A man walks next to the ''Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) gate at the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim, Poland, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau are gathering to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp in the final months of World War II, amid horror that yet another war has shattered the peace in Europe. The camp was liberated by Soviet troops on Jan. 27, 1945. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk)

By CKOM News Staff

Saskatchewan makes Holocaust education mandatory in schools

Nov 20, 2023 | 12:01 PM

Studying the Holocaust will soon be a requirement for high school students across Saskatchewan.

According to the Ministry of Education, a renewed curriculum for Social Studies 10 will soon include a mandatory unit on the genocide perpetrated by Nazi Germany, which continued through the end of the Second World War.

More than six million European Jews were killed at extermination camps during the Holocaust, and the aftermath of the mass murders helped lead to the establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948.

During Israel’s war on Hamas, following the terrorist organization’s attacks on Israeli civilians in October, antisemitic incidents have been reported around the world, including in Canada, leaving many Jewish groups concerned. A campaign by B’nai Brith Canada encouraged provincial governments to make Holocaust education mandatory.

“Antisemitism, unfortunately, is a prejudice that remains a problem in Canada,” Jeremy Cockrill, Saskatchewan’s education minister, said in a statement.

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“Knowledge of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust is important for our youth as it helps reduce hate and discrimination in society.”

The renewed curriculum is expected to be introduced to Saskatchewan’s high schools in the 2025-26 school year, the ministry noted, and the renewal and implementation will involve both teachers and experts on the content.

“The Ministry of Education will work with the Jewish community for their input into the compulsory Holocaust content,” the government noted.

The curriculum change follows similar decisions by other provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.

Saskatchewan’s government has provided support to Israel in its current conflict, including a donation of $100,000 to help purchase ambulances.

— With files from The Canadian Press