A new campaign by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) aims to expand Holocaust education to schools across the United States, noting it is currently mandated in only 25 states.
The #LearnToNeverForget public awareness and advocacy campaign”s goal is to combat the dangerous rise in antisemitism through encouraging Holocaust education and the passage of federal legislation.
“Studies have shown that Holocaust education builds understanding and empathy in young people. At a time of historically high antisemitic incidents and attitudes, we must make sure future generations learn the history of antisemitism and the importance of confronting hate when young people encounter it in their own lives,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.
“While not a panacea, Holocaust education is a critical tool in the fight against antisemitism and hate, and all students should have access to age-appropriate Holocaust education.”
ADL pointed out that recent surveys have found a significant lack of knowledge about the Holocaust among younger generations. They added that there is widespread public support for expanding Holocaust education.
A new ADL survey revealed that more than 90 percent of Americans believe high school students should learn about the Holocaust, with 87 percent agreeing that high school students should learn about historic and modern antisemitism.
As part of the #LearnToNeverForget campaign, ADL will be lobbying for the passage of H.R. 603, the Holocaust Education & Antisemitism Lessons Act (H.E.A.L.) in Congress. It will also be advocating for the adoption of state and local Holocaust education legislation.

ADL explained that to advance legislation, it will be raising awareness among policymakers and supporters, building coalitions with diverse partners, organizing grassroots advocacy meetings with lawmakers, gathering petition letters to deliver to legislators, publishing research findings, and providing recommendations for Holocaust education.
“ADL is also urging states that already offer Holocaust education to audit their programming to ensure its effectiveness,” ADL said.
“ADL”s recent poll looking at antisemitic attitudes in America found that people who believe one million or fewer Jews were murdered in the Holocaust believe in twice as many antisemitic tropes as those who know that six million Jews were murdered,” the advocacy organization noted. “Respondents whose schools taught specifically about the Holocaust harbored the least antisemitic prejudice, compared to those who learned about the Holocaust elsewhere.”