The Holocaust Won’t Repeat While Israel Exists

Israel’s existence ensures the safety of Jews worldwide, offering a powerful defense against rising antisemitism and violence, preventing history from repeating itself.

In the past year, hate crimes and violent protests against Jews and Israel have surged. This week, Jewish soccer fans in Amsterdam encountered attacks by a mob simply because of their faith. On U.S. college campuses, violent protests targeting the Jewish state have become disturbingly common, with some even blocking Jewish students from attending classes, creating a hostile and unsafe environment.

Many are comparing these recent incidents to events leading up to the Holocaust. While there are troubling similarities, one fundamental difference offers reassurance: the state of Israel exists. Israel provides a haven and a powerful advocate for Jews worldwide, preventing a repeat of the Holocaust.

During the Holocaust, the Grand Mufti of Palestine traveled to Germany to express gratitude to Hitler for his efforts to exterminate the Jewish people. Meanwhile, in the British Mandate of Palestine, where many Jews had made Aliyah (immigrated to their ancestral homeland), violence against Jews by Palestinian groups was rampant.

Despite the land being largely barren and economically undeveloped, Palestinian hostility toward Jewish settlers was severe. Jews faced frequent rock-throwing attacks when walking to synagogues and significant terrorist violence in the region.

In Europe, Jews were rounded up and sent to death camps; millions were murdered in gas chambers or through forced labor. Before this, Jews in Europe had already faced extensive persecution, social isolation, and violence.

Kristallnacht’s (The Night of Broken Glass) events marked a significant escalation on November 9, 1938. Nazi-led mobs destroyed Jewish businesses, and 91 Jews were beaten and killed. This night became a harbinger of the horrific violence to come in the Holocaust.

The international response to Kristallnacht was minimal. Even U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, though sympathetic, failed to increase the number of Jewish refugees allowed into the country afterward, leaving many without refuge.

Today, we are witnessing unsettling echoes of past antisemitism. In Amsterdam this week, violent antisemitic protests erupted. Jewish fans at a football match were chased by mobs simply for being Jewish, with hateful signs reading “Cancer Jews” held high by Neo-Nazi protesters.

“We are seeing a pogrom against Jews and Israelis unfold in Amsterdam,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said on Fox News. “This must stop. ‘Globalize the intifada’ was not just a slogan for these terrorist supporters. I urge the Dutch government to help all Israelis and Jewish people immediately. It’s time to respond with force against these barbaric rioters.”

The global Jewish community is rightfully concerned about the situation in Amsterdam. The parallels to the Holocaust are troubling. In the 1930s, the land of Israel was anything but a haven for Jews. Even the British government treated the Jews in that region awfully. But today, Israel is not controlled by the British.

Israel stands as one of the most influential and powerful nations globally. Economically, it is known as the “start-up nation,” with the highest number of start-up businesses per capita. Business development in Israel has driven tremendous economic growth in its short, modern history of 76 years. Israel has pioneered significant technologies, including Microsoft Windows, Intel computer chips, and the cellular telephone. Israel’s innovations are crucial in advancing U.S. technological industries and strengthening its military capabilities.

Israel’s intelligence services are among the most advanced in the world. Last month, the elite Mossad unit and the IDF launched a precise pager attack on Hezbollah, crippling their communications systems with minimal civilian casualties—a model for conflict that minimizes harm to innocents. Israel leads in counterterrorism and strategic operations, bolstering its security and international stability.

Unlike any other nation, Israel has assumed responsibility for the protection of all Jews globally. Israel’s Law of Return guarantees citizenship to anyone with a Jewish grandparent, ensuring that any Jew has a place of refuge. Just last week, during the horrific attacks in Amsterdam, Israel sent flights to bring at-risk Jews to safety. In 2021, Israel sent rescue teams to the U.S. following the Surfside condominium collapse in an attempt to locate any survivors. The Israeli squad recovered 83 of the 97 victims found alive.

In the years leading up to the Holocaust, Jews would have had a place to seek refuge had Israel existed. Before Israel’s establishment, Jews in Europe had nowhere to go; no nation would accept them in significant numbers. If the Zionist movement, led by Theodor Herzl, had succeeded earlier, it could have saved over six million Jewish lives.

While attacks on Jews and antisemitism remain a vile reality, the actual threat today is the bigotry directed at Israel. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a complete arms embargo against Israel to protect civilians in Lebanon and Gaza. However, Israel has done everything necessary to provide aid to Gaza, with over one million tons of assistance sent since the war began. The United Nations even concluded a report proving that no famine in Gaza exists.

“The international community and academics have criticized Israel for violating the laws of war,” Prominent lawyer and advocate for Israel Alan Dershowitz said in The Hill. “They are dangerously wrong, and Israel should not be deterred from similar actions based on the biases of those who misuse the law as a weapon against the embattled nation-state of the Jewish people.”

It is not only foreign leaders who are responsible for the bigotry aimed at Israel. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.S. Congress, nearly half of the Democratic Party members were absent in protest of Israel. The U.S. should be Israel’s most vocal ally. Having half of Congress absent from a speech by Israel’s Prime Minister, especially during wartime, is a disgrace.

With a new administration taking office in January, Israel will face less bigotry from the U.S. The Trump administration must continue building strong ties with Israel and foster more peace in the Middle East.

I urge every American, Jew, Zionist, or peace activist to call out any bigotry when it arises. We must not allow lies and hatred of Israel to spread. For Americans, the prosperity of our country is at risk. For Jews, the most significant safeguard against another Holocaust is at risk. And for Zionists, our core beliefs and values are at risk.