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Pictures of Jews killed in the Holocaust displayed in the Hall of Names at the Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem. (Reuters) Last update - 19:35 24/01/2008 Yad Vashem launches Arabic Web site to combat Holocaust denial By The Associated Press Tags: Holocaust, Arabic, Yad Vashem  The Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem on Thursday launched an Arabic version of its Web site, including vivid photos of Nazi atrocities and video of survivor testimony, to combat Holocaust denial in the Arab and Muslim world. Among those featured on the site is Dina Beitler, a survivor of the Nazi genocide that killed 6 million Jews in World War II. Beitler, who was shot and left for dead in a pit of bodies in 1941, recalls her story on the site, with Arabic subtitles. "Holocaust denial in various countries exists, and so it is important that people see us, the Holocaust survivors, that they'll listen to our testimonies, and learn the legacy of the Holocaust - also in Arabic," Beitler, 73, said at Yad Vashem on Thursday. Advertisement Last year, Yad Vashem presented a similar version of its Web site in Farsi, aimed at Iran, whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has called the Holocaust a myth and said Israel should be wiped off the map. He has also hosted a conference that questioned whether the Holocaust took place. On the Arab street, many are indeed hostile to Israel, but Ahmadinejad's comments stand out as much harsher than those of any mainstream Mideast leaders. A wide range of sentiments toward the Holocaust exists across the Arab world, from simple ignorance about its details to outright denial, to a more complicated belief - often expressed by many Arabs - that the Holocaust did indeed happen but does not justify what is viewed as Israeli persecution of Palestinians. Nazi literature is accessible in many Arab cities and some of the media engage in anti-Semitic incitement. However, even Iran last year permitted the broadcast of a television miniseries that told the tale of an Iranian diplomat in Paris who helped Jews escape the Holocaust - and viewers were riveted. "Still, Holocaust denial is quite common," said Edward Walker, a former ambassador to Israel and Egypt. "Students often write their Ph.D. theses denying the Holocaust," he said. "Children are taught by elders that the Holocaust was a hoax. It's widespread in big universities in Cairo, so that means it's probably as common in the small ones in the rest of the country as well." The problem also exists in Israel. Last March, a poll showed that 28 percent of Israel's Arab citizens did not believe the Holocaust happened, and that among high school and college graduates the figure was even higher - 33 percent. The poll, conducted by Sami Smooha, a prominent sociologist at the University of Haifa, surveyed 721 Arabs and had a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points. Raleb Majadele, Israel's lone Arab Cabinet minister, said the Yad Vashem site was imperative in battling that trend. The Internet is difficult to block with barriers of censorship and hate. "From now on, also Arabic speakers will be able to learn the truth about the Holocaust," he said. Speaking in Hebrew at the ceremony marking the site's launching, he called the Holocaust a horrific act against the Jewish people, but not just against the Jewish people. "It was against humanity, against all nations, against all religions." Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev said Arabic-language Holocaust education was long overdue. "Providing an easily accessible and comprehensive Web site about the Holocaust in Arabic is crucial," he said. "We want to offer an alternative source of information to moderates in these countries, to provide them with reliable information." The site also includes chapters about Albanian and Turkish Muslims who risked their lives to save Jews during World War II, a film that documents a recent joint visit of Jews and Arabs to the Auschwitz death camp and a 25-minute video address by Prince Hassan of Jordan. "All the children of Abraham feel a sense of enormous distress at the Holocaust, which afflicted one of the branches of our interlinked family," he said in Arabic. In 2007, Yad Vashem said nearly 7 million people, from more than 200 countries, visited its Web site. Some 56,000 of those came from Muslim countries, including 32,500 from Arabic-speaking countries. Yad Vashem said it hoped the new Arabic site would increase that number drastically and said it had discovered encouraging findings that indicated there was a large demand. On the Net: Yad Vashem: http://www.yadvashem.org Arabic site: http://www.yadvashem.org/arabic.htm?WT.mc-id=arabic-hp-eng241716 Related articles: Yad Vashem's Farsi-language Web site proves to be a big success Reformist Iranian opposition slams Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial Israel welcomes UN resolution condemning Holocaust denial Israeli Web sites post Nazi, Holocaust-denial materials More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Shimon goes green Peres says to fight terror Israel should reduce its dependence on oil. Voices of heroism IDF releases audio recordings from famed 1976 Entebbe raid.   1.   Good but misses the point for Palestinians 19:28  |  David 24/01/08   2.   #1 They never did 20:06  |  Gili 24/01/08   3.   Just plain good 20:27  |  Aaron Levitt 24/01/08   4.   better 50 years late than never 21:05  |  Ploni 24/01/08   5.   Teach the European first Gili and Davis 21:09  |  Faris 24/01/08   6.   This is to Ha`aretz Moderators 21:16  |  Faris 24/01/08   7.   Educating them is a hopeless case 21:28  |  Sam 24/01/08   8.   Arabs and holocaust denial 21:33  |  Colin Wright 24/01/08   9.   re #1 `They never did` 21:39  |  Colin Wright 24/01/08   10.   Hypocrisy 21:49  |  W 24/01/08   11.   Arabs wont be convinced 21:58  |  Horst W. 24/01/08   12.   Colin Wright 22:54  |  Khalid 24/01/08   13.   #2 - What about the Jewish Nation? 22:54  |  DoubleClick 24/01/08   14.   The holocaust and Israel 23:03  |  Simon 24/01/08   15.   doubleclick 23:07  |  Khalid 24/01/08   16.   Islam is a religion of Peace... 23:49  |  Avi 24/01/08   17.   Well said Gili 23:51  |  Avi 24/01/08   18.   Faris please re-read Gili again.. 23:58  |  Avi 24/01/08   19.   Collin repeats the Arab narrative when he says 00:03  |  Avi 25/01/08   20.   Thank you DoubleClick for confirming our rights to this land 00:04  |  Avi 25/01/08   21.   You will never understand 00:06  |  adam 25/01/08   22.   To Avi and Jewish Talmud 00:18  |  Allen Stein 25/01/08   23.   To Avi 00:24  |  Roy Roger 25/01/08   24.   #5,6 It is Arab greed for more land from nations that have none 00:44  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/01/08   25.   Holocaust denial 01:00  |  graczek 25/01/08   26.   stop killing Palestinian children if you want sympathy 01:18  |  PINAR HASAN 25/01/08   27.   #2 to Gili. Brain washing does not work on Arabs 01:32  |  Hipocrisy Monitor 25/01/08   28.   How About 01:42  |  JJ 25/01/08   29.   David, "that THEY have to pay for these German crimes"... 02:05  |  akiva (zionist) 25/01/08   30.   Gili, kol hakhavod! 02:08  |  akiva (zionist) 25/01/08   31.   hey, PINAR HASAN, we don`t want your `sympathy`!!! 02:16  |  akiva (zionist) 25/01/08   32.   Colin: You Write Like A Klansman 02:17  |  Tex 25/01/08   33.   Faris: The Reality of the World Must Be New to You 02:19  |  Tex 25/01/08   34.   Haaretz Turning Into A Cess Pool of Haters 02:22  |  Tex 25/01/08   35.   Much better to remove illegal settlements 03:39  |  Jens 25/01/08   36.   #18 keep killing Arab children as there are too many of them 04:12  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/01/08   37.   #20 In last 60 years Arabs have killed 5 million people genocides 04:23  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/01/08   38.   OK, I give in... 04:30  |  hollingsworth 25/01/08   39.   to #35 17:49  |  Me 25/01/08   40.   to # 36 17:50  |  WHO 25/01/08   41.   Hopeless 08:37  |  Gordon 06/05/08

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