The case against mandatory Holocaust education

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (Photo by Thomas Hawk/Flickr Creative Commons)

Just in time for International Holocaust Remembrance Day this year, a new study by Liberation75, a Canadian organization focused on Holocaust awareness and education, announced that only two-thirds of Canadian students confidently believe the Holocaust happened. The organization’s solution, based on this troubling fact, is that Holocaust education must become mandatory in school curriculums.

On Bonjour Chai, The CJN’s weekly current affairs podcast, not all our hosts agree. If schools add mandatory Holocaust education, what other important histories and facts will be left out? And if we do teach kids about the Holocaust, what shape will it take? Are museum field trips and documentaries really the most effective tools in the era of social media?

The hosts debate these questions, and later speak with Holocaust survivor, educator and author Max Eisen, who recently was appointed to the Order of Canada.

What we talked about

  • Listen to The CJN Daily episode, “One-third of Canadian kids don’t understand or question the Holocaust, new survey shows”, at thecjn.ca.
  • Watch Miriam Anzovin’s “Daf Reactions” on YouTube

Credits

Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.