Sunday marked the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) took the opportunity to condemn the rise of “anti-Semitic” ideology in America.
“Today we remember the murder of 17 million people, including 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazis,” Omar wrote. “With the rise of anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi ideology, it’s more important than ever we learn from the atrocities of the past and commit to fighting intolerance.”
Today #WeRemember the murder of 17 million people, including 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazis.
With the rise of Anti-Semitic and Neo-Nazi ideology, it's more important than ever we learn from the atrocities of the past & commit to fighting intolerance. #HolocaustMemorial https://t.co/8jpJ8olBaD
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 27, 2019
Omar, of course, has been repeatedly accused of anti-Semitism, most notably for her tweet in which she claimed that Israel has “hypnotized the world,” but also for her support of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, and her ties to anti-Semite Linda Sarsour.
As Daily Wire senior editor Emily Zanotti pointed out, Omar’s Sunday tweet was actually a “really clever minimization of Jewish suffering in the Holocaust.”
“10 million died in the Holocaust. Between 6 and 7 million of those were Jews, perhaps more,” Zanotti continued. “Not 10 million plus 6 million Jews. Jews made up the vast majority of those killed by the Final Solution.”
This is a really clever minimization of Jewish suffering in the Holocaust. 10 million died in the Holocaust. Between 6 and 7 million of those were Jews, perhaps more. Not 10 million plus 6 million Jews. Jews made up the vast majority of those killed by the Final Solution. https://t.co/N5xgIDABfB
— Emily Zanotti 🦝 (@emzanotti) January 27, 2019
Zanotti explains that Omar’s 17 million figure refers to total civilian deaths caused by the Nazis, rather than the figures for the Holocaust, which “refers specifically to those killed pursuant to the Final Solution.”
I think she's thinking of the total civilian deaths at the hands of the Nazis? Wikipedia also confuses "The Holocaust," which refers specifically to those killed pursuant to the Final Solution, with the Nazi mass murders, which included prisoners of war and state enemies.
— Emily Zanotti 🦝 (@emzanotti) January 27, 2019
Ben Shapiro discussed Omar’s comments in a Sunday column in which he claims that “she’s happy to use the Holocaust as a club against supposed right-wing extremism, even as she promotes anti-Semitic terrorists.”
“Omar is a BDS supporter who has also expressed bewilderment that Jews might be upset at her past tweets about Israel ‘hypnotizing’ the world,” Shapiro adds. “Watering down the Holocaust so that it can be applied as a gloss on every favored cause of the day is the ultimate insult to Jews. Jews should reject such cynical manipulation from the very people who would gladly engage in atrocities against innocents if given the chance to do so.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
