Speaker tackles Holocaust denial

If Holocaust deniers are to be believed, gas chambers did not exist, The Diary of Anne Frank is a work of fiction and the Holocaust did not happen. But, in a speech last night at the Christian Association, Deborah Lipstadt, a professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, tried to expose the fictions perpetrated by Holocaust deniers. Lipstadt, who served as a consultant for the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., recently wrote a highly acclaimed book entitled Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory. A main objective of Holocaust deniers is "to create the illusion that there are two sides to this issue," Lipstadt said. "I won't give these people the credibility of sitting with them in discussion," she added, saying that she refuses to participate in any television program or public debate which includes the so-called "revisionists." Lipstadt said she does not use the term "revisionists" to describe Holocaust deniers because it is a common, legitimate term used to describe certain historical schools of thought. Reputed Neo-Nazis, white supremacists and racists are all among the ranks of the deniers who say the Holocaust never happened and six million Jews were not systematically exterminated, Lipstadt added. Although she said she will not debate the deniers, Lipstadt did say that refutation is sometimes needed through questions, such as why some Nazi war criminals admitted to the accusations even though they knew they would be given the death penalty and "where did the people go?" She also emphasized the importance of education. "Expose what they are and go and learn what it's all about," she said. "The real answer is not to debate, but to educate." Lipstadt focused on the Institute for Historical Review, a organization promoting Holocaust denial, and ads which it sends to college newspapers for publication. The newspapers which accept the ad, Lipstadt said, have "confused First Amendment thinking and confused thinking between truth and fiction." "It's utter garbage, [but] students have fallen for it," she added. Lipstadt read a passage from the IHR's most recent ad which discussed the U.S. Holocaust Museum, and Lipstadt herself, as perpetrators of the "hoax." Lipstadt said the movement is not extremely "widespread," but added that "Holocaust denial may become more common in the future because?there is something about Holocaust denial that appeals to the decency in all of us. We don't want to believe that it happened, but it did." A question and answer period followed Lipstadt's lecture and several students asked about how they can respond to those who deny the Holocaust's existence. "You're not going to convince the real deniers," Lipstadt said in response. "But you can expose them." After the meeting, students said they were moved and inspired by Lipstadt. "She has given me ammunition to discount [the deniers] entirely," College junior Adam Schaffer said. A reception was held after the speech in the Hillel building, where students were able to talk with Lipstadt on a more personal basis.