LEGISLATION

Legislation recommending genocide education:

Bill: HB297
Date: 1996
Title: Regarding Public, Private, and Parochial School Education Of Human Rights Violations, Including Acts Of Genocide, The Holocaust, Slavery, And The Mass Starvation In Ireland From 1845 To 1850
Resolution:
A resolution was passed by the House which encourages the Department of Education to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides. The House Resolution states: “Regarding Public, Private And Parochial School Education Of Human Rights Violations, Including Acts Of Genocide, The Holocaust, Slavery And The Mass Starvation In Ireland From 1845-1850. Whereas, There is an inescapable link between violence and vandalism and ethnic and racial intolerance; and Whereas, Pennsylvania is proud of its enormous cultural diversity, and the teaching of tolerance must be made a priority if that cultural diversity is to remain one of this Commonwealth’s strengths; and Whereas, The General Assembly Finds, Recognizes, And Affirms The Importance Of Learning To Appreciate The Sanctity Of Life And The Dignity Of The Individual; And Whereas, National studies indicate that many students lack an understanding of organized attempts throughout history to eliminate various ethnic groups through a systematic program of mass killing or Genocide, Slavery, or the Mass Starvation in Ireland From 1845-1850; and Whereas, It is important that teachers who will be responsible for Holocaust, Genocide, Slavery, and The Mass Starvation in Ireland From 1845-1850 instruction have a full understanding of this subject in order to assure that their students derive the greatest possible benefit from this instruction; therefore be it Resolved that the House of Representatives urge each school board within this Commonwealth to provide for the inclusion of Holocaust, Genocide, Slavery, and The Mass Starvation in Ireland From 1845-1850 instruction in an appropriate place in the curriculum of al secondary school pupils; and be it further Resolved, That the House of Representatives urge the Department of education to recommend curriculum materials regarding Holocaust, Genocide, Slavery, and The Mass Starvation in Ireland From 1845-1850 instruction to local school districts; and be it further Resolved, That the House of Representatives urge the Department of Education to encourage local school districts to undertake training for teachers who will be involved in Holocaust, Genocide, Slavery, and the Mass Starvation in Ireland From 1845-1850 instruction and to assist local school districts in developing such teacher training programs; and be it further Resolved, That the instruction enable pupils to identify and analyze applicable theories concerning human nature and behavior, to understand that These Events Were a consequence of prejudice and discrimination and to understand that issues of moral dilemma and conscience have profound impact on life; and be it further Resolved, That the instruction further emphasize the personal responsibility that each citizen bears to fight racism and hatred whenever and wherever it happens; and be it further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of Education and to each school district within this Commonwealth.”

_________________________

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

There are no relevant academic standards.
_________________________

STATE RESOURCES

Holocaust Oral History Archive of Gratz College
7605 Old York Road
Melrose Park, PA 19027
Phone: 215.635.7300
URL: http://www.gratz.edu/page3216.aspx
E-mail: archives@gratz.edu
Contact: Josey G. Fisher

The Holocaust Oral History Archive of Gratz College seeks to record, preserve, and make available to scholars and researchers the testimonies of those who experienced the Nazi era, 1933-1945, in ghettos, camps, labor brigades, resistance forces, national armies, in hiding, and in rescue operations. The archives are dedicated to recording the cultural life of Pre-Hitler European Jewry.

Holocaust/Genocide Education Center
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
Phone: 610.436.2972
Contact: Dr. Jonathan C. Friedman
E-mail: jfriedman@wcupa.edu
URL: http://www.wcupa.edu/academics/holocaust

West Chester University has been a pioneer in Holocaust Studies since 1978 when an undergraduate course on the Holocaust was first offered. The program now includes a Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, a certification program, an undergraduate minor, a regional education center, and a library collection.

Holocaust Center of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
5738 Dalington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Phone: 412.421.1500
Contact: Dr. Edie B. Naveh
E-mail: ebnaveh@ujfpittsburgh.org
URL: http://www.ujf.net/section.html?id=395

The mission of Holocaust Center of Greater Pittsburgh is to educate teachers and students; to commemorate the lives of victims including anyone traumatized by the events of 1933-1945; and to document those events through the collection of artifacts, videos and oral histories of survivors. Our programs and exhibitions heighten public awareness, honor survivors, and keep memories alive.

National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education
Seton Hill University
Greensburg, PA 15601-1599
Phone: 724.830.1033
Contact: Sister Lois Sculco
E-mail: ncche@setonhill.edu
URL: http://www.setonhill.edu

The mission of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education is to counter anti-Semitism and to foster Catholic-Jewish relations by making the fruits of Holocaust scholarship accessible to educators at every level, especially in Catholic colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Holocaust Library and Resource Center/Albright College
F. Wilbur Gingrich Library
13th and Bern Streets- P.O. Box 15234
Reading, PA 19612-5234
Phone: 610.921.7214
Contact: Dan Tannenbaum
E-mail: hrc@alb.edu
URL: http://www.albright.edu/library/holocaust.html

The mission of the Holocaust Resource Center is to provide community awareness, information, audio-visual support and education about the Nazi Holocaust to prevent this tragic event from happening again.

The Last Album: Eyes From The Ashes from Auschwitz-Birkenau
Box 1136
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-7136
Phone: 610.527.3131
Contact: Ann Weiss
E-mail: thelastalbum@yahoo.com
URL: http://thelastalbum.org/content/?page_id=2

The website complements the book that Ann Weiss wrote after a trip in 1986 to Poland where she found a locked archive of over 2000 personal photographs, confiscated from Jews during the Holocaust.

Holocaust Education Resources Center of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania
601 Jefferson Avenue
Scranton, PA 18510
Phone: 570.961.2300
Contact: Tova Weiss, Director
E-mail: sljfhrc@gmail.net
URL: http://www.jfednepa.org/hmrc/

The Holocaust Education and Resource Center (HERC), established in 1994, is dedicated to the preservation of memory. The facts and lessons of pre-Holocaust life and of the Holocaust years are made known, remembered and taught in the hope of helping new generations create a better future and of stemming historical revisionism.

_________________________

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126
Phone: 717.783.6788
URL: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/