Polish-Jewish Relations: 1,300 Keyword-Phrase-Indexed Book Reviews (by Jan Peczkis)

Genocide Education in Massachusetts Middle and High Schools, by MC2 Education. 2024. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Holocaust Dominates Curriculum: “Genocide Education” Not Allowed to Infringe Upon the Privileged Position of the Holocaust

In most U. S. states, the Jews’ Holocaust gets virtually all the attention in the classroom. For background information on this, see:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2025/02/16/webinar-how-holocaust-education-silences-the-poles/

The State of Massachusetts is one of the few U. S. states that professes an “inclusive” approach to the teaching of genocides. But no matter. The Jews’ Holocaust still gets the lion’s share of attention. Whatever commitment there is to teaching genocides other than the Holocaust merely means that other genocides are mentioned–but only as long as they do not infringe on the sacrosanct Holocaust, which continues sitting on the throne. What’s more, the genocides of Poles continue to be absent from the American classroom, with or without a profession to be “inclusive” about genocides.

HOLOCAUST DOMINATES CURRICULUM: THE FACTS

MC2 et al. write, “The Holocaust was reported as the most commonly covered topic in required courses. Seventy-seven percent of educators (n=146) reported covering it in at least one required course.” (p. 20). Surprise! The Rwandan genocide was a distant second at 34%. (p. 21). The Holodomor got just 7%. The Nazi German, Soviet, and Ukrainian genocides of Poles got exactly ZERO.

Among school districts that had received grants to teach genocides, the supremacy of the Holocaust is even more pronounced. In the topics covered in such districts, the Holocaust was covered in 82% of them, the Rwandan genocide was a distant second at 54%, the Holodomor was at 14%, and the genocides of Poles again were at exactly ZERO. (p. 30).

So Holocaust dominates curriculum, and the null curriculum continues. What is NOT mentioned in the classroom is just as important as what is mentioned in the classroom. See:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2025/01/12/astonishing-holocaust-serving-genocide-null-curriculum-in-american-schools/

The message remains unambiguous: Jews are important, and Poles are not.