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In a deeply disturbing series of statements, Oregon State University (OSU) history instructor Linda Richards—who sits on the university’s Holocaust Memorial Committee—has been accused of equating Israel’s actions in Gaza to the Nazi genocide of six million Jews.
Her public remarks, including the grotesque claim that “Zionists are no different from Nazis,” represent a textbook case of Holocaust inversion—a dangerous form of antisemitic historical distortion.
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Richards used the solemn platform of OSU’s Holocaust Memorial Week to promote pro-Palestinian activism, reportedly invoking Holocaust imagery and comparing Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto.
This is not academic freedom—it is moral failure and an affront to every Holocaust survivor and Jewish student on campus.
Holocaust education exists to preserve memory, not to politicize it. By falsely equating Israeli self-defense with Nazi extermination, Richards not only minimizes Jewish suffering but also legitimizes extremist narratives.
Her actions directly contravene the mission of Holocaust Memorial Week and endanger the integrity of Holocaust remembrance at OSU.
Jewish organizations, watchdog groups and community members have condemned Richards’ conduct as antisemitic and an abuse of her educational role. A reported lawsuit is now underway, underscoring the seriousness of the damage inflicted by her rhetoric.
Email the university at pres.office@oregonstate.edu.
Subject: Urgent Concern – Remove Professor Linda Richards from Holocaust Programming
Dear OSU Leadership,
I am appalled by Professor Linda Richards’ Holocaust inversion during Memorial Week events. Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany is a vile distortion that undermines Holocaust education and promotes antisemitic rhetoric. I urge OSU to immediately remove her from all Holocaust-related roles and issue a formal apology to the Jewish community.
Sincerely,
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