Holocaust survivor urges Arizonans to fight hate and racism to avoid repeat atrocities

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PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — This is one of the worst stories in the history of the world, the attempted extermination of the Jewish people by Hitler and Nazi Germany during World War II. Over six million Jews were murdered, along with millions of other innocent victims.

Oskar Knoblauch is a Holocaust survivor. The 97-year-old has dedicated his life to educating people about what happened so it never happens again. The Holocaust didn’t start with bullets or the gas chamber, Knoblauch said. Unfortunately, it started with words, with lies that created hate, and hate is the root of the Holocaust. On Friday, Knoblauch addressed visitors to the Arizona Jewish Historical Society in Phoenix as part of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

An exhibit has been set up that guides guests through the history of the Holocaust and how it began and ended. It’s not just a Jewish thing, the Holocaust, anyone can be a victim of something like this, regardless of race, religion, gender or culture, said Dr Lawrence Bell, executive director of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society. The thing you have to understand is that something like the Holocaust, genocide, the mass murder of innocent people can happen anywhere.

Part of the Holocaust exhibit includes a virtual reality experience, where anyone can ask Knoblauch about his life and what he’s been through. The Holocaust survivor also speaks to the concerns of today, with the rise in hate crimes and an increase in lies and propaganda across the country.

Its mission is to get people to speak up when they see someone being bullied or harassed. If we do nothing, if we let it grow, anti-Semitism and hatred will grow where we can no longer control it, Knoblauch said. That’s how it happened with the Nazis.

The Holocaust exhibit is open to the public and will run through August. For more details, visit https://www.azjhs.org/.

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