JCRC Statement Applauding Congress on the Passage of the
“Never Again Holocaust Education Act”
Monday, May 18, 2020
The Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council applauds the United States Congress for passing House Resolution 934 and Senate Resolution 2085, collectively known as the “Never Again Holocaust Education Act.”
This Act will significantly enhance Holocaust education throughout the United States by providing schools with direct support to develop programs, create teacher training opportunities, buy textbooks, schedule field trips, and bring first and second-generation survivors into classrooms. It will also create a central hub at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to provide schools with resources and best practices to teach about the Holocaust and its critically important and enduring lessons.
The JCRC joined nearly 1,800 Holocaust survivors and 350 other Jewish communal organizations across the country in advocating for the bill, and we worked directly with several of our Congressional offices across Indiana and in meetings on Capitol Hill, to urge Members to co-sponsor this legislation.
We would like to specifically thank Senators Young and Braun, and Representatives Banks, Brooks, Bucshon, Carson, and Walorski for adding their names as cosponsors of this legislation. We would also like to thank Indiana’s full Congressional delegation for their support and unanimous votes of approval.
The Never Again Holocaust Education Act, in conjunction with the State of Indiana’s Holocaust education curriculum mandate (supported by JCRC, passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2007, and strengthened in 2019), alongside the deep commitment to Holocaust education – not only from within the organized Jewish community, but also from educators, schools, museums, and civic partners throughout Indiana – ensure that Hoosier students will continue to learn the facts, explore the lessons, and apply them to positively influence their actions today.
During this 75th anniversary year of the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of World War II, with the number of living survivors dwindling every day, with approximately two-thirds of the world’s population knowing little or nothing of the Holocaust according to the ADL, and in light of the shocking and consistent rise in expressions and violent acts of antisemitism in recent years, the passage of the Never Again Holocaust Education Act is more important today than ever.
###
For all media inquiries:
Aaron Welcher, JCRC Communications Coordinator
317.376.0468
