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Understanding Jewish History and Combating Antisemitism Through the Classroom
Understanding Jewish History and Combating Antisemitism Through the Classroom
Summary: As it stands today, Jewish people make up 2.4% of the United States population. For decades since the Holocaust, people of the Jewish faith in America have had to suffer through a great amount of antisemitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-semitic incidents rose 34% from 2020 to 2021. As 2022 comes to a close, antisemitism has come back into the mainstream as many people in the United States have been militarized by stereotypes and misconceptions that fuel hatred for Jewish people. This has also affected the American classroom as well. This year, a school district in Tennesse banned the teaching of famous graphic novel about the Holocaust, Maus. In another instance of school districts bolstering antisemitism, a Texas school district administrator advised that when teaching about the Holocaust, the "opposing view" also needs to be taught. Now more than ever, teaching about antisemitism, where it stems from, and how to combat these hate-fueled stereotypes, is crucial to bringing better awareness and knowledge to the dangers of this hateful rhetoric. This website's purpose is a carefully curated collection of resources that show great teaching strategies about understanding Jewish history and combating antisemitism.
The Importance of Teaching the Holocaust
The Importance of Teaching the Holocaust
Summary: An integral part of education about antisemitism is teaching the Holocaust. Rachel Fuhrman published this artice in November of 2022. Within this article, Fuhrman talks about the importance of teaching the Holocaust and how the teaching can create a more inclusive history. As well as this, Fuhrman gives a wealth of resources to show in class of the stories of the holocaust and to bring the voice of the survivors into the classroom. Fuhrman states that "No matter the makeup of a school’s population, all students should have an opportunity to learn about the Holocaust."
Responding to Rising Antisemitism
Responding to Rising Antisemitism
Summary: This mini lesson was put together by Facing History & Ourselves in 2020. In this mini lesson, a great wealth of resources and teaching strategy for teaching antisemitism is given. The lesson starts with a walk around the classroom with articles posted up on the walls. These four articles are from the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Christian Science Monitor, on the rise of antisemitism. After the gallery walk, students will have a discussion on the articles and then watch a video about how we can respond to rising antisemitism in the United States.
Teaching Innovations: Antisemitism
Teaching Innovations: Antisemitism
Summary: Michael R. Marus published the article in 1993. This is a very dense, however important read on why it is important to talk about antisemitism in the classroom as well as this, teaching the Holocaust. Marus states that "Holocaust history is a remarkably complex, advanced field of historical inquiry and needs no other reason than that to command the close attention of scholars and students."
UNESCO - The Importance of Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust
UNESCO - The Importance of Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust
Summary: This is another article on the importance of teaching about the Holocaust. UNESCO released this article in 2022 and is a very useful resource in outlining why teaching about the Holocaust is so important. Throughout the article, there is a focus and clear outline of why teach about the Holocaust, the teaching and learning goals, and the main areas of implementation in the classroom.
Antisemitism and Its Impacts
Antisemitism and Its Impacts
Summary: This Facing History & Ourselves article is called an "Explainer". I find it to be an extremely useful resource for a class to read through as a good foundation of learning about antisemitism. This Explainer gives a comprehensive overview on antisemitism in the modern day. This gives a great overview of the antisemitism's forms, where it shows up, and is antisemitism racism as well as racialized forms of antisemitism. As well as this, the explainer goes over why antisemitism persists, how it impacts individuals and communities, and empirical data on the rising antisemitic violence in the country. Ultimately when implementing this in the classroom, there are reflection questions at the end for groups of classmates to talk through after reading the Explainer.
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