Holocaust Council of MetroWest

Why Support Holocaust Education?

Why support Holocaust education? What is it and why should we focus on it? As the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum states, “The history of the Holocaust represents one of the most effective, and most extensively documented, subjects for a pedagogical examination of basic moral issues.” But what does that really mean for us here at the Holocaust Council of MetroWest?

Holocaust education is mandated in New Jersey for all schools, public, private and parochial. We help teachers fulfill this mandate. Holocaust education can be targeted to specific groups, imparting specific messages:

• For younger students: Without specific references to the Holocaust we address issues of bullying, prejudice, and the pernicious effects of bias. The power of words to hurt or heal is a fundamental part of our curriculum.
• For youth gangs, at-risk students and individual: Survivors are role models of resilience, hope, and courage. They exemplify courage in the face of adversity and the ability to rebuild ravaged lives.
• For special needs students: Survivors spark the understanding that difficulties of all kinds can be overcome. We stress the value of each individual and the contribution that those with physical, mental, and emotional challenges can make and have made to society.
• For schools and educators: The Holocaust is a way to address the central tenets of what it means to be a responsible citizen and a moral individual in a secular world. The Holocaust happened because individuals, organizations, and governments made choices to acquiesce or stand by in silence, thereby perpetuating intolerance, indifference, and disrespect for other people’s rights, including the very right to exist.
• • The Holocaust provides a context in which students can explore the use and abuse of power and the role of individuals, organizations, and governments in creating a democratic, pluralistic society with civil rights for all.
  • The Holocaust affords a means of teaching the importance of using media, technology, and science for the benefit, rather than the detriment, of society.
  • Holocaust education stresses the consequences of a breakdown in the ethical, moral, theological, political, and philosophical paradigms in which society operates.
  • Holocaust education is an antidote to increasing racism and discrimination. It is a most effective and compelling way to reduce prejudice and hatred. The principle focus of Holocaust education is teaching tolerance, diversity, and respect.