New York, NY, May 13, 2020 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today welcomed Senate passage of the Never Again Education Act, H.R. 943, which would provide federal funding to help give teachers across the country the necessary resources to teach about the Holocaust in their classrooms. The bill passed the House on January 27 and now goes to the President for his signature.
“I am grateful for the leadership of Senators Jacky Rosen and Kevin Cramer, and Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Elise Stefanik, and to all Senators for passing this bill today, during Jewish American Heritage Month, to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust will be passed from one generation to the next,” said ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt. “Through the study of the Holocaust, students can grow as responsible citizens in a democratic society and develop critical thinking, empathy, and social justice skills for the future. We look forward to President Trump signing the bill into law and to working closely with teachers and districts across the country to ensure that Holocaust education is uniform and consistent across the country.”
With the passage of time, memory of the Holocaust has faded. A recent Pew study indicates that Millennials know less about the Holocaust than previous generations. ADL’s Global 100 poll determined that only an estimated 54% of the entire world population has even heard of the Holocaust. A survey released by ADL in January found that 19 percent of American adults say, “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.”
H.R. 943, which passed today, was introduced by Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). The Senate companion, S. 2085, was introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
The Never Again Education Act would address the gap in knowledge by expanding the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s education programming to teachers across the country, requiring the Museum to develop and disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and educate individuals on the lessons of the Holocaust as a means to promote the importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry against any group of people.
The bill also authorizes $10 million over five years to go to these activities. ADL supported a letter led by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Jacky Rosen to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, asking for the funding to ensure implementation of Holocaust education programming.
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is the first call when acts of antisemitism occur. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.