EDUCATION ON THE HOLOCAUST AND ON ANTI-SEMITISM: An Overview and Analysis of Educational Approaches Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights 1 June 2005 This document was prepared for the purpose of the OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance, Cordoba, 8-9 June 2005. This is a preliminary copy. The final printed version will be published after the Conference. This study was developed by the ODIHR’s Programme on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination, with the generous support of the Governments of Spain and the United States of America. TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................................ 1 PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................... 4 PART A: HOLOCAUST EDUCATION IN THE OSCE REGION .......................................................................................... 15 I. OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF OSCE STATE RESPONSES ........................................................................ 17 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................................... 41 EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICES.................................................................................................................... 43 RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 51 II. COUNTRY SUMMARIES.................................................................................................................................. 54 PART B: EDUCATION ON THE HOLOCAUST AND ON CONTEMPORARY ANTI-SEMITISM: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION........................................................................................................................ 111 I. EDUCATION ON THE HOLOCAUST AND CONTEMPORARY ANTI-SEMITISM: 4 COUNTRY OVERVIEWS................................................................................................................................. 113 BACKGROUND................................................................................................................................................... 113 GERMANY .......................................................................................................................................................... 115 POLAND.............................................................................................................................................................. 120 DENMARK .......................................................................................................................................................... 124 SPAIN.................................................................................................................................................................. 127 II. LESSONS TO BE LEARNED: EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION ....... 132 1. TEACHING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST TODAY: POSSIBILITIES AND CHALLENGES............................... 132 2. CONTEXTUALIZING HOLOCAUST EDUCATION: TEACHING JEWISH HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY JEWISH LIFE ...................................................................................................................................................... 147 3. REFLECTIONS ON ELEMENTS OF EDUCATION TO COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM....................................... 151 4. SUPPLEMENTING HOLOCAUST EDUCATION IN RESPONSE TO NEW FORMS OF ANTI-SEMITISM .... 156 5. EDUCATE THE EDUCATORS........................................................................................................................ 163 III. RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 165 ANNEXES ANNEX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE OSCE PARTICIPATING STATES ........................................................ 169 ANNEX 2: DECLARATION OF THE STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON THE HOLOCAUST 26-28 JANUARY 2000......................................................................................................................................... 170 ANNEX 3: DECLARATION OF THE BERLIN CONFERENCE ON ANTI-SEMITISM, 29 APRIL 2004 ............... 171 ANNEX 4: BRUSSELS DECLARATION OF THE OSCE CONFERENCE ON TOLERANCE AND THE FIGHT AGAINST RACISM, XENOPHOBIA AND DISCRIMINATION, 14 SEPTEMBER 2004....................................... 174 ANNEX 5: DOCUMENT OF THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL, MAASTRICHT 2003: DECISION NO. 4/03 ON TOLERANCE AND NON-DISCRIMINATION, MC.DEC/4/03, 2 DECEMBER 2003............................................ 178 ANNEX 6: ONLINE INFORMATION ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION................................................................ 181 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was developed by the ODIHR’s Programme on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination, with generous support from the Governments of Spain and the United States of America. Numerous institutions and experts participated in the preparations; their contribution is gratefully acknowledged: The Introduction was prepared by Karen Polak, Chair of the Educational Working Group, Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, and Head of Program Development of the Educational Department at Anne Frank House, Amsterdam. Based on the responses of participating States to a questionnaire sent to them by the ODIHR, Dr. Juliane Wetzel (Center for Research on Antisemitism, Technical University Berlin and Chair of the Academic Working Group, Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research) and Dr. Angelika Königseder of the Berlin Center for Research on Antisemitism, Technical University Berlin, contributed to the general analysis and recommendations on Holocaust education in Part A. The country overviews, analysis, and recommendations in Part B are based on the research and analysis prepared by Ms. Hanne Thoma (Task Force on Antisemitism and Education, American Jewish Committee Berlin) who was assisted by Barbara Schäuble (Task Force on Antisemitism and Education), Franziska Bruder, Frauke Büttner, and Thorsten Wagner, who carried out essential background research with the support of Deidre Berger, Managing Director, American Jewish Committee (Berlin Office). The following individuals and institutions also provided the ODIHR and experts with information or background research: Christine May Ament; Dr. Ilya Altman, Co-chairman, Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Center; Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director, International Jewish Affairs, American Jewish Committee; Richelle Budd Caplan, Director, Asper International Holocaust Studies Program, International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, Israel; Pascale Charhon, Director, and Carine Douenias, Project Manager, Centre Européen Juif d’Information in Belgium; Prof. Mikhail Chlenov, Secretary-General, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress; Cllr. Aba M. Dunner, Executive Director, Conference of European Rabbis; Stephen Feinberg, Director, National Outreach Education, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Jerold Gotel, Director of Overseas Projects at the London Jewish Cultural Centre; Dr. Felicitas Hentschke, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin Institute for Advanced Study; Neville Kluk, Chief Executive, European Council of Jewish Communities; Dr. Mónika Kovács, Hannah Arendt Association, Budapest; Mark Levin, Executive Director, and Lesley Weiss, Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs, National Conference on Soviet Jewry; Dr. Markus Meckl, Guðmundur Gunnarsson, and Jakob Þór Kristjánsson, University of Akureyri, Faculty of Law and Social Science, Akureyri, Iceland; Dr. Brigitte Mihok, Center for Research on Antisemitism, Technical University Berlin; Dr. Igor Shchupak, Director, Tkuma Central Ukrainian Holocaust Foundation; Tatiana Smolina, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, Herzen State Pedagogical University, St. Petersburg; Dr. Franklin J. Swartz, President, Voluntas, Belarus; Michael Whine, Community Security Trust; and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Poland. Dr. Peter Widmann of the Center for Research on Antisemitism, Technical University Berlin, and Dr. David M. Crowe of Elon University prepared input on Roma and Sinti. Within the ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Programme, Dr. Kathrin Meyer (Adviser on Anti- Semitism Issues), Anna Chipczyńska (Expert/Consultant), and Dennis van der Veur and Nav Purewall (Project Officers) developed this study and co-ordinated input received from above-mentioned individuals and institutions. Steven Wagenseil provided suggestions for editing and the final structure of the study. 1 PREFACE In the wake of a resurgence of anti-Semitism in parts of the OSCE region in recent years, OSCE participating States have strengthened their resolve to confront anti-Semitism as well as other forms of discrimination, intolerance, racism and xenophobia. Recognizing the role anti-Semitism played throughout history as a major threat to freedom, the OSCE Ministerial Councils at Porto (December 2002) and Maastricht (December 2003) and the OSCE Permanent Council in April 2004