Holocaust museum pulls post over Gaza uproar

An Instagram post declaring that the slogan ‘Never Again’ must apply to all people reportedly upset Jewish groups

A Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles has deleted a social media post featuring a slogan long associated with the Holocaust after some people claimed it alluded to the war in Gaza.

The message, shared with the Holocaust Museum Los Angeles’ 24,000 Instagram followers over the weekend, showed a graphic of hands and forearms of different skin tones – including one with a Holocaust tattoo – linked in a circle. Its caption read “‘Never Again’ can’t only mean never again for Jews.” 

While some initially praised the post as an acknowledgment of Palestinian suffering, it quickly drew backlash from Jewish groups, prompting its removal.

The museum later said the post was part of a pre-planned campaign “intended to promote inclusivity and community,” not “a political statement reflecting the ongoing situation in the Middle East.”

The LA Holocaust Museum posted on Instagram, “Never again can't only mean never again for Jews.” They later deleted the post and issued a clarification.

Taking it down was disappointing—there was nothing wrong with that message. pic.twitter.com/mbJvRLUXZM

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) September 7, 2025

Although the post did not mention Gaza, some pro-Israel commentators urged donors to cut the institution’s funding. The removal of the post, in turn, led pro-Palestinian voices to accuse the museum of backtracking on a universal anti-genocide principle.

The LA museum, founded in 1961 by Holocaust survivors, is currently closed for renovation until June 2026. It has pledged to “do better” and ensure that posts in the future are “more thoughtfully designed.”

The controversy comes as Israel presses its military campaign in Gaza, which was launched after Hamas’s deadly October 2023 incursion that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage. About 50 are still believed to be in captivity. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli strikes have since killed over 64,000 people and wounded over 163,000 since the operation began.

UN agencies have reported “mounting evidence” of famine in Gaza and there has been growing international criticism of Israel’s campaign as genocidal. Several Western nations announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state and scale back military or trade cooperation with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Gaza’s population could have been wiped out within hours if genocide had been the goal.

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