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| German Jews call for Nazism to become separate school subject
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Charlotte Knobloch, Germany’s Central Council of Jews President
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BERLIN (EJP)--- Germany’s Central Council of Jews has criticised the extent to which the history of the Third Reich is taught in German schools and has called for National Socialism to be made its own subject.
New Council President Charlotte Knobloch said: "It is urgently necessary to rearrange history lessons as the topic of National Socialism is not being given enough space."
She added that many of the teachers teaching the subject did not know enough about the period themselves, a situation that did nothing to curb the rise of neo-Nazi sentiments, particularly in the east of the country.
"In the new federal states - former East Germany-, there are still teachers and staff who know nothing about the past. In Saxony, the horror is almost a reality today. Brown sentiments should not be fed," Knobloch, a 73-year-old Holocaust survivor, added.
She said that, rather than include lessons on the Third Reich in normal history lessons, the subject should be dealt with individually. "The topic of National Socialism could be its own school subject. And it should be taught in schools across the country," she said.
"It should be made legally binding to do so throughout all of Germany's states," she added.
The Council President rejected suggestions that, as a compromise, projects on the subject could be carried out in schools, claiming that there would be no guarantee of financing. "I am in favour of setting up something permanent," said Knobloch.
Scepticism
But the Central Council of Jews’ proposals have been received with scepticism by the Culture Ministers’ Conference (KMK) – an association of regional ministers dealing with education, research and culture, and by The German teachers' union (DL).
"No other era of German history is studied as intensively in German schools as National Socialism," union president Josef Kraus said.
President of the KMK and Minister for Education in Schleswig-Holstein Ute Erdsiek-Rave said: "The Holocaust is also dealt with in other subjects such as German, Politics and Social Studies and Ethics and Religious Education. It is questionable whether a separate course on National Socialism could encompass all of these things."
She added: "National Socialism and the Holocaust are fixed components in the training given to teachers, and no pupil leaves school without some knowledge of this chapter of German history."
The liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), however, agrees with the Central Council that topics such as the Holocaust are not dealt with adequately enough in history lessons.
Deputy leader of the opposition party, Cornelia Pieper, said: "I agree with the Council that more attention should be given to this part of German history and that the importance of this chapter should be made clear to history teachers."
She added, however, that she did not feel that it was necessary to create a new subject solely dedicated to the NS period.
Pieper said: "Teaching about the period should take place during history lessons, which should dedicate a large part of instruction to that time. Children should be encouraged to meet those affected by it. Time passes quickly, and very soon there will be no more survivors of the Holocaust. Therefore, we should use the present time to invite witnesses into schools to speak to the children, and visiting former concentration camps should also be on the curriculum."
As well as calling for National Socialism studies, Knobloch has also spoken out in favour of lessons about Islam in schools.
"Plans for nationwide Islam lessons in German schools should be implemented. If you control what Muslim children learn, then the danger that they will become indoctrinated by extremists will be reduced," she said.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany is the highest body representing the country's 120,000 Jews. Knobloch last month became the first woman to head the council.
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