Holocaust and Genocide

Arizona Holocaust and Genocide Education Resources

In 2024, HB 2779 amended ARS 15-701.02 to read: the state board of education shall include a requirement that students be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides for at least three school days, or the equivalent, on at least two separate occasions during any of grades seven through twelve. 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.

“We believe it is important for students to know the history of genocides so we will all be determined to never let that happen again. However, it is important to note that no individual is responsible for any crimes committed by his or her ethnic group in the past. All individuals must be treated with respect. In the context of learning about genocide in the past, it is important to learn this moral message.” 

-- Tom Horne, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction

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

Arizona History and Social Science Standards (PDF Document)

 

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).

  • Taskforce book recommendations for students in grades K-6

  • Taskforce book recommendations for students in grades 7-12

  • Death and Diamonds: The Story of Samuel Soldinger, A Legacy of Oskar Schindler by Laura Soldinger Yotter and Valerie Lee