Research: Holocaust a meaningful, unifying area of study

Three hundred and seven principals, 519 teachers and 2,540 ninth and twelfth grade students – representing Israeli religious and non-religious schools – took part in the survey. The survey found that the Shoah is a common denominator among students of diverse backgrounds, and that there are no major differences between students from different demographic groups in terms of their perceptions of the Holocaust.

Among Dr. Cohen's findings:

• The vast majority of students said that the Shoah affects their worldview (77%), that they are committed to preserving its memory (94%), and that they are interested in learning more about the Holocaust (83%).
• The journey to Poland and testimony of survivors are the most important and effective aspect of Shoah education, highly valued by students, teachers and school principals. Ninety-nine percent of the students who participated in the journey indicated that it is an effective means of learning about the Shoah.
• Strengthening commitment to existence of an independent State of Israel is an important goal of Shoah education for 100% of principals and 92% of teachers.
• Instilling a feeling of connection to the destiny of the Jewish people is an important goal of Shoah education for 99% of principals and 93% of teachers.
• More than half of the teachers received training in Shoah education through a professional enrichment course during the last two years.
• Fewer disciplinary problems arose during a lesson on the Shoah, showing how seriously the students relate to these studies and to the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust.
  

Dr. Cohen and his team of researchers met with 47 experts in Israel in the field of Holocaust teaching – among them historians, sociologists, philosophers, and educators – and interviewed them at length in order to identify the most important data to be obtained from the study.