Manitoba failing in efforts to provide Holocaust education in schools, Jewish advocate says

A global surge in antisemitism has put Holocaust education in the spotlight and Manitoba is not shining brightly, says the head of a Winnipeg Jewish advocacy organization.

Belle Jarniewski, executive director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, would give the province a failing grade if its effort was listed on a report card.

"Right now we are seeing an explosion of antisemitism, as there has been every time that there is a war or a conflict in the Middle East," Jarniewski said.

"We feel the pushback here. Jewish parents are worried about the safety of their children. Adults are worried about their own safety and some are afraid even to self-identify as Jews."

Jarniewski would like the province to have a specific curriculum developed for Manitoba teachers that provides them with details about what to teach about the Holocaust and why it's an important topic. 

"While there are a number of amazing teachers who do a terrific job and understand the importance about teaching the Holocaust," she said, many others "are struggling without having an actual curriculum developed for them."

Some teachers "are spending no time on it, some are spending a small amount of time on it — but what we need is mandated study."

It's especially important for high school students to learn more about the Holocaust, Jarniewski said.

"What we're seeing at the moment is that students that choose to take the global issues class, for instance, [the Holocaust] will be generally a part of it, but it could be a very small part of it."

Part of social studies curriculum 

Holocaust education is taught in Manitoba as part of the social studies curriculum in grades 6, 7, 9 and 11, a provincial spokesperson said in an email to CBC News. 

For example, in Grade 6, Holocaust education is in the curriculum covering Canadian history from 1867 to the present day. In Grade 11, the history of Canada includes the study of the Second World War and the Holocaust.

"Holocaust education can also be embedded in English language arts and arts education. Teachers often include literary works with Holocaust themes or content," the spokesperson said, adding that in the arts, plays, dances, visual arts or music related to the Holocaust may be featured or explored.

The spokesperson didn't say what, specifically, is taught about the Holocaust. 

The education department says it also works with organizations that promote Holocaust and antisemitism education to help teachers with their curriculum.

British Columbia and Ontario have recently announced that Holocaust education will be mandatory for Grade 10 students starting in fall 2025. The delay is to allow for consultation and development with the Jewish community and education partners.

The Ontario government says the Grade 10 history course will explicitly link the Holocaust to extreme political ideologies including fascism, antisemitism in Canada in the 1930s and 1940s, and the contemporary impacts of rising antisemitism.

A 2019 survey suggested that one in five Canadian youths at the time were unaware of what happened during the Holocaust.

Link between antisemitism, lack of education

Jarniewski applauds the moves by Ontario and B.C. to expand their Holocaust education, saying there is a significant link between antisemitism and lack of education on the Holocaust. When the education isn't there, there is room for hate to be born and spread, she said.

"We know that teaching about the Holocaust is about many other things as well. It's about learning to recognize the early warning signs that can indicate the potential for mass atrocity," Jarniewski said.

"It teaches students about civic responsibility and personal responsibility, and it promotes human rights, ethics and civic engagement."

The Jewish Heritage Centre provides guidance on the Holocaust to educators and holds professional development sessions. Jarniewski said about 40-50 teachers attend those sessions, but it's a small percentage of the 16,600 teachers the Manitoba Teachers' Society says there are in public schools across the province.

In an email to CBC News on Wednesday, Education Minister Nello Altomare said the province is committed to expanding Holocaust education in the curriculum, but no further details were provided.

Altomare did say he looks forward to working with education partners in expanding that education.

Jarniewski is hopeful. She reached out by email to Altomare and deputy minister Brian O'Leary, asking for a meeting, and that is now being arranged.