Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and the tension online is palpable. I have noticed a trend of any mention of it will inevitably bring up the subject of Gaza and what has been happening there since October 7th 2023. This has widely been described as a ‘Holocaust’ which has resulted in much pushback. I can understand how contentious it is and as an outsider all I can do is relate to it from my own experiences. As a Black person, I know all too well how irritating it can be to speak about the Transatlantic Slave Trade only to be met with, “But what about modern day slavery?”
I am also aware of how the phrase ‘as a Jew’ is met with scornful disdain by most of the Jewish community. I guess it’s like when someone hijacks a conversation about race and says, “I’m Black and I don’t mind…!”
Nonetheless I decided to speak to previous Zakaya Media contributor Kenneth Okafor to ask him his thoughts on the importance of the language used when discussing HMD.
ZM: So, as a non-European Jew (!) do you commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day?
KO: Of course. I spoke about Holocaust Memorial Day at the National Black Crown Prosecution Association this afternoon. I spoke on intersectionality with memory, culture, and identity as a Black and Jewish person, showing how I commemorate this day. This is based on intergenerational responsibility, taking responsibility, and recognising heritage to speak out against all forms of hate. Also, I explored other communities that suffered during the Holocaust and ensured people are well educated to read the experience.
ZM: Do you get offended when people use the word ‘Holocaust’ to describe any other event that isn’t The Shoah? Or do you think that’s a call that a European Jew should make as they were the principle victims?
I don’t experience offence, but I can explain why the word Holocaust is treated as uniquely sensitive. Although the term predates the twentieth century, in modern usage it has become closely and almost exclusively associated with The Shoah which is the systematic, state-organised, and industrialised genocide of European Jews. Because of this historical specificity, many Jews and historians regard “the Holocaust” as a proper noun rather than a general descriptor. Using it metaphorically or for other events is often seen as diluting that specificity, flattening moral distinctions between very different atrocities, or unintentionally echoing narratives that minimise Jewish suffering.
ZM: Do you get upset when they call what’s happening in Gaza a ‘Holocaust’ for instance?
I don’t get upset, but I can explain why that phrasing is widely contested. Calling what’s happening in Gaza a “Holocaust” is not neutral language: in contemporary usage, the Holocaust refers specifically to the Shoah, a historically distinct, state-engineered genocide with an explicit aim of total extermination. Not only used in Gaza, but also in countries that experienced genocide such as Armenia, Iraq, Namibia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Nigeria, etc which I discussed today.
Kenneth Okafor is a Jewish man of Nigerian descent. He works as an architect.