Close X
Saturday, September 21, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. commits to mandatory Holocaust education for Grade 10 students

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Oct, 2023 10:36 AM
  • B.C. commits to mandatory Holocaust education for Grade 10 students

British Columbia has plans to make Holocaust education mandatory for high school students with additions to Grade 10 curriculum coming in 2025.

It has been a "frightening time" for the Jewish community after deadly terrorists attacks by Hamas militants in Israel earlier this month, Premier David Eby told an audience at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Monday.

There has been a rise in antisemitism in the province, he said, pointing to examples including recent death threats against two Jewish women at a peaceful vigil and the vandalism of a rabbi's home in Surrey, B.C., with a Nazi swastika.

"If we really want to fight hate in this province, if we really want to stand up to antisemitism, it is critical that we learn from the past," Eby said. 

"We know how threats and hate can accelerate into violent acts and into horrific outcomes. We must ensure that the same horrors are not repeated. When we say 'never again' in relation to the Holocaust, we mean it," he said.

The premier said many B.C. teachers make a point of teaching their students about the murders of six million Jews and others by the Nazis during the Second World War as their classes discuss social justice, equality and the horrors of history.

But it hasn't been required curriculum, Eby said before announcing the change.

The Jewish community has been calling for mandatory Holocaust education for "many decades," he noted.

"We are going to work with the community to ensure that the content and the approach reflects the lived experience of this community, including, in particular, Holocaust survivors," he said, adding the voices of survivors are precious.

The B.C. government is "committed to broadening the scope of the required Grade 10 social studies curriculum," a statement from Eby's office said.

That will ensure students learn about the Holocaust while "learning about discriminatory policies and injustices in Canada and around the world," it said.

The changes will take effect in the 2025-26 school year to allow for consultation with the Jewish community and education partners, including the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.

Nina Krieger, executive director of the centre, said it's "truly heartbreaking" to see the last eyewitnesses to the Holocaust are now witnessing a surge in antisemitism.

The commitment to require Holocaust education for B.C. high school students is a meaningful step forward for survivors and their descendants in the province, she said.

The province's statement said further additions to the Grade 10 social studies curriculum will also be considered "to reflect the diversity and history of B.C. clearly."

"This includes more learning on topics such as the destruction of Hogan's Alley, Japanese internment and discrimination against other culturally diverse groups such as Muslim, East Asian, Black and South Asian communities," it said. 

Conversations with stakeholders will happen over the next year, it added.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Accident at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver kills heavy equipment operator

Accident at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver kills heavy equipment operator
An industrial accident at the Cypress Mountain Resort in West Vancouver has killed one person. West Vancouver police say it happened Tuesday. They say the operator of a front-end loader was caught under the rig as it overturned.

Accident at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver kills heavy equipment operator

Man charged for mischief: BCPS

Man charged for mischief: BCPS
The B-C Prosecution Service says a man has been charged with eight counts of mischief related to vandalism in Vancouver's Chinatown neighbourhood. The service says seven counts are related to graffiti, including three incidents on cultural property, and one is related to the defacing of a war memorial.

Man charged for mischief: BCPS

Funeral for B.C. Mountie Rick O'Brien, 51, killed while serving search warrant

Funeral for B.C. Mountie Rick O'Brien, 51, killed while serving search warrant
O'Brien, who was 51, died Sept. 22 while he and other officers were executing a search warrant at a home in Coquitlam.  He was shot and died at the scene, while two other officers and the suspect were injured.

Funeral for B.C. Mountie Rick O'Brien, 51, killed while serving search warrant

Ambulance crashes into lamppost

Ambulance crashes into lamppost
B-C Emergency Health Service says an ambulance with five people on board, including one patient, crashed into a lamppost in Vancouver early this morning. The service says the ambulance had its lights and sirens on as it transported the patient between hospitals, accompanied by a nurse escort and three paramedics.

Ambulance crashes into lamppost

3 charged with First Degree Murder in Pawandeep Chopra's homicide

3 charged with First Degree Murder in Pawandeep Chopra's homicide
Surrey R-C-M-P say three men are facing charges in connection with the murder of 24-year-old Pawandeep Chopra in November last year. The Mounties say Chopra died two days after officers were first called about a patient suffering from gunshot injuries at the local hospital.

3 charged with First Degree Murder in Pawandeep Chopra's homicide

One dead in Cloverdale crash

One dead in Cloverdale crash
Mounties in Surrey say one person is dead after a crash this morning and they're asking for any witnesses or drivers with dash-cam footage to come forward. Police say they responded to the two-vehicle crash in the Cloverdale area shortly before 10 a-m and the victim was declared dead at the scene.  

One dead in Cloverdale crash