A proposal to teach Israeli children about the Holocaust from the age of five has stirred anxious debate among parents and educators, with critics saying it is inappropriate to expose such young minds to the traumatic history of the Jewish people.
Supporters of the plan, details of which will soon be unveiled by Israel's education ministry, say Jewish children are aware of past events from an early age, from family accounts and the annual Holocaust remembrance day. It is preferable for these children to be introduced to the facts in a controlled and sensitive environment and have their questions answered correctly, they argue.
Israeli schools teach the history of the Holocaust as a module in year 11, around the age of 16, shortly before many pupils visit the Auschwitz death camp memorial in Poland. Shai Piron, the education minister, announced last month that he wants to introduce Holocaust teaching to first-year children. His spokesman told the Observer this could be extended to five-year-olds in state kindergartens. » | Harriet Sherwood Jerusalem | Sunday, November 10, 2013
