Holocaust education in Israeli high schools becomes non-mandatory following Oct. 7
The Education Ministry clarified that this decision would currently only be valid for the 2024 school year if it were to come to fruition.
Holocaust education in Israel's high school curriculum has become non-mandatory, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
Earlier in the week, Israel's Education Ministry said Holocaust education might become non-mandatory in Israel's high school curriculum.
According to the Ministry, the decision to remove Holocaust education from the curriculum came after many requests from both parents and professionals who had claimed that the study of the Holocaust following the October 7 massacre could lead to emotional and mental difficulty among students.
Should Holocaust education be mandatory following the October 7 attacks?
Before the statement was made, consultations in the Education Ministry discussed how to proceed in making Holocaust education non-mandatory due to the important nature of the subject.
The Education Ministry emphasized that the decision would not remove the topic of the Holocaust from the curriculum entirely, rather, it would cause the subject to be under the discretion of the school's high school teacher, who would have the ability to choose whether or not to include the subject on a case-to-case basis, which would depend on the emotional state of students.
The Education Ministry clarified that this decision would currently only be valid for the 2024 school year.
Halting the decision
However, Education Minister Yoav Kisch was instructed to halt the decision to make Holocaust studies optional until there is further clarity regarding the complex matter.
"The supervisor of the history department in the Education Ministry asked to allow the high school students to have the option to choose whether or not to be tested on the Holocaust chapter of the curriculum for the matriculation exam in the 2024 school year. In light of the sensitivity of the matter, the decision is to be currently halted to analyze it further," stated Kisch.
The Education Ministry's statement comes a day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.
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