Teaching the Shoah in History Classes in Israeli High Schools

The Shoah is the only subject in the school curriculum that is anchored in the 1980 Compulsory State Educational Law, and is therefore an important integral part in the school history curriculum. Since the Shoah is part of the Israeli collective memory and has a substantial presence in its public discourse, it has been a didactic challenge for the composers of the curricula. This article examines the teaching of a curriculum set in 2000 to implement a new educational policy that emphasizes acquiring knowledge, disciplinary skills, and historical concepts rather than values and sentiments. It looks into teaching itself by studying official and unofficial textbooks, exams, and summaries in four subjects: central themes in former curricula (armed resistance, steadfastness, ghettos, and the participants), new themes in historical research (work, regional studies, the "other"), integration of Jewish and general history, and academic skills (processes, documents). (By the author)