Holocaust Center launches yearlong teacher training series
'We really see it as an opportunity for both new and returning educators'
Summer is in full swing but those responsible for Holocaust education are already eyeing next school year.
Emily Loeb, director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, said she and staff are gearing up for “Holocaust 101: The Fundamentals of Holocaust Education.”
The Aug. 4 program at Allegheny Intermediate Unit represents the first in a yearlong series of educational opportunities for teachers spanning grade levels and subject areas.
“We really see it as an opportunity for both new and returning educators,” Loeb said.
The one-day program will cover latent antisemitism in pre-war Europe “that led to the rise of the Nazi party and the Holocaust,” as well as “various pedagogical [frameworks] that the teachers can use with their students,” she said.
Whether it’s accessing Holocaust testimony and implementing it within classrooms, or contextualizing images “so teachers can think about how that was used by the Nazis,” the free Aug. 4 program is designed to be both an introduction and refresher, Loeb said.
Holocaust education is required by law in about half of U.S. states and the District of Columbia, according to a July report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Pennsylvania schools are not mandated to teach the Holocaust; however, Act 70 of 2014 strongly encourages school-based instruction regarding the Holocaust, genocide and human rights.
Despite this recommendation, there’s a lack of Holocaust-related knowledge throughout the commonwealth.
A 2020 survey released by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany found that among millennials and Gen Z adults in Pennsylvania, only 45% could name a concentration camp or ghetto; 40% didn’t know what Auschwitz is; and 59% didn’t know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.
The reality is that “you obviously cannot teach the Holocaust in one day to educators,” Loeb said. Therefore, the Aug. 4 program will offer advice on where to access lesson plans and how best to incorporate those materials within a classroom setting.
The educational effort is supported by Echoes and Reflections, a more than 20-year-old collaboration between the ADL, USC Shoah Foundation and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in Jerusalem.
Relying on the strengths of those organizations, Echoes and Reflections prides itself on providing educators with resources and professional development opportunities for teaching the Holocaust “responsibly, accurately and effectively.”
From conversations with educators it’s clear that teachers “believe in the importance of teaching about the Holocaust, but they also really want to make sure that they’re getting it right,” Loeb said.
For the Holocaust Center, it’s important to provide teachers with “vetted resources that they know they can access and trust,” Loeb continued, “especially with everything that’s out on the internet.”
A 2022 report from the United Nations and UNESCO studied Holocaust denial and distortion on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) in English, French, German and Spanish.
While denial and distortion content represents nearly 10% of relevant material on Facebook, the number jumps to 15% on X and nearly 49% on Telegram.
“Throughout the war, the Nazis sought to cover their heinous crimes under a veil of secrecy and outrageous lies. Today, that same denial and distortion runs rampant once again amidst growing antisemitism, ignorance, and bigotry,” authors noted.
It’s deeply distressing to know that teachers can search online and not always appreciate “what’s fabricated and what is true,” Loeb said. “Introducing them to the resources that we have at the Holocaust Center is really critical.”
The Aug. 4 program is made possible through the Jack Sittsamer Holocaust Endowment Fund for Teacher Training, is the first of four professional development opportunities for educators scheduled this year.
Whether teachers are new to Holocaust education or seasoned veterans, the Holocaust Center is a reliable educational partner, Loeb said. “At any point throughout their school year, when they need some support, they can reach out to us and we can help.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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