Illustrative
IllustrativeMiriam Alster/Flash90

Almost half of all Israelis worry that a second Holocaust could occur, devastating the Jewish People, a new survey shows.

The survey, conducted by the Penina movement in advance of Holocaust Memorial Day, was published in the Israel Hayom newspaper, and included many startling findings related to the concerns and fears of average Israelis. The ongoing threat from the Iranian regime, which has signaled its desire on many occasions to wipe out the Jewish state, seems to play a key role in heightening fears of a new Holocaust.

The survey also found that women tend to be more fearful of a second Holocaust than men (55 percent versus 42 percent) and that younger Israelis are more fearful -- 24 percent of Israelis under the age of 24 said that they were very worried about a second Holocaust, as opposed to just 12 percent of Israelis over the age of 45.

Another interesting finding was that 23 percent of Israelis who define themselves as haredim responded that they were very concerned about the likelihood of another Holocaust, as opposed to just 11 percent of Israelis who define themselves as secular.

The survey also found that most Israelis see Holocaust Memorial Day being marked very differently in years to come. When asked how they thought the day would be marked in another 30 years' time, 45 percent of respondents said that it would be marked by events alone; 13 percent of respondents thought that it would not be marked at all and would be just another day.

On the other hand, 16 percent of respondents thought that the day would become even more significant over time, and another 26 percent said that it would remain much the same as it is now.

Classified according to age, the survey found that 21 percent of Israelis between the ages of 35 and 45 thought that Holocaust Memorial Day would cease to be marked in another 30 years, as opposed to just 12 percent of Israelis over the age of 65 who made the same prediction.

As of last January, there were around 165,800 Holocaust survivors living in Israel, 90 percent of whom are over the age of 80. Each day, on average, 42 Holocaust survivors pass away, and finding survivors willing and able to relate their Holocaust-related experiences is becoming steadily more challenging.

As such, around 56 percent of respondents said they thought it was important to expose the general public to video testimonies of survivors in order to keep the memories alive. Another 29 percent of respondents said they thought the government should subsidize trips to the concentration camps for every single Israeli citizen. And in order to increase focus on the day, 62 percent of respondents said they thought it was appropriate to tone down the colors on television broadcasts when sports or movies were being shown, as opposed to just 11 percent of respondents who were opposed to such a move.

All the same, 19 percent of respondents said that despite best efforts, the Holocaust was doomed to be forgotten.