Remembering the Holocaust

General Secretary Larry Flanagan and the President, Bill Ramsay, were in Poland recently to be part of Education International’s delegation to the 75th Anniversary of Liberation of the German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp, and also to take part in an EI Holocaust Education conference.

Extract from a Statement on the Occasion of the Educational International Holocaust Remembrance Conference 2020 in Krakow, Poland

January 27 2020 is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. During the Second World War six million Jews across Europe were murdered. More than one million of them were murdered in Auschwitz alone. Even today

Larry Flanagan, EIS General Secretary

“75 years on the number of survivors diminishes each year but those who spoke at the commemorations service did so strongly, with courage and dignity. One such voice reminded everyone that there were many victims in the death camps as she was from a Roma background, and over half a million Roma people perished also. Another survivor made a specific point about speaking to his ‘grand-daughter and her generation’. ‘Auschwitz did not fall from the sky,’ he said. ‘It happened because society let small things go and then it was too late’ – a salient point in the turbulent world in which we live.”

The Scottish Educational Journal the trauma of murder, extermination and persecution continues to impair the surviving victims and their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

On the occasion of this 75th anniversary, representatives of education trade unions from 17 countries have come together in Krakow and Auschwitz to commemorate the victims of the Shoah, to discuss how memory of the Holocaust can be preserved, and how vigilance can be strengthened so that a crime against the Jewish people and against humanity never happens again… As trade unionists and education professionals, we are faced with a particular responsibility to encourage young people and the next generations to commit themselves to fostering human understanding, civil awareness and living together in peace…

The Holocaust should never happen again – in any way – anywhere in the world. This is our commitment as educators and trade unionists to future generations.

Bill Ramsay, EIS President

“The ‘never again’ strap line seems hollow given the extent of genocidal events since World War Two. However, the Holocaust was an exceptional example of genocide and that point must not be lost in any more holistic examination of genocide.

I was impressed by the presentation from Andrew Beiter, of the Educators’ Institute for Human Rights. His ‘10 Points’, outlined how prejudice and political situations can combine to create such horrific outcomes. To consider the psychological risks and challenges related to Holocaust education, is to consider the risks and challenges of traumatic experiences in the teaching and learning process more generally.”

The EIS and Holocaust Education

The EIS supported the establishment of Holocaust Education as a feature of Curriculum for Excellence and provides resources and professional development opportunities to support teachers in addressing this important issue.

The EIS Briefing on Holocaust Education highlights the Institute’s opposition to racism and all forms of prejudice, and states that educational establishments should be safe and inclusive environments for all children, young people and staff. The EIS believes that Holocaust Education can play an important part in achieving these aims.

The Holocaust and Genocide

The Holocaust is the most extensively documented genocide in human history, and it reveals the full range of human behaviour, from appalling acts of hatred, to remarkable acts of extraordinary courage.

The Holocaust raises profound questions about the human condition, making Holocaust Education a rich seam of material for independent enquiry, the examination of moral and human rights issues, and exploration of one of the central aspects of Curriculum for Excellence, i.e. what it means to be a responsible citizen. Crucially, Holocaust Education enables learning about racism and fascism and the dangers that each poses to human society. It has the potential to empower young people to use their voice, and have the courage to speak out about prejudice, hate and oppressive behaviour. By learning from the grave wrongs committed against humanity in the past, young people can be equipped to create a more cohesive society in the future.

Guidance produced by the Education Working Group of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance states that “the Holocaust may constitute a starting point and the foundation for studying genocide […] to compare the Holocaust to other genocides may be a means to alert young people to the potential danger for other genocides and crimes 2 against humanity to evolve today. This may strengthen an awareness of their own roles and responsibilities in the global community.”

To find out more about the EIS approach to Holocaust Education, visit:

www.eis.org.uk/Anti-Racism/ BriefingHolocaustEducation