Holocaust Museum LA retracts ‘Never Again’ post after backlash over Gaza parallels
The survivor-founded museum admitted its Instagram campaign was “misinterpreted” as political messaging and has vowed stricter oversight of future content
The Holocaust Museum Los Angeles (HMLA) has deleted a social media post and issued a formal retraction after criticism that its language diluted the Jewish meaning of the phrase “Never Again” and echoed political slogans linked to Gaza.
The Instagram post, published Saturday as part of a broader inclusivity campaign, featured a circle of linked hands in different skin tones – including one bearing a Holocaust tattoo – alongside the caption: “’ Never Again’ can’t only mean Never Again for Jews.”
Further slides expanded on the theme with statements such as: “Jews were raised to say, ‘Never Again.’ That means never again. For anyone,” and “Standing with humanity does not betray our people. It honours them.”
Within hours, the post drew sharp criticism from Jewish educators, creators, and nonprofits. Critics argued the message echoed language used by pro-Palestinian groups to compare Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to the Holocaust – particularly the slogan “Never Again is Now,” seen at international demonstrations. The post coincided with the 700th day since hostages from Israel have been held in Gaza following Hamas’s 7 October, 2023, massacre.
On Sunday, HMLA released a statement acknowledging the controversy. “We recently posted an item on social media that was part of a pre-planned social media campaign intended to promote inclusivity and community that was easily open to misinterpretation by some to be a political statement reflecting the ongoing situation in the Middle East. This was not our intent. It has been removed to avoid any further confusion,” the museum said.
It added: “Holocaust Museum LA, the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the country, is committed to its core mission to educate, commemorate, and inspire. We promise to do better and will ensure that posts in the future are more thoughtfully designed and thoroughly vetted. We have taken actions internally to ensure our message always remains clear and reflective of our mission to inspire humanity through truth.”
Credit: Holocaust Museum LA / Instagram
Jewish educator and influencer Debbie Lechtman, who runs the Instagram account @rootsmetals, said the wording risked erasing the phrase’s historic Jewish context. “’Never Again’ was originally ‘Never Again Shall Masada Fall,’ from a 1927 poem by Yitzhak Lamdan,” she noted. “After liberation in 1945, it became a rallying cry of Jewish resilience. At a time when Holocaust distortion and denial are on the rise largely, this is disappointing to see.”
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington has not commented on the Los Angeles controversy. However, it has faced its own tensions in recent weeks after announcing changes to its American and the Holocaust exhibit, which has examined US responses to Nazi persecution since 2018. Officially closed this month for repairs and upgrades, staff have expressed unease over whether content may be altered following President Donald Trump’s order for federally funded museums to eliminate “anti-American” narratives.
HMLA, founded in 1961, is currently closed for construction, with a reopening planned for June 2026.
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