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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION

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2020 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Patrice M. Arent

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Senate Sponsor: Evan J. Vickers

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7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This resolution highlights the importance of Holocaust and genocide education and
10     encourages the State Board of Education and local education agencies to emphasize the
11     importance of this course of study.
12     Highlighted Provisions:
13          This resolution:
14          ▸     describes the components of Holocaust and genocide education;
15          ▸     explains the importance of Holocaust and genocide education for students, schools,
16     and communities; and
17          ▸     encourages the State Board of Education and local education agencies to provide
18     Holocaust and genocide education.
19     Special Clauses:
20          None
21     

22     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
23          WHEREAS, to counteract and defend humanity against unspeakable acts, we must
24     speak of and learn from past atrocities;
25          WHEREAS, "Holocaust" means the systemic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution
26     and murder of approximately 6,000,000 Jews and 5,000,000 other individuals by the Nazi
27     regime and its collaborators;

28          WHEREAS, the term genocide was coined specifically to describe the unfathomable
29     depth and breadth of atrocities perpetrated during the Holocaust;
30          WHEREAS, it is essential to provide students with knowledge of the Holocaust and
31     other genocides to help them make informed choices as citizens and to help root out despicable
32     acts of hatred, anti-Semitism, and other forms of prejudice;
33          WHEREAS, the study of the Holocaust and other genocides within the context of
34     geography, history, and political systems provides students with essential learning experiences,
35     helping students to:
36          ▸     understand the root causes, consequences, and ramifications of prejudice,
37     racism, stereotyping, and discrimination;
38          ▸     confront the issues of moral dilemmas and conflicts of conscience posed by the
39     Holocaust and other genocides;
40          ▸     learn how the Holocaust contributed to the need for the term "genocide" and led
41     to international legislation that recognized genocide as a crime; and
42          ▸     contextualize and illuminate patterns of human behavior by individuals and
43     groups and their choices of roles, including perpetrator, collaborator, bystander,
44     victim, resister, and rescuer;
45          WHEREAS, the study of the Holocaust and other genocides also sharply illustrates the
46     responsibilities of citizens in democratic societies to combat misinformation, indifference, and
47     discrimination through tools of resistance such as protest, reform, and free and fair elections;
48          WHEREAS, studying the Holocaust and other genocides helps students learn about
49     transitional and restorative justice, which are powerful tools that help communities and
50     humanity move forward in the aftermath of genocide;
51          WHEREAS, Holocaust and genocide education encourages students to develop
52     empathy and reaffirms the commitment of free people to never again allow genocides to occur;
53          WHEREAS, there is a special urgency to teach about the Holocaust while survivors,
54     liberators, and witnesses are still alive;
55          WHEREAS, Holocaust education teaches universal lessons including: world history,
56     fascism, extremism, the fragility of democracy, the history of the Jewish people, human
57     capacity for the immorality, scapegoating and stereotyping, the role of perpetrators and
58     bystanders, the importance of empathy, diversity, and efforts toward justice;

59          WHEREAS, Holocaust and genocide education can help nurture and protect democratic
60     values and institutions;
61          WHEREAS, the study of these topics can lead students to examine what it means to be
62     a responsible and respectful person and to understand the personal responsibility that all people
63     have to fight racism and hatred whenever and wherever it happens; and
64          WHEREAS, the life lessons that students can learn from the study of the Holocaust and
65     other genocides are transferable and beneficial in many areas of study, and these life lessons are
66     central to the State Board of Education's mission and vision of public education:
67          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
68     governor concurring therein, encourages the State Board of Education to continue its practice
69     of adopting K-12 social studies standards that include the study of the Holocaust and other
70     genocides at grade levels appropriate for such study, and in all other subject area standards as
71     suitable.
72          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that every local education agency should include
73     instruction on the Holocaust - including the systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews
74     and other groups by Nazi Germany and its collaborators - and other genocides for all
75     elementary and secondary school pupils at an appropriate place in the curriculum.
76          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and governor encourage the State
77     Board of Education and local education agencies to continue providing and promoting
78     professional learning activities for educators that include evidence-based pedagogical practices
79     and access to high-quality teacher resources for providing instruction about the Holocaust and
80     other genocides.
81          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and governor encourage local
82     education agencies and educators to use and disseminate instructional best practices and
83     high-quality curricula of appropriate lengths and complexities - coordinated across grade levels
84     and subject areas whenever possible - across the state that could form the basis for a Holocaust
85     and Genocide Studies secondary elective course.
86          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and governor encourage parents
87     and families to reinforce the important lessons learned from this study by promoting civic
88     virtues and beneficial character qualities.
89          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and governor encourage

90     community stakeholders, including parents, to continue collaborating with their local K-12
91     education systems to assess their needs for providing instruction on the Holocaust and other
92     genocides, including: creating an appropriate informational website, promoting appropriate
93     speakers, developing instructional resources, and conducting a teacher needs assessment.
94          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and governor encourage institutions
95     of higher education in the state to continue and expand programming for study, reflection,
96     remembrance, and action around issues related to the Holocaust and other genocides.
97          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the governor recognize the
98     importance of Holocaust and genocide education in helping the citizens of Utah to unite and to
99     clearly and forcefully resolve that such atrocities will never be repeated.