Holocaust and Genocide

Arizona Holocaust and Genocide Education Resources

In 2021, House Bill 2241 was signed into law requiring students to receive instruction in the Holocaust and other genocides at least once in either grade seven or grade eight and at least once in high school in their social studies courses. Although this instruction is required as part of the 2018 History and Social Science Standards, this legislation further stresses the importance of these topics and events.  

This webpage provides resources, training, and support for educators in meeting this requirement. It also houses the work of the Task Force on The Holocaust and Other Genocides - a Toolkit for teachers and students.

 

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Guidelines for Teaching the Holocaust and Genocides for Arizona Teachers Webinar

Arizona History and Social Science Standards

 

The Taskforce on "The Holocaust and Other Genocides" is a collaborative effort among Arizona's three public universities, several community colleges, high-school educators, and representatives of civic organizations who are committed to teaching about these atrocities in order to prevent future suffering.  The Arizona State Board of Education in October 2020 adopted revisions to the Minimum Course of Study and Competency Goals for Arizona schools.  These changes require teaching about the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between the seventh and twelfth grades. The Taskforce has prepared a special toolkit to enable educators in middle schools and high schools to teach the causes, progression, and significance of these historical events.  By teaching about the Holocaust and other genocides, Arizona's public schools will ensure that its youth will become responsible, informed, and empathetic adult citizens who can use their knowledge to prevent injustices and human suffering.  This toolkit will be periodically updated and enhanced.

All materials in Toolkit 1.0 are exemplary and not comprehensive.  Materials cover the Holocaust as well as several other genocides.  The Taskforce decided to limit other genocide examples to four case studies where genocidal violence and ethnic cleansing occurred: Armenia (the first modern genocidal atrocity), former Yugoslavia (Europe: a recent ethnocide with genocidal moments), Rwanda (Africa: the fastest-moving genocidal killing in the 20th century), and Native Americans (long legacy of displacements, massacres, and genocidal killings in the Americas).

The Taskforce welcomes comments from teachers and educators.  We want to know what works and what could be better.  Send your comments to: [email protected]

  • Taskforce book recommendations for students in grades K-6
  • Taskforce book recommendations for students in grades 7-12
  • The Shadow of Death: Holocaust in Lithuania, by Harry Gordon - (grades 7-12) - The Shadow of Death describes the invasion of Kovno by the Red Army and the impact of Soviet occupation from the perspective of the ghetto's weakest and poorest class. It also serves as a reminder that the Germans were not alone responsible for the persecution and extermination of Jews.
  • The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz, by Thomas Geve - (grades 7-12) - An inspiring true story of hope and survival, this is the testimony of a boy who was imprisoned in Auschwitz, Gross-Rosen and Buchenwald and recorded his experiences through words and color drawings.