It seems as though barely a week ever goes by without me reading another article about the alleged failures of Holocaust education. Last week, it was Baroness Ruth Deech – for whom I hold a great deal of respect – writing in the pages of The JC, ‘Holocaust education is not working in the fight against contemporary antisemitism’.
On the one hand, I get immediately defensive anytime I see something in the public domain that takes the line that Holocaust education is not working. It feels like an attack on the field I have been working in for over 20 years and the hard work of many incredibly talented colleagues. On the other hand, there is not a lot contained in Baroness Deech’s argument that I disagree with.
As it happens, this intervention in the ongoing debate about the future direction of Holocaust education was very well timed, for it was published just as more than 90 Holocaust education experts were packing their bags to attend the AJR’s educational forum, Remembering & Rethinking 2026: Convening the Sector, hosted by the University of Huddersfield.
Some of the very questions that Baroness Deech raises were already on the two-day programme. To what extent is it reasonable to expect that learning about the Holocaust will inoculate against contemporary antisemitism? How do we measure the impact of Holocaust education – or what exactly would it “working” look like? And are the shortcomings of Holocaust education ones that we in this sector have the power to fix, or are they the product of wider, institutional issues with how our schools work (or don’t work as the case may be)?
The impetus for this gathering was the launch of the AJR’s research report What Next for Holocaust Education, Research and Remembrance in the UK? Its analysis was culled from interviews and written reports from more than 50 professionals representing over 30 different organisations in this sector. Meeting up in Huddersfield (home to the fabulous Holocaust Centre North – shout out to our friends doing great work there) was an opportunity for colleagues to take a critical look at the report findings and then discuss what, practically, to do about them.
These experts know that we are at a transition point and that our work needs to adapt, as it always has done. The passing of so many survivors of and eyewitnesses to the Shoah fundamentally changes how younger generations will perceive it; and the surge in antisemitism that Baroness Deech quite rightly decries means that the climate in which we are operating is already disadvantageous.
I’m not sure that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between Holocaust education and rising antisemitism, though I have an open mind. What I would like to see, firstly, is evidence. And secondly, I would like to see workable solutions being proposed – solutions which recognise that teachers are already overstretched; that though we may not like to admit it, Holocaust education may not be their top priority; that Britain’s educational systems are not very well set up for whatever an ‘ideal’ model of Holocaust education might look like.
The frustration felt by many about the frightening rise in antisemitism, and the confusion about how this could be happening in light of the millions of pounds spent on educating about the Holocaust, is understandable. But I would argue that a more probable explanation is that this is happening in spite of the efforts of many organisations and experts – not because of them. Think of how much worse the situation would be if these organisations weren’t running their many innovative programmes and projects.
And as I looked around our meeting room in Huddersfield, watching dozens of colleagues, sleeves literally rolled up and working in cooperation to solve our collective challenges, I felt inspired and reassured. “It’s not going to be easy,” I thought to myself. “But we’ve got this.”
Alex Maws, Head of Education & Heritage – AJR
