Support Holocaust Education in New Mexico Schools – critical to take action quickly

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Support Holocaust education in the schools

Over the past 5-6 years several leaders in the New Mexico Jewish community, including from the Jewish Federation of New Mexico (z”l) and SFMEW, have discussed with state legislators the need to require Holocaust education in the schools.  While nothing concrete occurred previously, there now is a bill introduced into the House, the “Holocaust and Genocide Studies Act” (House Bill 111) that adds to the Public School Code the following:

[NEW MATERIAL] HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES.–School districts and charter schools shallHB 111 – Holocaust and Genocide Education provide age- and grade-appropriate instruction about the Holocaust, genocide and human rights for students in seventh through twelfth grade.

This bill’s overall language related to the Holocaust has language essentially identical to the ADL’s recommended language.  Representatives from Bernalillo County, Pamelya Herndon and Meredith Dixon, have introduced this act.  The full Bill can be found here or download it:   HB 111 – Holocaust and Genocide Education

You can help:  Take Action.

  1.  TODAY – Call AND email your NM House representative and ask him/her to support this legislation.  You can find your House member’s phone number and email address at the following website:  https://www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_My_Legislator .  For those in the central Santa Fe area whose representative used to be Brian Egolf (District 47), his successor is Reena Szczepanski.  Her contact information:  505-986-4777;  reena.szczepanski@nmlegis.gov .    Andrea Romero from Santa Fe County also sits on the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee:  andrea@andrearomero.com; 505-986-4243      Also, write to the other HC&PA Committee members to encourage them to move the bill out of committee.  Their information is listed below.
  2. ATTEND – the first House hearing on this on Thursday, February 9 at 1:30 in room 317 at the Capitol, where this is being taken up by the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee.  Bring your friends and testify in support of the act.

Your message doesn’t have to be involved or detailed.  A simple “I’m calling (emailing) to support House Bill 111 the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Act.  Please actively work for this Bill’s passage.”  A more involved email/call could cite some of the talking points below.

 

Talking points (source here):  

  1. The American public as a whole is under-educated about the Holocaust.  A 2020 nationwide survey of 11,000 people showed that, among adults under age 40, 10% had never heard the word “Holocaust”.
  2. Millennials and Gen Z respondents in this survey were unclear about the basic facts of the genocide:  they didn’t know that Jews were targeted and 6 million were killed; over 50% thought the death toll was fewer than 2 million.
  3. While over 40,000 concentration camps and ghettos were established during WW II, nearly 50% of respondents could not name a single one.
  4. 7% of respondents weren’t sure the Holocaust actually happened, and 3% denied that it did.  Unbelievably, 11% of the respondents thought that the Jews caused the Holocaust.
  5. 22% of respondents thought the Holocaust occurred during World War I, and 5% said it was during the Civil War.
  6. 20 US States require Holocaust education, and 3 encourage it.  The US Holocaust museum lists the states that require it:

Arizona, Arkansas,  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida

Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire

New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin

7. An additional 3 states “encourage” Holocaust education:  Alabama, Pennsylvania, Washington

8.  Curricula for teaching Holocaust Education are available from various sources – this is not something that requires New Mexico to develop on its own.  See for example the US Holocaust Memorial Museum website here.  Several states have resource libraries as well, including our neighbor, Colorado (see here).

9.  Passing this bill will help increase student success in New Mexico.  Students who receive Holocaust and Intolerance training at least one time during their secondary years are more likely to embrace the wonderful diversity of their fellow students, and it will help them grow into respectful and productive citizens.

Call/email your House representative NOW.

Also, call/write the Committee members:

Email Name District / County House Phone # Role – Party
joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov Joanne J. Ferrary 37 – Dona Ana 505-986-4844 Chair – D
angelica.rubio@nmlegis.gov Angelica Rubio 35 – Dona Ana 505-986-4210 Vice Chair – D
stefani.lord@nmlegis.gov Stefani Lord 22 – Bernalillo & Torrance 505-986-4453 Ranking Member – R
john.block@nmlegis.gov John Block 51 – Otero 505-986-4220 Member – R
andrea@andrearomero.com Andrea Romero 46 – Santa Fe 505-986-4243 Member – D
liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov Elizabeth “Liz” Thomson 24 – Bernalillo 505-986-4425 Member – D

Thanks in advance for your efforts.

Thanks to Scott Levin from ADL’s Mountain States Regional office in Denver.