Recently, there was some good news reported coming out of Washington DC that has some very strong connections to New York. It's also officially the law of the land.
U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik -- who proudly represents New York’s 21st District -- co-led legislation to reauthorize her bipartisan Never Again Education Act, which provides teachers across the country with resources and training needed to teach our children about the important lessons of the Holocaust.
The Never Again Education Act is much-needed and once again places a focus on the importance of Holocaust Education across the country. A win in Washington DC is a win for the state of New York, who often falls behind in this area. It's also a recognition of the on-going work being done by the Staten Island Holocaust Center in keeping the local community informed and engaged with Holocaust Education, including partnering with public schools in Staten Island to further Holocaust Education.
“I am proud to help lead the reauthorization of the Never Again Education Act, which will equip our teachers with the tools necessary to educate the next generation about the horrors of the Holocaust and the important lessons that emerged from this terrible stain on our world’s history,” said Congresswoman Stefanik in a press release.
“As we continue to see unprecedented levels of antisemitism across the country, making resources available for our educators to properly inform and teach our children about Jewish history is more important than ever before. My home state of New York is home to the largest population of Jewish people outside of Israel and this legislation honors their pasts as well as drives home the message that these atrocities can never happen again.”
Congresswoman Stefanik helped lead the bipartisan Never Again Education Act when it became law in 2020. The Never Again Education Act amplified the work of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, leveraging a combination of public and private funds to develop and disseminate high-quality Holocaust education resources, which can be adopted by local schools and included in their curriculum.
Here is a fuller breakdown of how specifically, the bill will make an impact by...
Authorize $10 million dollars over 5 years in funding to be administered by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Require the Museum to develop and disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and educate individuals on the lessons of the Holocaust.
Expand a centralized website maintained by the Holocaust Museum where educators can find educational resources to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and educate individuals on the lessons of the Holocaust as a means to raise awareness about the importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry against any group of people.
Support teachers in bringing the lessons of the Holocaust into their classrooms by increasing engagement with state and local education leaders to encourage the adoption of these resources, and evaluating and assessing the effectiveness and impact of Holocaust education programs.
Support an expansion of the Museum’s professional development programs, through activities such as local, regional, and national workshops, teacher trainings with Holocaust education centers and other partners, and engagement with local educational agencies and schools.
To learn more about the Never Again Education Act, read the full text of the bill here.
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