As the author of two post-Holocaust novels, a frequent lecturer on the lessons of the Holocaust, and a former high school history teacher who has promoted Holocaust education since the 1970s, I am inspired by recent events to educate my students about the Holocaust. I became convinced that more needs to be done. Jews.
Just as Black studies education must be more than teaching about the horrors of slavery, stories about Jews and their history must be more than Holocaust education. At a time when even less than half of the states in this country require Holocaust education in public schools. What we have seen since October 7th has made it abundantly clear that Holocaust education is not an inoculation against anti-Semitism.
The evidence is that a tsunami of anti-Semitism ensued after Hamas carried out a surprise attack on mostly Jewish civilians in the early morning hours, killing 1,200 and kidnapping, slaughtering, decapitating and raping 240 others. That's what happened.
The sympathy and sympathy that Jews initially received was quickly replaced by verbal and physical attacks against them in the United States and around the world.
October 7th brought more anti-Semitism, not empathy.
In Germany, anti-Semitism increased by 320% in the two months following the attack. And earlier this month, a 30-year-old Jewish student in Berlin was violently assaulted by a 23-year-old pro-Palestinian student during an argument, punching him and kicking him multiple times, leaving him hospitalized with facial fractures. Ground.
Anti-Semitic hate crimes in the United States increased 388% in October compared to the same period last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Jewish students on college campuses, students wearing Jewish symbols on the street, and even synagogues and Jewish community centers have all been targeted. As a result, the cost of security measures increases. But what else is needed besides increased security?
Juliana Margulies:Non-Jewish friends, your silence on anti-Semitism is annoying.
In addition to empathy, compassion, and longer attention spans, we need a complete overhaul of education from elementary school to university. All young people will benefit from a solid understanding of Jewish and Israeli history.
Respect for Jews and Jewish tradition should not be based on pity, but rather on respect and admiration.
We need to teach uniquely Jewish achievements and perspectives, such as monotheism and compassion for the poor, sick, oppressed, enslaved, widows, and orphans. The concept of “tzedakah” – charity work. The value of forgiveness. The importance of education. These are the ideas and ideals that Judaism has contributed to, and continues to contribute to, the world.
Israel itself is a model for high technology and medical innovation. It not only desalinated salt water but also made the desert bloom. It is the only country in the Middle East where the LGBTQ+ community can live freely and without fear. Unlike the common American canard that all Jews are creatures of white privilege, Israel proves that Jews come in all colors and denominations.
US voters want a ceasefire in Gaza.Do Jews and Evangelicals agree?
Jewish history is not only full of suffering, but also joy and innovation.
Jews have made significant contributions to this country and the world. One of the most surprising statistics about the Nobel Prize is that 22% of the winners are Jewish, even though Jews make up only 0.2% of the world's population.
Two Jews, Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, eradicated the scourge of polio with vaccines. Who doesn't love the music of Leonard Cohen, Itzhak Perlman, Carole King, and Paul Simon? Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas” and “Easter Parade,” his two major Christian holidays, classic Christmas and Easter songs that have become staples of his season. And people all over the world have been moved, inspired, and entertained by Steven Spielberg's films.
Jewish and non-Jewish youth need information and tools to respond to the massive amount of misinformation that is pervasive. They need to be educated about Jewish history, including thousands of years of anti-Semitic acts.
They should learn that there was political anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria in the 1870s, and that Hitler utilized a fertility strategy.
And we all know that the Catholic Church for the first time declared that the death of Jesus Christ “cannot be denounced without discrimination against all Jews alive then, nor can it be denounced against Jews today.” We all need to remember that this was in 1965. ”
We need a massive educational effort and media campaign to counter the rampant hatred that is poisoning our country and the world and putting all Jews around the world at risk.
You can also stop hatred with small steps. In 1968, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Jane Elliott taught her all-white class to separate students based on their eye color. Blue-eyed students were told to discriminate against brown-eyed students, and vice versa. The results were shocking. Children began to discriminate against each other based on eye color. However, at the end of the exercise, the students said they had learned that it is wrong to judge people by their eye color.
All of us, Jews and non-Jews alike, have an obligation to develop better ways to teach children not to hate, and to begin lobbying now. But at the same time, we must convey that Jews are not just victims or stereotypes.
We must share the many ways that Jewish ideals and individuals have contributed to the lives of people of all backgrounds. Now is the time to demand action from leaders in education, government, the private sector, and philanthropy. Who will be the first to step up to bat before it's too late?
Meryl Ain is an author, author, podcaster, and career educator.
