Watch two new documentaries that tackle the issue of a lack of Holocaust education in the States

MTV and CBS have announced two specially commissioned documentaries to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day this Thursday. The Hate We Can’t Forget: A Holocaust Memorial Special airs on MTV worldwide (27 Jan) and MTV US (31 Jan), while Undeniable: The Truth to Remember airs in the US only on CBS (29 Jan).

Both programmes are hosted by Emmy-winning actor Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and feature interviews with Holocaust survivors and their families, who share harrowing first-person accounts and spotlight the importance of keeping their stories alive.

“As we recently witnessed the harrowing hostage crisis at a Texas synagogue, violence against the Jewish community is reaching record highs,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of ViacomCBS & MTV Entertainment. “This is why it is imperative for us to learn from the horrors of the Holocaust, use our platforms to showcase the stories of survival and lock arms with those bravely fighting antisemitism and hatred in all of its forms.”

The Hate We Can’t Forget follows four Holocaust survivors as they share their experiences with kids from school districts in America that don’t teach of the six million Jews murdered during World War II. Margulies explores the impact and legacy of the atrocities on younger generations and the dangers of forgetting. Interwoven with the tragedies are the hopeful stories of Rose and Arthur Gelbart, two child-survivors of the Holocaust who have been happily married for 66 years, and Pieter Kohnstam, who was babysat by Anne Frank before her family went into hiding.

Undeniable, meanwhile, introduces five Holocaust survivors to a diverse group of students from Hastings High School in Houston, Texas – a school that doesn’t teach the history of the Holocaust. Witness the children’s emotional and educational journey unfold as they discover the stories of the Gelbarts, Kohnstam and Ruth Steinfeld. They’re also joined by 97-year-old viral sensation Lily Ebert, the London-based Hungarian Holocaust survivor who created a TikTok channel (@lilyebert), with help from her great-grandson Dov, during lockdown to teach her 1.6 million (and counting) followers about the Holocaust.

By Danielle Goldstein

The Hate We Can’t Forget: A Holocaust Memorial Special streams Thursday 27 January on MTV (available in the UK via MTV Play on Now TV or Amazon Prime) and will be broadcast Monday 31 January, 10-11pm (Eastern Time) on MTV (US only).

Undeniable: The Truth to Remember airs Saturday 29 January, 8-9pm (Eastern Time) on CBS and will be available to stream on Paramount+ after broadcast (US only).