Statement Condemning Texas School Administrator’s Push to Teach an “Opposing View” of the Holocaust
October 15, 2021
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio, along with its Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio and Jewish Community Relations Council, are horrified at the recent comments made by the Carroll Independent School District’s Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction advising teachers to offer books with an “opposing view” on the Holocaust. Although the school district has since retracted its statement, it is only the beginning of serious consequences from a bill that puts all educators on edge about teaching important historical topics.
This directive is in response to Texas House Bill 3979 passed by the Texas legislature earlier this year. It follows Texas Senate Bill 1828 in the fall of 2019 which officially created an annual Holocaust Remembrance Week in public schools. This educational week was created to “educate students about the Holocaust and inspire in students a sense of responsibility to recognize and uphold human value and to prevent future atrocities.”
The Holocaust is one of the world’s most well-documented historical events. Our community’s Holocaust survivors, as well as all other survivors around the world, are a living testament to the accuracy of the history we teach through our Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio exhibits and academic curriculum. There is no “opposing view” to the systematic annihilation and genocide of six million Jews specifically, and 11 million total victims of the Nazi regime.
We thank Senator José Menéndez, sponsor of Texas Holocaust Remembrance Week Senate Bill 1828, for his unequivocal and urgent response to the Texas Education Agency requesting “immediate action be taken to refute hateful and racist rhetoric in our Texas public schools. Moreover, [Senator Menéndez requested] a thorough review of how Texas public schools are implementing House Bill 3979.”
The Jewish community of San Antonio calls upon all Texans to speak out against this requirement suggesting “opposing views” to objectively confirmed historical truths such as the Holocaust.
Please use the below links to contact your Texas elected officials by phone or email and urge their absolute support in amending the loopholes of HB 3979 that allow for hateful and racist rhetoric in our public schools.
A simple script to follow is to…
(a) Request that they act now and address this during the current special legislative session;
(b) Make it clear that Holocaust education needs no “opposing view”; and
(c) Insist that Holocaust education is still an essential subject matter that should not be avoided because of this poorly written bill.
Texas Lt. Governor – Dan Patrick
Texas Speaker of the House – Dade Phelan
Find your local Texas Senators and Representatives HERE
Michael Swanson
Board Chair, Jewish Federation of San Antonio
Nehemia “Nammie” Ichilov
President & CEO, Jewish Federation of San Antonio
Linda Solis
Chair, Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio Commission
Leslie Davis Met
Interim Director, Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio
Mina Lopez
Chair, Jewish Community Relations Council
Lisa Epstein
Director, Jewish Community Relations Council