Reflecting on my time as a tour guide at the burnt vehicles compound, where remnants of cars destroyed on October 7th stand as stark reminders of recent horrors, I witnessed firsthand how the truth is often obscured by lies. Recently, while reviewing a list of scheduled groups, I noticed one titled “Denial of Nova.” My stomach turned. Were they coming to listen or to argue? Would I encounter open minds or hostility? Ultimately, they did not arrive — after an earlier meeting with a survivor, where they allegedly accused him of lying, their visit was canceled. This experience reminded me of how crucial it is to stand up for the truth, especially in an era when lies can be accepted with alarming ease.

We live in a challenging age for truth. As Holocaust educators, we face a mission that extends beyond conveying historical facts — we are engaged in a struggle against a postmodern relativism that argues that “truth” is flexible. Recently, I met a Jewish woman at a protest where I spoke in Vancouver. She perceived the slogan “From the river to the sea” as their “story,” revealing a troubling shift — lies, when unchecked, can become legitimate as “alternative truths.”

This protest was part of a broader journey I’m undertaking with my family, “Agents of Hope,” where we are traveling independently for a year throughout North and Central America, engaging with Jewish and Christian communities. Everywhere I go, I bring the story of October 7th through the lens of a Holocaust educator, sharing the urgency of combating misinformation and fostering a true understanding of tragedies, both past and present.

This is what makes the position of institutions like the Lemkin Institute — named after Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide” — so troubling. The institute condemned Israel for supposedly committing “genocide in Gaza,” a statement that betrays Lemkin’s legacy. Lemkin, a Jewish scholar who lost his family in the Holocaust, created the term to highlight the genocide inflicted upon Jews and others by Nazi Germany.

Yet today, this term is distorted to support narratives that overlook the clear intentions of Hamas towards the Jewish people — a group that has repeatedly expressed its desire to annihilate the Jewish population. October 7th was a clear manifestation of this chilling intent, and the indoctrination of Palestinian children toward these goals is a fact, not just a perspective. When institutions designed to preserve and teach the truth about genocide distort it, they endorse and validate lies that put lives at risk, and they undermine moral clarity.

In the context of Holocaust education, I often encounter educators who believe Holocaust centers should serve as bridges between cultures. While the intent may be noble, I have heard arguments suggesting that they avoid discussing Israel to foster these connections. However, I challenge this notion. In a world where genocide centers teach about “the genocide in Gaza,” perhaps it is better for them not to invoke the memory of the Holocaust at all. Holocaust education is primarily about preventing harm to Jews — and, by extension, Israelis — while combating antisemitism.

Today, one cannot separate antisemitism from the war in Israel — the connection is all too evident, especially as protests against Israel reach the doors of Holocaust centers. This troubling reality reinforces my commitment at the Network for Innovative Holocaust Education (NIHE), where I have integrated a monthly focus on contemporary antisemitism into our programming. Holocaust educators today need the courage and support to address current issues and express their messages in the most authentic way. If we shy away from discussing the connection between antisemitism and the attacks on Israel, we jeopardize the opportunity for a distorted use of history to become the dominant narrative.

A friend of mine, the father of a young man who sacrificed his life to save others at the Nova festival, regularly visits the burnt vehicles compound with a message that, unfortunately, sounds like a cliché but is profoundly strong — he calls for unity. He urges people to talk to one another, even if they disagree on political matters. This call resonates with a lesson I learned from the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks — morality is the “we” in “I,” the vital thread that connects us all. Without it, truth loses its foundation, and we risk being isolated, adrift without a shared moral compass.

Silence is not an option. This work has shown me time and again that speaking the truth is not just about sharing facts — it is about anchoring ourselves to a shared morality, insisting that facts matter, and pushing back against a tide that says otherwise. Lies hold power, yes, but so does standing firm in the truth. Holocaust education is not merely a recounting of history; it is a call to moral action, a rejection of the insidious effects of lies, and a continuous struggle for a world where truth is a thing we can believe in.

Adi Rabinowitz Bedein, is a Holocaust educator from Israel, Yad Vashem tour guide, and founding director of the Network for Innovative Holocaust Education (NIHE).

The Biden administration is putting maximum pressure on Israel, threatening to suspend military aid if Israel does not fully implement its demands before November 13, Axios reported.

Biden has thus far avoided suspending military aid, but the move is “gaining more support inside the State Department,” the site reported, quoting a US official.

The threat follows an October 13 letter sent by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to their Israeli counterparts, warning that if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not significantly improve within 30 days, it would affect the weapons the US supplies to Israel.

Over half of all humanitarian aid to enter Gaza is taken over by the Hamas terror group, and used to fund its continued terror operations. According to officials, the increased humanitarian aid taken over to Hamas is significantly extending the war in Gaza.

In a Thursday press conference with Austin, Blinken said, “Both of us and our teams are tracking very carefully Israel’s responsibilities to meet the letter of the law … with regard to the provision of humanitarian assistance.” They emphasized that although Israel has made progress, more needs to be done.

Meanwhile, Israeli and US officials said that Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has been tasked with drafting the response to the letter from Blinken and Austin, but that the letter is expected to be finalized and sent only after the US elections next week. Its contents are likely to be influenced by the results of the elections.

On Friday, the State Department stated: “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. The Secretary and Minister discussed necessary steps for regional de-escalation. The Secretary emphasized the importance of ending the war in Gaza and bringing all of the hostages home, as well as charting a path forward in the post-conflict period that provides governance, security, and reconstruction. He discussed the dire status of humanitarian conditions in Gaza, reviewed steps that have been taken to improve the situation, and urged further actions to surge aid to civilians. The Secretary and Minister discussed ongoing efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return safely to their homes. The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and Iran-backed proxy groups.”

Among the US demands is that 350 aid trucks enter Gaza each day by November 13.

Already in September, Channel 12 News – a left-wing media outlet – reported that Hamas has profited by at least a half billion dollars from humanitarian aid entering Gaza. The terror group takes control over the aid, hides it in warehouses, and later sells it to the Gazan population, earning a lot of money from it, which is then invested in recruiting new terrorists and paying salaries to existing terrorists.

The channel’s Almog Boker noted that approximately 200 aid trucks already enter Gaza each day, something which has “actually become the main oxygen pipeline for the terrorist organization.”

Now, when humanity began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, the princes and judges saw how pretty the girls were, and they took themselves wives from whomever they chose. [Genesis 6:1-2]

The story of any man is rooted in his father. If his father was just and honest then chances are his child will act the same way. The junior has seen the value of following G-d’s ways and will respond accordingly. And, of course, the opposite is true: A man who has seen cruelty and lies in his home will see this both as normal and necessary.

It was late at night. I was walking home from one engagement or another, weighed down by the war, the losses abounding around us, the daily grind. I was reading the news on the phone as I walked, but something made me look up, and there was Rabbi Avi — my neighbor and one of the pillars of my community, a man who led us in prayer, learning, music, and volunteer work countless times.