaza has killed complete 34,000 Palestinians, displaced astir 80% of nan organization and pushed hundreds of thousands of group to nan brink of famine.
The warfare has inflamed tensions astir nan world and triggered pro-Palestinian protests, including astatine assemblage campuses successful nan U.S. and elsewhere. Israel and its supporters person branded nan protests arsenic antisemitic, while critics of Israel opportunity it uses specified allegations to soundlessness opponents.
The motorboat of nan Claims Conference run besides comes days earlier Yom HaShoah — Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day — adjacent Monday.
In 1 of nan videos, Rubinstein sounds retired a dislike station — only to juxtapose it pinch his individual grounds astir his family’s suffering during nan Holocaust.
"'We person each been cheated, lied to, and exploited. The Holocaust did not hap nan measurement it is written successful our history books,'" he sounds and past says: "That is simply a lie. The Holocaust happened. Unfortunately, measurement excessively galore members of my family died successful nan Holocaust."
Rubinstein past continues to talk astir his ain persecution arsenic a Jewish kid during nan Holocaust.
While forced into nan ghetto of Cernisvtsi, his family managed to get forged Polish personality documents, which were nan only logic he and his mother were taken disconnected nan cattle train successful 1941.
They fled and hid successful respective eastbound European countries until nan warfare ended successful 1945. After that, they concisely went backmost to his hometown, only to find retired that his father, who had been forced into nan Soviet Red Army during nan war, had been killed. They moved connected to Amsterdam, wherever his mother joined again, and yet settled successful Duesseldorf.
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"I lived done the Holocaust. Six cardinal were murdered. Hate and Holocaust denial person returned to our nine today. I americium very, very sad astir this and I americium fighting it pinch each my might," Rubinstein says astatine nan extremity of nan video. "Words matter. Our words are our power. Cancel hate. Stop nan hate."
Even astatine his aged age, Rubinstein, who calls himself an optimist, says he will proceed fighting antisemitism each azygous day. And he has a message, particularly for nan young procreation of Jews.
"Don’t panic," Rubinstein says. "The bully will win. You conscionable person to do thing astir it."
