OPINION: Teaching History of the Holocaust Should Remain in MN Schools

History is history, no matter how much you try to ignore it.  It's still there.  And as the saying goes, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

Taking some curriculum out of schools because it's too sensitive or whatever the reason is, is a mistake... in my opinion.

There are schools that are trying to have the history of the holocaust and genocide removed from any teaching in the school.  Do I think that it's more appropriate for certain ages?  Yes. This is something that should be taught to high schoolers, not middle schoolers.

There is a survivor of the holocaust who is speaking on this matter talking about the importance of this subject.

From KARE 11

"When we were privileged to come to the United States most people were not quite believing that this could've happened to us. And they certainly didn't believe as we pleaded it could happen again."

Her name is Dora Zaidenweber and she was 15 in 1939.  She is now 99 years old and thought it was very important for her to speak to the House Education Policy Committee as she is a survivor.  She continues on to say this:

"I was living in Poland when the German nation embarked on the murder of six million of my people, including most of my family. Everybody in Minnesota who is educated should have a knowledge of the dangers of mass murder, that it can happen, and that people have to understand to learn to live with each other."

The author of the bill that is being presented to keep the history in schools is the child of a holocaust survivor.  Rep. Frank Hornstein says he never met either set of grandparents as they were killed during the holocaust.

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Some of the problem comes from the fact that there are people who deny that the holocaust even happened.  And as most of the survivors are now quite old or have already passed away, it's getting more and more difficult to have real life accounts of what happened. It seems that if you have actual people talking about it, it's more difficult for deniers to get people on board with their thinking.

Zaidenweber also said that her experience wasn't always positive in Minnesota schools and she wasn't always treated the best. That has changed recently.

She said she's learned over the years the best way to reach someone's heart is to smile and touch their hands.

What happens with this bill will be revealed in the coming weeks.  My opinion is to keep it in the history lessons.