Holocaust education ‘not just a Jewish topic,’ educator says

Lessons that build empathy through Holocaust survivor testimonies and case studies of Jewish life before 1933 are at the core of Manitoba’s newest curriculum.

Starting this fall, Grade 6, 9 and 11 teachers will analyze the systematic killing of six million Jews during the Second World War and what antisemitism looks like 80 years later.

The curriculum developer told the Free Press that Manitoba students will be challenged to identify bystanders, victims, perpetrators, collaborators and survivors to grasp how propaganda and indifference enabled genocide.

“This is not just a Jewish topic, and I always try to tell this to people,” said Kelly Hiebert, who teaches high school history in Winnipeg.

“This is looking at the longest hatred of all time — but this can also relate to other marginalized and minority groups that have been persecuted over time.”

The Nazi regime sought to exterminate Jews, but its early victims of persecution included members of the LGBTTQ+ community, Jehovah’s Witnesses, communists and people of colour, among others, Hiebert noted.

The career teacher, who does not practise Judaism, specializes in Holocaust and antisemitism studies. He’s spent much of the last 10 months meeting with other teachers, museum curators and ethno-religious leaders to design a new social studies framework.

The result is a curriculum that explores the Nazi seizure of power in Germany and subsequent creation of ghettos and concentration camps, Canada’s response to Jewish refugees, and the lasting impact of the genocide on the world at large.

Hiebert said the “progressive scaffolding” model will teach students foundational knowledge and help them develop compassion for others through “take action” assignments.

The Manitoba government announced on Yom HaShoah in May 2024, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, that it was introducing mandatory education to combat antisemitism. Further details were revealed in the spring.

One of the early tasks involved drafting a list of definitions.

Both the Manitoba and Canadian governments have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.”

“Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities,” it adds.

Examples of it include the denial or downplaying of the use of gas chambers to target Jews and calling the state of Israel a “racist endeavour,” as per the IHRA understanding.

Hiebert called that definition the “gold standard.” At the same time, he recommends teachers ask older students to critically examine the IHRA definition, along with the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism and a summary published by the Nexus Project, an American non-profit organization.

As far as he is concerned, criticism of Israel becomes antisemitic only when it involves demonization, delegitimization and “double standards that you’re not using against China, you’re not using against Russia, you’re not using against Myanmar and the Rohingya people.”

“There will be disagreements (in Manitoba classrooms),” Hiebert said, reflecting on his 18-year career in education and the complex history in the Middle East that has led to current events.

Incidents of both antisemitism and Islamophobia rose in the wake of Hamas militants’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and retaliatory violence that has turned into a 21-month-long war.

“Why this is so necessary now is to help students understand the historical significance of antisemitism, develop critical thinking and develop compassion and empathy for others,” he said.

Hiebert said he is urging colleagues to prioritize building relationships, trust and respectful classroom environments before introducing these sensitive topics.

Marianne Cerilli, a former teacher and NDP MLA who now runs her own consulting firm in Winnipeg, recently facilitated a workshop on teaching controversial topics.

Cerilli said she was called upon by a rural teachers union to share her tips with its members in the spring.

A survey of attendees revealed many of them felt unprepared to discuss politicized topics at school and they wanted more time to talk to colleagues about their experiences, she said.

She advises teachers to brush up on conflict de-escalation and resolution techniques, consider personal biases and practise active listening.

The education department will be available to work with teachers who have questions or concerns about the curriculum this fall, said Tracy Schmidt, minister of kindergarten-to-Grade 12 schooling.

“But we don’t anticipate a whole lot of concern,” Schmidt said, adding she believes the rollout is “a really positive step.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca