Holocaust Education

Going with the dominant theme of the day...

I read an article on Haaretz.com last week (though I can't retrieve it at the moment) that talked about the formation of a Holocaust education program which focusses on the lives of North African (read: Moroccan) Jewry during the period of the Holocaust. It seems that Sephardi students, many of whom are of North African descent, can't seem to understand what the Holocaust has to do with them. They see it as "Askhenazi" (read: white) history to which they have no connection. They question why they even have to study it at all.

What a phenomenally stupid question.

My reply: For the same reason that White, Jewish, Indian, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American students who live in America have to study Black History Month. It is an integral and inseparable part of American history, which affects all American students to some extent, just as the history of the Holocaust affects all Jews regardless of origin or geographical orientation at the time.

Though I do commend the Israeli Board of Education for creating this new program, my recommendation is that they do not limit it to the Sephardi community; just like the history of the "Ashkenazi" Holocaust is a requirement for all Israeli schoolchildren, the history of the Sephardic experience would be a welcome addition to the curriculum.