Information visit on Holocaust education in school

In the context of the adoption in 2021 by the Romanian Parliament of a law providing for the teaching of the Holocaust and the history of Jews in school, the Bucharest Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung invited to Berlin experts from the National Institute "Elie Wiesel" and members of the working group in charge of the curriculum for an exchange of ideas and experience with German experts from school and non-school educational institutions.

The information visit took place from 29 May to 1 June 2022 and included meetings with representatives of the administration, academia, education experts, educators, museographers and representatives of civil society in Berlin.

Among the topics covered were the following:

• How is the goal of Holocaust education in schools discussed in Germany? Is it primarily about transmitting knowledge or also about ethical issues or values ​​education (i.e. social skills, ideas about social coexistence)? What are the issues and how are they addressed? 
• Holocaust and Jewish history as a compulsory subject in Germany - how is teaching organized / structured? What modules are part of the curriculum? How is the topic anchored in the curriculum?
• What additional training measures for teachers are in place? Who participates? Who is responsible for training?
• What is the role of memorials, permanent exhibitions, museums on the subject of the Holocaust or those dedicated to the Jewish life, etc. as educational tools and how are they integrated into the educational process?
• How are new forms of antisemitism and Holocaust denial in schools addressed critically?
• The role of the internet: what digital educational offerings are there? How are school students in Germany taught to deal with information on the internet critically when it comes to antisemitism and the trivialization of the Holocaust?