What should Holocaust education be about?  This has become a matter of some debate in the United States and worldwide.  Recently, the issue reared its complex head in connection with an organization on whose Board I serve.  The current Mission Statement of the organization which sponsors a writing competition on the Holocaust for middle and high schoolers reads as follows: “It is our mission to sponsor essay writing competitions focused on fostering a perpetual remembrance of The Holocaust. Our audience is middle school and high school students.”

My proposal was to amend that statement and instead change the Mission Statement to say as follows: “It is our mission to sponsor an essay writing competition focused on fostering a perpetual remembrance of The Holocaust concerning the Jewish Community during World War II.  Part of that mission necessarily involves addressing the roots of antisemitism and its current manifestations.  The overall concept is designed to eradicate antisemitism in all its forms and to serve as an object lesson for other groups as well.”

It is my view that Holocaust education should be focused on fostering the perpetual remembrance of The Holocaust concerning the Jewish Community during World War II.  Holocaust education should also include addressing the roots of antisemitism and its current manifestations.  The overall goal should be designed to eradicate antisemitism in all its forms and to serve as an object lesson for other groups as well.

Many of the essays received focused on problems suffered by other groups that compared their suffering to the Jewish Holocaust.  For example, in writing about the Holocaust, students would address the problems faced by gay persons, immigrants in the United States, and other issues and causes.

The Holocaust should not be treated........

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