1:43
- ABC News
- May 1, 2019
What if you could Instagram the Holocaust?
An ambitious Israeli media project to raise Holocaust awareness is underway.
1:43
His daughter Maya, who partnered on the campaign, said she hoped it would, “illustrate the horrors of the Holocaust in a way that evokes identification and deep understanding.”
Kochavi has won praise for Eva.stories ahead of its Wednesday launch, the day Israel marks Holocaust Memorial Day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his support, saying \"exposes the immense tragedy of our people through the story of one girl.\"
But Kochavi’s efforts are also drawing anger and criticism. In a column for Israel’s popular daily, Haaretz, a musician called the fictitious Instagram account, “a display of bad taste,” and complained it was being promoted “crudely” and suggested it could lead to inappropriate “selfies” at the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Others charge it may dumb down or simplify the complexities of the Holocaust or offend survivors.
Israel’s National Holocaust Museum, Yad VaShem, said it was not taking sides in the debate over the project. But in a statement, the institution expressed support for the use of social media platforms to commemorate the Holocaust, calling doing so both \"legitimate and effective.\" The leading research institute on Holocaust education added that it uses social media channels, including Instagram, to reach the public, posting authentic Holocaust materials that are relevant and respectful to the topic.
Dr. Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann, a lecturer at the Hebrew University’s department of Communication and Journalism told ABC News that it’s too early to judge the Eva.stories project. On the one hand, he believes it already has achieved one success.
“It’s revived the discussion. It has a lot of people here in Israel and abroad talking about Holocaust education,” he said.
But he’s worried about whether the project will have a lasting impact.
“We need young people to be engaged in Holocaust education,\" he said. \"Will this project be a mere media-event, something for entertainment or will it provide us with a new educational tool that encourages interaction?”
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