Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

Truth Check: The Holocaust and British Schools
Tuesday, April 17, 2007

A worldwide furor has erupted in response to a British study that concluded that some teachers are not teaching mandated courses in the Holocaust because they offend Muslim students. The Crusades are in the same boat, apparently. You can read an editorial about the controversy in India and one in Texas. Or you can check my inbox. Last night I received this "In Memoriam."

In Memoriam

Recently this week, the UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it "offended" the Moslem population which claims it never occurred. This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it. It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russia peoples looking the other way! Now, more than ever, with Iran , among others, claiming the Holocaust to be "a myth," it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets. This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide! Join us and be a link in the memorial chain and help us distribute it around the world. Please send this e-mail to 10 people you know and ask them to continue the memorial chain.

But wait. It turns out the opening sentence of this In Memoriam is dead wrong. The govt did not remove the Holocaust from the curriculum. A government report said that some schools are dropping it. But even that is dodgy, as their case is built on scant evidence involving one school in particular. Even the Holocaust watchdog group in Britain says the problem is not widespread. Here's a quote from the Jerusalem Post:

The study examined "emotive and controversial" history teaching in schools. Researchers gave an example of a high school in the north of England that dropped the Holocaust as a subject of study.
The report went on to say that in another department at the school, the Holocaust is taught despite anti-Semitic sentiment among pupils. The same department, however, avoids teaching the Crusades for fear of "Muslim rage" since their "balanced treatment of the topic would have challenged what was taught in some local mosques."
The report said some schools are using history "as a vehicle for promoting political correctness."
A different school found itself "strongly challenged by some Christian parents for their treatment of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the history of the State of Israel that did not accord with the teachings of their denomination," according to The Daily Mail report.
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: "It is our understanding that this is not representative of the majority of schools in the UK and that the case in question was just one example brought to light by the Historical Association. However, this does not detract from the seriousness of the situation and highlights that more sufficient monitoring of how Holocaust education is taught in schools is needed.

I don't think it minimizes the significance of the Holocaust to report that yet again a number of hyper-sensitive Jewish groups are misrepresenting a study to suit their own purposes.

Update: The emailer today sent along this note: The article I forwarded to you last evening was a gross exaggeration of a much less significant incident in the British school system. I’ll try to be more selective (and suspicious) in the future… Good for him.

Labels: Judaism

Posted by B Feiler at 8:03 AM
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