New York – As the number of Holocaust survivors dwindles each year, the Jewish community increasingly faces the daunting challenge of ensuring that the next generation is thoroughly educated about the heinous atrocities committed by the Nazis during the Third Reich. Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is advocating for the introduction of a formal Holocaust curriculum in area charedi schools to address this concern.
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“Educating our children about our past is our only key to securing our future,” Hikind noted. “The next generation must know how and why our enemies sought to destroy us, and more importantly, how we persevered in spite of appalling cruelty.”
At a meeting today with prominent rabbonim and mechanchim, Hikind distributed copies of Mrs. Ruth Lichtenstein’s recently published work, Witness to History (Project Witness, 2009), a brilliant compilation of Holocaust literature, scholarly research, and eyewitness accounts. Woven together into an accessible and aesthetically pleasing format, Witness to History also captures the unique charedi experience during the Shoah, which many existing academic texts do not.
“Unfortunately, for whatever reason, there has not been a great emphasis placed on Holocaust education in the charedi community,” remarked Hikind. “I am hoping to change the status quo.” Toward that end, Hikind is encouraging the principals of local charedi yeshivot to utilize Lichtenstein’s book as the primary text for teaching their students about the Holocaust.
Hikind, a child of Holocaust survivors, also represents the largest contingent of Holocaust survivors in the world in his Boro Park, Brooklyn Assembly district.
Dov another great idea! I really hope every yeshivah adopts this program. No Jew should be an am haaretz about what happened. As the survivors age and slowly die out its much easier for deniers to be heard and believed. At least our children should know the truth!
An idea to be applauded but will never happen. One godol [BT] told me you can be “meyayish”. Seven years under Hitler and four years concentration camp and I did not become meyayish instead raised shomrei shabbes children. At least you will be able to know about Treblinka, Auschwitz and Sobibor and Majdanek and the Ghettos. Excellent idea but the present hashkofo is far from it.
during limudei chol time I hope otherwise it is surely unwarranted as the yeshivos & charedim have not overly focused on the holocaust for good reasons as it has notoriously not added in yiras shomayim or emunas Hashem why shtup kashes if we can focus on light I think there’s a letter or talk from the Lubavitcher Rebbe ztl reflecting this idea. If there’s a need for it at least they should bring out the positive that despite everything so many kept their emunah and yiddishkeit strong.
during limudei chol time I hope otherwise it is surely unwarranted as the yeshivos & charedim have not overly focused on the holocaust for good reasons as it has notoriously not added in yiras shomayim or emunas Hashem why shtup kashes if we can focus on light I think there’s a letter or talk from the Lubavitcher Rebbe ztl reflecting this idea. If there’s a need for it at least they should bring out the positive that despite everything so many kept their emunah and yiddishkeit strong.
Maybe we should promote it in Eretz Yisroel so the Charedim know the difference between Nazis and Jewish Police. Not that Mishmeret Hagivul are Tzadikkim but they don’t shoot on site.
I agree wholeheartedly. This should be taught in all Jewish schools. Not just religious. We were discussing this at a family gettogether, Chanukah time, and we all agreed it should be taught!! The grandchildren and great=grandchildren would never know if it is not taught!!
As long as he doesnt push this thru as a “law” after all you never know with a lib where he is going.
The problem has always been who is writing the books and who is recording the history. Granted there were many movies etc made about WW2 and its direct affect on klal yisroel to say the least, they were not really given over in a frum manner.
Kol Havkod! They NYC Public School system also has an excellent Holocaust curriculum. It has been around for a long time. He should contact the DOE to view it and see if it is appropriate for yeshivos.
Bitul Torah, Go through the entire Igros Moshe, you will not find a single mention of the holocaust.
Does anybody know where you can bye this book?
I do not believe it appropriate to even attempt to teach the Holocaust to young children. I for one, could never read anything related to that era until I was 40. I think it would be far more useful to teach about what life in prewar Europe was really like, not just the way we would have liked it to have been. There is much to understand and appreciate. It would also help us to avoid repeating today what most Jews lived through then. There is much literature about the Holocaust which can be read when one feels up to handling such a difficult topic — a topic that could never be adequately addressed in any school curriculum.
Liberal Secular Jews dwell on the Holocaust as a way to compensate for their hatred and neglect of Judaism, We do not need to make an idol out of Churban Europa as they do- we have such a beautiful living attachment to Judaism as it has been practiced for millennia and are guaranteed that we will carry on the faith of Israel, which the ADL and Bnai Brith people spit on everyday of their lives with their treife Carengie-style delis, goyishe wives, worship of the dollar, self-hating politics,. secular humanism, and toeva or women rabbis. No thanks.
If public school children can learn about all the atrocities of the holocaust and other horrible events in human history, including slavery in the u.s., then why can’t jewish children. Granted, it has to be at the right age, and done with care. The only reason not to teach in haredi schools is fear of the theological questions and implications of such horror.
I am concerned, however, that the message to haredi children might be “look, see how horrible all the goyim are,” rather than hating and discriminating against (or killing) people because they were born into a particular religion, race or nationality is plain wrong. Part of the curriculum should also include stories of the righteous gentiles who risked their own lives and that of their families to save jews. That could lead to great discussions about what gave these people the strength and bravery, what would we do in a similar situation and when should one question authority and rebel.
the yiddisha world would be better serve to teach tanya in schools as we need to prepare to bring the geula!
Such tipshim that put their dumb idiotic stupid nonsensical crazy moronic mishugasin stupidity comments on this blog.
The gedolim were always for this and just because it was never done until now you should not critisize. if you think you know better than why didn’t you get off your lasy can and do a book yourself. You can’t so you look to degrade everyone else. Leave your ego somewhere else and don’t talk about the doers in our communities.
Mrs Ruth Lichtenstein gets the credit for doing this and every normal thinking jew should call the Hamodia office and thank her for the wonderful work she did and is doing for klal yisroel. We don’t have to reinevent the wheel Mrs lichtenstein did ALL the work for us and the yeshivos. All we have to do is get the book and read it and use it. This book will even be used by the goyim because it’s the truth and done with such dignity, thoughtfulness and with the help of witnesses, historians and many gedolim. What more do you want?
“When you start something new everybody says you’re crazy. When you’re halfway successful they say, ‘I knew it all along.’ You know when you’re really successful? When they say, ‘I can do it better than you’ “
Actually torah umesorah is promiting this idea for years,
Firstly let me make a disclaimer that I am poster #3 and NOT poster 8. I only suggested that it should be in the time of limudei chol because if you live in the secular conservative & reform world you will understand what I am talking about that they have made the holocaust into a religion which unfortunately does NOT encourage emunas Hashem or Toras Hashem. Most of you have probably not gone (I hope not) to a Yom Hashoah program organized by the reform & conservative. One walks out with a feeling of NEVER AGAIN but not with a feeling to do a mitzvah or a desire to keep the same Torah Umitzvos that the kedoshim kept to perpetuate their legacy. The fact remains that MOST survivors of the shoah LEFT yiddishkeit and the heavy focus on it with curriculums etc is not necessarily going to bring more yiras vemunas Hashem into our children. I can’t say for certain but I think I heard someone mention the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s opinion to this effect (perhaps it was in response to why not to make a Yom Hashoah? in addition to of course the simple reasons of halacha and that we have no power to add new tikkunim to the ones of chazal & the Geonim etc.) anyone know where I can find it?