‘6 million? Nah, 271k’: Holocaust denial comment found inside Halifax high school yearbook

Holocaust survivors walk below the gate of the former German Nazi death camp Auschwitz during ceremonies to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the camp's liberation in Oswiecim, Poland, on Jan. 27, 2020. The Criminal Code of Canada lists denying or downplaying the Holocaust as a crime. Photo by JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

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A Nova Scotia high school has asked students to return their new yearbooks after a Holocaust denial reference was found inside.

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“6 million? Nah, 271k” a screenshot of a West Bedford High School yearbook shared on Facebook reads, a reference that 271,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust and not the generally accepted figure of six million.

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Neli Shpoker, whose son attends the high school, told the National Post, “It is painful to see, but unfortunately not surprising.”

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Shpoker’s maternal grandparents were survivors, and she said that Holocaust education is woefully neglected in the curriculum. “As a result, they may not fully understand the history or the significance behind harmful quotes they encounter online.”

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The Criminal Code of Canada lists denying or downplaying the Holocaust as a crime. Last October, a North Bay, Ont., man was sentenced to a nine-month jail term and two years’ probation in what the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center called “the first-ever conviction in a Canadian court for Holocaust denial.”

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Shpoker applauded West Bedford’s administrators for acting decisively and promptly issuing a recall after the quote was reported.

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The school confirmed receipt of the Post’s request for comment but did not respond in time for publication.

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The CBC reported that the school principal apologized to parents in an email and asked students to return the yearbooks so they can be reprinted without the “antisemitic and polarizing content.”

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Shpoker said school administrators and provincial leaders can take stronger steps by making Holocaust education mandatory.

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“While Holocaust denial is a criminal offence, prevention through education is just as important,” she said.

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The Atlantic Jewish Council (AJC) agreed that there is a lack of Holocaust education in the province.

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“We are trying very hard to bring it to the attention of some people in the different offices. It is hard after October 7, and it gets harder every day to bring it to their attention, so far with no success. This is a critical gap that needs urgent attention,” the AJC told the Post.

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“Someone clearly did not do their job, and if they think they did, then we have a responsibility to address this failure and protect our students.”

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The yearbook quote generated mixed reactions among members of the Halifax Share Anything group on Facebook, with some suggesting it was innocuous and others saying it did not clearly amount to Holocaust denial.

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“Am I missing something, where did they deny the holocaust?” one wrote. “I see them claiming a different number, not that it didn’t happen.”

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“I would have not known without your context that this was holocaust denial,” another wrote. “I hope that it slipped through because the yearbook committee and staff involved also didn’t get the reference. I would be contacting the school’s admin right away.”