Co-Host of  “The View”, Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from the show following her ignorant remarks made about The Holocaust. “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments”, said Kim Godwin, President of ABC news.  

“If we’re going to do this, let’s be truthful about it,” Goldberg said on The View. “The Holocaust isn’t about race.” 

Though Goldberg has issued an apology on Twitter and on TV, her remarks should not go unnoticed, but nor should she be “canceled”.  “Yesterday on our show, I misspoke. I tweeted about it last night but I want you to hear it from me directly,” said Goldberg. “I said something that I feel a responsibility for not leaving unexamined, because my words upset so many people, which was never my intention. I understand why now, and for that I am deeply, deeply grateful because the information I got was really helpful, and it helped me understand some different things.” 

These comments came just weeks after a hostage incident in Texas, in which a gunman held congregants and a Rabbi hostage for multiple hours at a Texas synagogue. At a time when antisemitism is at an all time high, her comments prove that ignorance and hate come from a lack of education and understanding. The Holocaust was about race. The Jews were seen as an ‘inferior race’, and viewed separately than the Aryans. Adolf Hitler wanted to get rid of the Jews. “The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human,” he said. Goldberg’s comments are hurtful to the Jewish community, and while I don’t believe she should get canceled, I do believe that there are steps she can take to further her education, and learn from her mistakes. 

The Holocaust is often over looked, and when it is taught in schools, the topic is somewhat glazed over. According to NBC, a survey concluded that 63% of those surveyed did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Not only do the findings in the survey raise concern about lack of education, they also show that Holocaust denial is more common than we think. 90% of people believed that the Holocaust happened, 7%were not sure, and 3% denied it ever happened. The survey also noted that 11% of people surveyed believe that the Jews caused the Holocaust.  

Something that could benefit Goldberg would be to have a discussion with a Holocaust survivor. Unfortunately we will be the last generation able to meet with Holocaust survivors as they are all getting older, but a conversation with someone who went through these horrors could be very eye opening for her. She could also consider taking a trip to a Holocaust museum, to see first hand artifacts and exhibits. 

When she eventually does return to The View, I hope she is a more educated person, and can continue to own up to, and learn from her mistakes.