In recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was observed this past Saturday, HRI Director Antoinette Burton published on op-ed in the Chicago Tribune with a reminder that “the links between white supremacy and antisemitism have deep roots across the Midwest.”
She recalls an instance early in her career where she encountered college students who were Holocaust deniers. This occurrence led her to Eva Kor, a Holocaust survivor in Terra Haute, Indiana who dedicated her life to sharing her story. Kor created a museum that acknowledged the experiences of children who’d been subjected to Nazi lab experiments. It was bombed by a Timothy McVeigh copycat.
Burton concludes:
I’ve recounted this story to friends for decades to remind people that the Holocaust is not something “out there,” disconnected from the American heartland. And that the kinship between Holocaust denialism and white supremacy is as American as apple pie too.
As the world rages over and grieves for the death and destruction wrought by sectarian hatred, we must work to make the links between antisemitism, Islamophobia and white Christian nationalism better known.
You can read the full article here. Burton also contributed to the Tribune in October, in defense of the Humanities in higher education.