The Jewish Federations of North America
Final coalition letter on Never Again Education Act to House Education & Workforce Committee Leadership and House Leadership.
The Honorable Virginia Foxx
Chair
House Education and Workforce Committee
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Bobby Scott
Ranking Member
House Education and Workforce Committee
Washington, DC 20515
June 25, 2018
Dear Chairwoman Foxx and Ranking Member Scott:
We, the 76 undersigned organizations and institutions, support the Never Again Education Act (H.R. 5460), a bipartisan bill that uses private donations to provide teachers with the resources and training they need to teach children the important lessons of the Holocaust and the consequences of bigotry and hate. As organizations that support Holocaust education as a vital part of our children’s learning experience, we are proud to support this bill that ensures more middle schools and high schools will have the opportunity to educate their students about the Holocaust.
We face a stark contrast today: As the number of living Holocaust survivors and eyewitnesses dwindles, Holocaust denial and ignorance are becoming much more prevalent. Now, it is more important than ever that survivor stories be told to audiences around the globe. Unfortunately, far too many students in the United States grow up without basic knowledge of the events of the Holocaust. A survey released in April 2018 by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany shows that Americans are forgetting about the Holocaust, or are completely unaware it occurred. For instance, forty-nine percent of millennials cannot name a single concentration camp. Thirty-one percent of Americans believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust, even though six million Jews and millions of others perished. Fifty-two percent of Americans are unaware that Hitler came to power through a democratic election. We must do better and we need your continuing leadership to do so.
Teachers face many barriers to teaching the Holocaust, including: a lack of awareness of where to find resources; a lack of funding to take advantage of these resources; and a lack of knowledge for how to incorporate the subject into their curricula. This program will help teachers overcome these barriers at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
By encouraging curriculum experts at the Department of Education to work with private Holocaust education centers and other experts, this bill provides an innovative forum for competitive grants, regional workshops, valuable training programs, curriculum and other resources. Instead of being limited to helping the schools in one area, this program helps reach a broader audience and provide teachers with the tools to educate students in communities across the country.
The Never Again Education Act will send a strong message to the global stage that the United States recognizes the importance of Holocaust education at the highest level. Respectfully, we ask for an expedited markup hearing of the H.R. 5460 and its swift passage on the House floor. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions about the Never Again Education
Act, please contact Mindy Brodsky, Jewish Federation of North America’s Director of Government Affairs, at [email protected].
Sincerely,
National Organizations
Agudath Israel of America
American Zionist Movement
Amud Aish Memorial Museum
Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect
Anti-Defamation League
Association of Holocaust Organizations, Board of Directors
B’nai B’rith International
BBYO International Teen Board
Cantors Assembly
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
The Jewish Federations of North America
Jewish War Veterans of the USA
Jewish Women International
National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry
National Council of Jewish Women
National Museum of American Jewish Military History
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
ORT America
Project Witness
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Southern Poverty Law Center
Union for Reform Judaism
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
WIZO, USA
World Jewish Restitution Organization
Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)
State and Local Organizations
Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service (Florida)
Baltimore Jewish Council
Baltimore Zionist District
Camden County Chapter of Hadassah (New Jersey)
Charleston Jewish Federation
Cincinnati Jewish Community Relations Council
Collat Jewish Family Services (CJFS) (Alabama)
Congregation Beth Tikvah, Wantagh, New York
Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island
Dave & Mary Alper JCC (Florida)
Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services (Florida)
Hillels of Westchester
Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (New York)
The Holocaust & Humanity Center (Ohio)
The Holocaust Memorial Center (Michigan)
Holocaust Museum Houston
Illinois Holocaust Museum
Jewish Board (New York)
Jewish Child & Family Services of Chicago
JEWISHcolorado
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
Jewish Community Relations Council of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation
Jewish Family & Career Services of Atlanta
Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis
Jewish Family & Child Service of Portland
Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay
Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles
Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey
Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Jewish Family Service of Seattle
Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City
Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley
Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut
Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis
Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
Jewish Federation of Greater Portland
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
Jewish Federation of New Mexico
JEVS Human Services (Pennsylvania)
JFCS Pittsburgh
JVS Chicago
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Ohio Jewish Communities
Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (Florida)
Savannah Jewish Federation
The School District of Philadelphia
UJA Federation New York
CC: House Education and Workforce Committee Members; House Speaker Paul Ryan; House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy; House Majority Whip Steve Scalise; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer