The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE), in coordination with Vermont Holocaust Memorial (VTHM), and Echoes and Reflections, are offering Vermont teachers in grades 7-12 the state’s first “Holocaust Education Week” from January 23 to 27.
In commemoration of the United Nations-designated International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust on January 27th, Chittenden-Southeast District Senator Virginia “Ginny” Lyons has filed a Resolution designating January 23 through January 27 as the first “Vermont Holocaust Education Week.” The resolution is backed by a bipartisan group of legislators.
Senator Lyons, Senator Ram Hinsdale and President Pro Tempore Philip Baruth shared brief remarks in support of the resolution.
“At a time of continuing increasing antisemitism, hate, and intolerance throughout the United States, Vermont students must understand this timely history,” said Senator Lyons. A survey conducted by the Claims Conference found a significant lack of Holocaust knowledge in the United States.
“I’m thankful to the Vermont Holocaust Memorial (VTHM), the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE), Echoes and Reflections, Senator Lyons, Senator Ram Hinsdale and the many senators and representatives that played a part in making Holocaust Education Week possible,” said Senator Baruth.
The Week of curated courses and presentations, backed by the AOE, are established to share fundamental history and vital lessons of Holocaust with Vermont students so they may develop an understanding of the mechanisms that led to genocide. In addition to innovative pedagogical methods from established national Holocaust education resources, Vermont teachers and their classrooms are invited to attend any of ten live, web-based presentations given by Holocaust survivors, their children, grandchildren, and others. Registration for the webinars, supported in part by Vermont Humanities, can be accessed with the rest of the Week’s details at: VT Holocaust Education Week.
“As a Jewish person of color, it’s important to me that we remember the conditions that gave rise to the Holocaust, one of the darkest periods in modern history,” said Senator Ram Hinsdale. “But it should also be an opportunity for us to learn about other genocides and human rights abuses, and stand in solidarity with one another in global tragedies and conflicts.”
The AOE has distributed the news of Holocaust Education Week offerings through its official Weekly Field Memo to Vermont educators and to Home Study Program families. VTHM, a volunteer-run nonprofit with a mission of sharing these invaluable messages, has been advocating for Holocaust education standards in Vermont for the past five years. Vermont is the only state in New England that does not have Holocaust and genocide education legislation.
Vermont Holocaust Memorial, a 501c3 charitable organization, is the state’s only group dedicated to facilitating Holocaust education as a means of preserving the memory of that genocide, and using those lessons to combat bigotry, bullying, and racism of all kinds. More information can be found at HolocaustMemorial-VT.org
Echoes & Reflections, a joint program of ADL, USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem, is the premier source for Holocaust educational materials and dynamic content, empowering teachers and students with the insight needed to question the past and foresight to impact the future. Echoes partners with educators to support them, foster confidence, and amplify their skills and resources to teach about the Holocaust in a comprehensive and meaningful way.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed throughout the programs do not necessarily represent those of Vermont Humanities.
Categories: Education
I have a hard time imagining that VT schools would actually teach about the Holocaust without using it to further their CRT, LBTQ etc agenda in which everyone who perceives they are a victim is “celebrated “. There have been many genocides and horrific times in history but the Holocaust truly stands out for the horror it was. And yes, that the attempt to eradicate all Jews from the face of the earth was made is important to recognize. It utterly destroyed the European Jewish community. Worldwide, the Jewish population still hasn’t recovered to what it was pre- Holocaust.
Actually Mao’s Purge was far, far worse. But we like the Chinese now….don’t we?
Let’s also ignore the current brutal attack on the Euro-Whites of non Jewish decent. That’s not really happening is it?
@ Alex
I didn’t say there weren’t other genocides. It’s just that lately it seems that one cannot focus on the Holocaust without everyone else bringing up their tale of victimhood. And the Holocaust is definitely not well taught here in VT.
@VTIndependent Maybe people bring up other genocides because there are plenty that were actually successful, or even happening today; such as what’s happening to the Uyghurs, by our good friends & trading partners in Neo-Communist China. (FWIW I’m not a Uyghur, so it’s not my own tale of victimhood. Just something worth mentioning, if we are supposed to be learning history so we can be learning something from history. 😉)
I hope they also stud6 the egregious medical experimentation that occurred during the Holocaust: forced medical treatments etc. will they discuss the parallels of that currently occurring in many parts of the world including here and also which have transpired over the last three years? …
The irony and parallels are striking. Current day issues with forced ‘vaccines’, gun confiscation laws and the overall totalitarian attitudes of government should cause alarm for all citizens of Vermont. The idea that philip baruth can show concern over events in Germany 80 years ago and not draw the parallel to his self aggrandizing gun control and confiscation bills further highlight the hubris of our allegedly ‘elected’ representatives- and the ignorance of Vermont’s voters.
Study of the Holocaust and other genocides must become part of mandatory, academic history. How since the dawn of man, one tribe, village, nation, race, religion, political ideology has found justification in the slaughter of innocents. That those engaged in such atrocity included the most educated and sophisticated cultures. Proving indubitably, humans are a violent species and how as a species we can not escape that horror. But first, it is necessary to insure a defenceless, undesirable.
I hope they discuss the parallels between Hitler’s nazi Germany and the current narrative and environment being pushed by our government. Medical experiments, canceling, banishing, censoring speach, banning books, toppling statues, disarming civilians, dividing the population, pushing race based ideologies, expansion of government powers, control and reliance, language manipulation, a gestapo/fbi police state, etc., etc.
One thing they apparently don’t teach is reading, writing and arithmetic.
January 10, 2023
The VT Agency of Education released preliminary 2022 test results for all of Vermont students. Fewer than half meet grade level standards in every grade level and in every curriculum category.
https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-fact-sheet-smarter-balanced-results-20230110_0.pdf
Surprise – we don’t get what we pay for.
One positive point to report – the ‘woke’ Windsor school board and supervisory union have finally been held accountable for threatening labor practices.
January 18, 2023 – VT Digger
“WINDSOR — Windsor-area school authorities have agreed to pay former Windsor School Principal Tiffany Riley a total of $650,000 to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit she brought against her former employer. Riley alleged that she was improperly fired from her job in 2020 after social media posts about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Under terms of the agreement, Riley is to receive $425,000: $191,250 in wages for the 20 months remaining on her 24-month contract at the time of her termination plus $233,750 to compensate for alleged violations of free speech and procedural due process. The settlement also covers $225,000 in Riley’s legal expenses.”
Unfortunately, the cost of the Windor school board’s bad behavior will be paid by taxpayers. Hopefully, they will all be fired this coming March at their annual town meeting. But something tells me that isn’t going to happen in such a ‘woke’ community as is Windsor.
Glad to hear she’s getting compensated but unfortunately I doubt those in charge will learn anything from it as it’s not coming directly from THEIR pockets.
Oops. Somehow this ended up in the wrong article which I’m unsure how that happened as I’m sure I posted on the correct post. My comment was made on the settlement for the former principal article.
Just curious VTIndependent – – where is the “the settlement for the former principal article” of which you speak?
“As a Jewish person of color, it’s important to me that we remember the conditions that gave rise to the Holocaust, one of the darkest periods in modern history,” said Senator Ram Hinsdale.
While she literally advocates for and votes into law the same principles that allowed the holocaust.
I bet they don’t teach about the Bolshevik revolution…