Learning about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism is the new norm for school-age kids in Florida public schools.
A new bill, H.B.1213, was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 27, which directs public schools to teach about anti-Semitism during Holocaust instruction and requires the Florida Department of Education to give schools curriculum standards for teaching the subject in grades K-12.
The department would be required to create a process for schools to annually certify and provide evidence of compliance with the Holocaust instructional requirements.
This bill, introduced by Rep. Randy Fine, (R-Brevard County) and Sen. Lauren Book (D-Plantation), is the result of an incident in April 2018, when then-principal of the Spanish River Community High School in Boca Raton, William Latson, wrote in an email to a parent, “Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened.”
In a community with many Jewish residents and an estimated 12,000 actual Holocaust survivors residing in Palm Beach County, this statement caused an uproar and a call to action. One-third of Americans do not believe that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and two-thirds of Millennials don’t know what Auschwitz is.
“I couldn’t be happier that this bill was signed,” said Book from home where she is quarantining due to COVID-19. “It’s about ensuring there is consistency in Holocaust education.”
The legislation took effect on July 1. According to multiple sources, including a spokesperson from Senator Book’s office and a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County School District, the curriculum is mandatory and not elective. No one will be permitted to “opt-out.”
In Broward County, Daniel Gohl, Chief Academic Officer, says: “Instruction is embedded in our core curriculum and, therefore, all students receive the instruction.”
Book brought Czechoslovakian-born Magdalen Bader, an Auschwitz survivor who was nine when the war broke out, to testify in front of the committee in Tallahassee for 45 minutes about her travails under Nazi rule and says, “Her testimony was so powerful. You could hear a pin drop; there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
“One of the lessons is: Don’t be a bystander,” says Book. “Use your voice. Don’t sit quietly by; this is something we need to ingrain early in our students’ education.”
Fine, the only Jewish member of the Florida House of Representatives said the bill is critical to not only teach about the Holocaust but to teach the definition of anti-Semitism. “This will take the law to the next level,” he said.
The history of the Holocaust (1933-1945), will be taught in a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, an understanding of the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping, and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person, for the purposes of encouraging tolerance of diversity
in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and protecting democratic values and institutions, including the policy, definition, and historical
and current examples of anti-Semitism and the prevention of anti-Semitism.
H.B.1213
Each school district must annually certify and provide evidence to the department, in a manner prescribed by the department, that the requirements of this paragraph are met.
Also included in the bill is an amendment introduced by Sen. Randolph Bracy (D-Ocoee) to include the teaching of the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots, which annihilated the black population near Orlando due to outrage over a black man – Julius “July” Perry, attempting to exercise his legal right to vote in a presidential election. Ku Klux Klan members rioted and burned black-owned businesses and residences to the ground. An estimated 30 to 50 black citizens died in the massacre.
“The signing of this legislation will spread the story of the Ocoee Massacre into museum exhibits and classrooms, and will inscribe victims’ names into school buildings and state parks,” Bracy said.
“Now more than ever it is paramount we educate our citizenry about the origins of racial conflict and its manifestations in policies that are anti-black, anti-democratic, and anti-human,” said Bracy. “I am proud to have sponsored this historic piece of legislation and am grateful for Senator Book’s partnership in getting this bill across the finish line.”
“Many people, including myself, were unfamiliar with this historical event,” says Book.
Local residents herald new bill
Parkland residents of twenty years, Alan and Felice Rosenthal have three sons–Josh, Matt, and Daniel – who have attended Parkland schools, including Park Trails, West Glades, and MSD. They are pleased that the governor has signed this bill into law.
“As the survivors die off, we need to remember their stories,” says Felice Rosenthal, a mom, and former educator. “It’s important to keep their stories alive, even when they won’t be.”
Members of Congregation Kol-Tikvah, their three sons attended religious school and were bar-mitzvahed there. While not overly observant, the Rosenthals say they value being part of a Jewish community.
In 1990, Felice Rosenthal took part in the March of the Living, an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust.
Her son, Josh, who just graduated from MSD was scheduled to participate last April, but the event was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Felice Rosenthal remembers meeting many actual survivors and hearing the late Elie Wiesel, himself a survivor of Auschwitz, speak at the concentration camp in Poland and said it has left a lasting impression in her memory.
“Every time I hear a survivor speak about their experiences and how horrendous it was, it gives me chills,” says Felice Rosenthal. “Our kids need to be taught this history and how it happened. It’s not something we can forget.”
“This bill makes it standard for all kids across the state,” says Alan Rosenthal, an estate planning attorney. “With anti-Semitism on the rise, having this mandated in the public schools will be beneficial. As the number of survivors decline, and we lose their first-hand accounts of the Holocaust, this ensures that educators take over and every student will understand what happened and how to prevent it.”
“Having the history of the Holocaust and the definition of anti-Semitism taught together makes this bill more impactful,” says Alan Rosenthal. “We hope the legacy of this bill is a kinder and gentler society.”
Evan Goldman, VP, Community Planning and Government Relations at the Jewish Federation of Broward County, said the Federation has advocated for increased education around anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.
“More than ever, there is a need for high standards in Holocaust education,” says Goldman. “Education is the touchstone to long-lasting community change.”
He’s appreciative of the efforts of The Holocaust Documentation & Education Center (HDEC), which spent time lobbying for the initiative in Tallahassee. The HDEC is devoted to documenting the memory of the Holocaust and educating today’s generation about the dangers of bigotry, hatred and intolerance.
“It was a masterstroke to wrap Holocaust education and anti-Semitism into one bill along with the teaching of the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots,” says Goldman. “Rep. Randy Fine, Sen. Lauren Book and Sen. Randolph Bracy should be commended for bringing it all together.”
“The bill is important so the next generation understands that anti- Semitism and racism are insidious and simply cannot be tolerated,” Goldman stated. “It’s important that we stand up against hate and intolerance.”
“It’s gratifying to see both the Jewish and black communities united in their response to hatred, in whatever form,” says Goldman. “We are stronger together.”
By Jan Engoren