France: Too Little Holocaust Education In Schools

A recent survey conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany has found that 25% of French millennials have not heard of the Holocaust. The survey, which was released last week in advance of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, stressed both the desire and the need for Holocaust education. It was the fourth survey done by the Claims Conference in recent months, with others being carried out in the USA, Canada, and Austria. Vice president of the Claims Conference in Israel Shlomo Gur said that there is no doubt we have reached this point because there is just too little Holocaust education in schools. "Holocaust education needs to be incorporated into both the formal school system and in an informal setting as well, in both Jewish and non-Jewish schools worldwide”, he said. Gur added that it is also deeply troubling that the French study found that “more than half of the 1,100 people polled (52%) believe that something like the Holocaust could happen again in Europe.” Of those surveyed, 36% of French respondents also felt that something like the Holocaust could happen in the United States, “a sentiment that mirrors findings in the previously conducted Austria survey, which indicated 47% felt that something like the Holocaust could happen in the United States.” Asked about how to encourage the younger generations to learn about the Holocaust now and in the future as the number of survivors dwindles, Gur pointed out that using formal education “to at least plant the seeds,” together with the news media and the Internet are important means of connecting to the next generation and educating them about the Shoah. French President Emmanuel Macron last week laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Deportation of Jews from France, located near Beit Shemesh in Israel. The memorial carries the names of the deportees, along with their date and place of birth. It is set in a forest of 80,000 pine trees, signifying the 80,000 Jews deported from France to Nazi labor and death camps. (VFI News)

Pray for facts, films and historically correct textbooks to be used in educating youth worldwide regarding the Holocaust. Intercede for a halt to the spread of lies and prejudices that fuel anti-Semitism.  Pray for correction of media bias, where the supposed “crimes” of Israel are exaggerated and over-reported, while the similar activities by other nations receive little attention or rebuke.