Today, @Liberation_75 & I launch the results of our new study on #Holocaust denial and #antisemitism among 3600 North American teens. We've been working on this for the entirety of the pandemic &—as a Holocaust scholar—I found the results shocking.
liberation75.org/survey
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liberation75.org/survey
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The most surprising? 1/3 of respondents said that the Holocaust is fabricated or exaggerated.
Where do students get this information?
- 40% said they learn about the Holocaust on social media
- 42% talked about movies and tv shows (yes, Marvel)
- 12% said video games...
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Where do students get this information?
- 40% said they learn about the Holocaust on social media
- 42% talked about movies and tv shows (yes, Marvel)
- 12% said video games...
2/8
This tells an obvious story about the dangerous effects of disinformation & misinformation on social media & on TV. But there's more-
42% of respondents (remember these are kids) said they unequivocally observed an antisemitic event (even while Jews are < 2% of the pop).
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42% of respondents (remember these are kids) said they unequivocally observed an antisemitic event (even while Jews are < 2% of the pop).
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Finally, we had a huge turnout from across the state of Florida, where Holocaust education is mandated K-12. FL students were, on av., more likely than Ontario students to identify antisemitism as a problem & less likely to engage in Holocaust denial. fldoe.org/holocausteduca…
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4/8
A sidebar on teaching Holocaust to young kids: I worked as a gr. 7 Holocaust teacher and a Holocaust curriculum writer prior to my PhD at @UofT_PolSci/@CJSUofT. Holocaust education for young kids is not about concentration camps & gas vans, but about bullying and tolerance.
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About the respondents:
- Grades 6-12 (maj. from 6th-8th)
- Extremely diverse across racial/ ethnic/ religious/ socio-economic/ & geographic lines.
- 78.6% Canadian schools, the rest US.
[Example illustrations: dist. by grade & by religion (student vs. their adults)]
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- Grades 6-12 (maj. from 6th-8th)
- Extremely diverse across racial/ ethnic/ religious/ socio-economic/ & geographic lines.
- 78.6% Canadian schools, the rest US.
[Example illustrations: dist. by grade & by religion (student vs. their adults)]
6/8
MANY wonderful teachers and schools (looking at you @tdsb) doing great work in Holocaust and genocide education, but it's absent in too many classrooms. This is part of why students get info from TikTok and Marvel. We're calling for mandates to make this learning consistent.
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7/8
As the granddaughter of survivors and as someone raised by one of those survivors, I grew up with Holocaust education in the home from a very young age. From both a personal and professional perspective, I feel privileged to work on this study and hope it inspires change.
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