On the eve of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) in Israel, we must renew our commitment to historical truth as the world grows dangerously comfortable with forgetting. 

We are commemorating this somber day amid levels of antisemitism unprecedented in the post-Holocaust era. New data from the Anti-Defamation League’s Global 100 survey, the most comprehensive global assessment of antisemitic attitudes ever conducted, reveals troubling layers of ignorance and trivialization surrounding the Holocaust — alongside an unsettling connection between misconceptions about this historical tragedy and today’s antisemitism. 

ADL’s Global 100 survey, encompassing responses from countries representing 94% of the global adult population, found that less than half of respondents — just 48% — acknowledge the historical reality of the Holocaust. Moreover, we found a clear connection between Holocaust awareness and antisemitism: People who accept the historical truth about the Holocaust are much less likely to harbor antisemitic beliefs. Only 31% of those who accurately recognize what happened during the Holocaust hold antisemitic views. 

In Europe, where the largest number of Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, awareness of this historical atrocity remains high, with 97% of European Union residents acknowledging the Shoah. At the same time, knowing about the Holocaust hasn’t stopped Europeans from denying or downplaying it — and those who do are far more likely to hold antisemitic beliefs. 

The numbers tell a disturbing story. For instance, while only 9% of EU residents and 4% of Britons believe the Holocaust has been exaggerated, a higher percentage of those respondents hold antisemitic views (59% and 65%, respectively) than among individuals who don’t think the Holocaust has been exaggerated. This pattern is especially evident in Poland, the country where the highest numbers of Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. There, among the 14% of respondents who indicated that they believe the Holocaust has been exaggerated, a staggering 76% express strong antisemitic attitudes. Compare that figure with the percentage of respondents who acknowledge the historical reality of the Holocaust and express strong antisemitic attitudes: 39%.

To put it simply, these numbers suggest that downplaying the Holocaust opens the door to wider antisemitism, even in the very countries where the genocide happened. 

At its bleakest, the survey finds that fewer than 1-in-10 individuals accept the well-documented realities of the Holocaust in places like Bangladesh (2%), Bahrain (8%), Indonesia (8%) and the West Bank and Gaza (9%). These are also countries and territories with alarmingly high levels of antisemitic beliefs. Over half the respondents from Bangladesh endorse hateful stereotypes against Jews, and that figure skyrockets to 95-97% in the other three countries.

Perhaps most striking is the difference between those who deny that the Holocaust happened versus those who downplay it. 

While around one-fifth of adults say they’ve never heard of the Holocaust, the survey results indicate that it is the 17% who minimize the genocide — not the 4% who outright deny it — who are more likely to hold antisemitic views. Trivializing the Holocaust isn’t just a matter of ignorance for these individuals; instead, it seems to come from a place of deliberate hatred. This minimization is common even in democratic countries like Chile (40%), global superpowers such as China (34%) and NATO member Türkiye (28%). Complete Holocaust denial remains deeply troubling too, notably in Qatar (29%). 

The numbers also reveal a glaring contradiction: While less than half of adults globally acknowledge the Holocaust happened as history records it, a majority (51%) still believe that Jews talk about it too much. According to ADL, this belief is one of the most predictive indicators of antisemitism, with a staggering 74% of individuals who strongly endorse this view showing high levels of antisemitic beliefs. 

Ironically, even in regions where most people know about the Holocaust — such as the European Union, where nearly 80% recognize the Holocaust’s historical reality — 18% still insist that Jews talk too much about their suffering. Of these respondents, 60% have significant antisemitic views, compared to just 26% among the broader EU population. 

These findings are not just numbers on a page or your screen. They are warnings. 

Fighting antisemitism means defending historical truth. As the Holocaust fades further into history and survivors die out, we must work harder to confront ignorance and trivialization, or we risk losing our moral compass entirely. This requires coordinated investment in education through updated school curricula, public awareness campaigns, digital literacy efforts and community programs that preserve memory and foster understanding.

Only by ensuring that the lessons of the past remain present can we hope to shape a future free of hate.

Ambassador Marina Rosenberg is the senior vice president for international affairs at the Anti-Defamation League.