United Nations, UNESCO to Mark Anniversary of November 1938 Pogrom with Online Discussion on ‘Holocaust Education in Crisis’, 10 November

The United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will host a discussion entitled, “Holocaust education in crisis?  Challenges and responses”, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 10 November.  The programme will examine the implications of recent surveys of Holocaust education and possible responses to the challenges and opportunities they raise.

Discussions about Holocaust education usually focus on three main questions:  what should be taught, how should it be taught and to what end?  Recent surveys have shown that historical knowledge of the Holocaust is in decline, while related disinformation and misinformation is on the rise.  Simultaneously, research suggests a connection between positive student attitudes towards human rights and activism and their exposure to Holocaust education.  The diverse panel of experts will consider the implications of this research for their field.

Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division in the United Nations Department of Global Communications, and Cecilia Barbieri, Chief of the Global Citizenship and Peace Education Section at UNESCO, will deliver welcoming remarks.  Tracey Petersen, Manager of Education Outreach at the Department of Global Communications, will present the frame for the discussion.

The panel will comprise Gretchen Skidmore, Director of Education Initiatives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Debórah Dwork, Founding Director, The Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The Graduate Center–The City University of New York; Stuart Foster, Executive Director, Center for Holocaust Education, University College London; Elke Gryglewski, Head of the Educational Department, Memorial and Educational Site, House of the Wannsee Conference; and Yael Siman, Associate Professor, Department of Social and Political Science, Iberoamericana University.  Karel Fracapane, Programme Specialist, Global Citizenship and Peace Education Section, UNESCO, will moderate.

The event is open to the public and will be broadcast via Zoom.  Please register to attend the event at https://bit.ly/35Gco04.

Media contacts:  United Nations — Tracey Petersen at email:  petersen3@un.org; UNESCO — Karel Fracapane at email:  k.fracapane@unesco.org.