Rock legend Steven Van Zandt’s new gig: Holocaust education

Jerusalem Post ^ | 12 Nov 2026 | Andrew Lapin

[Rummyfan]

Van Zandt is looking to make his own mark in the world of Holocaust education through his educational initiative, TeachRock, which has, since 2013, provided K-12 lesson plans on a range of subjects.

Steven Van Zandt is worried about the Jews. “There is that pre-Holocaust vibe,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency recently about what he sees on social media, where he is a prolific user.

“They spread lies around year after year after year, and if you say something often enough, people start to believe it.

“And that’s what happened that led to the Holocaust in the first place, and that’s what’s going on now.”

For a man equally beloved for his longtime work with Bruce Springsteen in the E Street Band and his role as Silvio on HBO’s “The Sopranos,” such a detour might seem unusual.

But Van Zandt is looking to make his own mark in the world of Holocaust education, via his education initiative TeachRock, which since 2013 has provided K-12 lesson plans on a range of subjects built around popular music.

---

TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:

[Rummyfan]

And this:

The Boss Should Listen to Little Steven – Stat

[Rummyfan]

Bruce Springsteen morphed into Roger Waters so slowly, I hardly even noticed.

[ConservativeMind]

That is Sam Kinison.

[central_va]

I hate to say it but he is right.

[rktman]

Still a liberal boat load of manure.

[central_va]

“There is that pre-Holocaust vibe,“

I call balls and strikes like I see ‘em. There is a pre holocaust vibe.

[right way right]

At least Silvio has developed some softening of the heart in his oldness.
He’s been pretty ruthless in the past.

He butts heads with Roger Waters. lol.

I would tell him to add white people and Christians to his concerns.

[gundog]

Oh! OH!! OHHH!!!!

[Paal Gulli]

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

He’s a loony lefty.

[jroehl]

By comparison:

Stalin ruled the Soviet Union from the late 1920s until his death in 1953. His own citizens died through executions, forced-labor camps, forced deportations, collectivization, and politically driven famines.

### Where the deaths came from

| Cause | Approximate deaths |
| ———————————————————— | ————————— |
| Executions and political killings | 800,000–1.2 million|
| Gulag labor camps and prisons | 1–2 million |
| Forced deportations and resettlement | Over 1 million |
| Famine, including Ukraine and Kazakhstan | 5–7 million |

These categories overlap somewhat, and estimates vary by historian and methodology.

### Why the estimates differ

- Archival records: After the Soviet archives opened, researchers established much more reliable figures for executions and camp deaths.
- Famine deaths: Historians disagree about how many deaths should be attributed directly to Stalin’s policies.
- Broader estimates: Some include indirect deaths from forced displacement, starvation, and repression.