Norm points to the story of an Arab-Israeli who seems to understand the significance of real Holocaust study:

YNet: Khaled's Holocaust institute:

This man seems to get it, and that's positive. This effort looks different than other, similar "Arabs discover the Holocaust" day-trips - a little holding of the nose and a bit of hand-wringing for the cameras really staged to gain sympathy for themselves - Mahamid sounds like one of those who is NOT a Holocaust minimizer.

It's not just a lack of information that's the problem - and not just amongst Arabs. It's a lack of information coupled with the wisdom to take home the appropriate lessons. I know a guy (British) who loves to post messages on a discussion board I used to frequent - his favorite subject to start threads about? How the Israelis are behaving just like the Nazis toward the Arabs, that you'd think they'd have learned from the Holocaust and now they're doing the same thing, blah, blah...you know the type. We all understand that when people make such comparisons there are several possibilities - that you have no clue what's actually happening today, that you have no idea what happened back then, or you know very well and don't care because you're willing to lie for any of a number of reasons.

There's another possibility, of course. I was surprised to find out that when asked what one indispensable book this person would choose to make sure everyone in the world should read, he chose a particular book about Auschwitz (I don't recall the name)! He has the data. He knows the facts - but somewhere along the line no one's managed to teach him the lessons. He doesn't really understand a word.

I think for all the volume of Holocaust films and videos, books, museums and activist groups, there's been something amiss in the quality of the message. I'll leave that post for another time...

Here's hoping Mr. Mahamid's project is a success. Here's also hoping his lessons reach a wider audience than just the Middle East.