One-third of Americans don't believe 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust

newsweek.com - One-third of Americans think “substantially less” than 6 billion Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, according to a new survey that highlights a worrying lack of basic knowledge about the World War II-era genocide.

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, or Claims Conference, released the findings of its survey to coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Day. They show a notable lack of understanding among Americans, especially millennials, the group said.

The Claims Conference said there are “critical gaps both in awareness of basic facts as well as detailed knowledge of the Holocaust” in American society, stressing that U.S. schools must provide more comprehensive education on the crimes.

The survey shows that 70 percent of Americans believe people care less about the Holocaust than they used to. A majority, 58 percent, said they believe something like the Holocaust could happen again.

Polish President signs controversial Holocaust bill into law

(CNN) Polish President Andrzej Duda signed Poland's controversial new Holocaust bill late Tuesday ahead of it being assessed by the country's Constitutional Tribunal.
The law would make it illegal to accuse the nation of complicity in crimes committed by Nazi Germany, including the Holocaust.

It would also ban the use of terms such as "Polish death camps" in relation to Auschwitz and other such camps located in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda announces he would sign the controversial Holocaust bill into law.

Violations will be punished by a fine or a jail sentence of up to three years.

Duda's spokesman, Krzysztof Lapinski, confirmed the bill had been signed.

The President's office says the majority of the legislation will take effect 14 days after it appears at the country's Journal of Laws -- which could happen as early as Wednesday. The rest of the legislation will come into force within three months.

The bill will also be reviewed by the country's Constitutional Tribunal to ensure it doesn't breach the Polish constitution.

The decision to sign the bill into law has already attracted criticism from the US, Israel and France.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the law "adversely affects freedom of speech and academic inquiry."

In a statement, he added: "The United States reaffirms that terms like 'Polish death camps' are painful and misleading. Such historical inaccuracies affect Poland, our strong ally, and must be combated in ways that protect fundamental freedoms. We believe that open debate, scholarship, and education are the best means of countering misleading speech."

On Tuesday, Duda told a news conference that he was aware of the "sensitivities" around this bill, including a "fear that it will not be possible to tell the truth -- that it will gag the survivors." ContinueReading

Poland wants jail time for reference to ‘Polish death camps'

(france24.com) - Poland's rightwing government on Tuesday said it would seek fines or jail terms of up to three years against anyone who refers to Nazi German death camps as Polish.

A legislative amendment to approve the proposal has to be approved by parliament and signed by the president, but a green light is expected from both.

"The new provisions penalise these insulting terms, which undermine Poland's reputation," a government statement said.

Poland was attacked and occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II, losing six million of its citizens, including three million Jews in the Holocaust.

Polish officials routinely request corrections when global media or politicians describe as "Polish" former death camps like Auschwitz set up by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland.

Even if used as a geographical indicator, Warsaw says the term can give the impression that Poland bore responsibility for the Holocaust, whereas it was one of the greatest victims of the slaughter.

"Poles' blood boils when they read, including in the German media, that there were 'Polish death camps', Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro told reporters on Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama used the term in 2012 and later expressed regret.

A Polish citizen sued the German newspaper Die Welt for referring in 2008 to the Majdanek concentration camp as "Polish", but a Warsaw court dismissed the case last year.

Under the new initiative, a "public attribution to Poland, in violation of the facts, of bearing joint responsibility" for Nazi Germany's crimes could result in jail time, as well as fines.