School System of Nation's Capital
Will Teach Understanding of Nazis
BY MILTON FRIEDMAN
(Copyright, 1963.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
exploration of ways an indi-
vidual can combat prejudice.
The guide uses ADL material
and adds a bibliography of 30
books on Nazism.
Students will review the Wei-
mar Republic and learn how
Social Democrats compromised
with such el e m e n ts as the
Junker landlords, industrial mag-
nates, and militarists. They will
examine the effects of chaos and
depression that resulted in "fear
and despair, which, in turn, bred
violent hatreds." The aim is to
convey how Hitler exploited
these tensions, enlisting them
"in the services of national de-
lirium."
An explanation is planned of
Hitler's philosophy, including
"glorification of war and con-
quest, exaltation of Germans as
the master race, hatred of the
Jews, contempt for democracy."
Students will learn how the
Nazis came to power and mur-
dered millions of Jews. Also,
they will learn about the theo-
reticians of racism — Fichte,
De Gobineau and Houston S.
Chamberlain.
Suggested individual projects
include visits to agencies that
fight intolerance, preparation of
exhibits of hate propaganda, re-
ports on causes of intolerance,
and discussions of racist inci-
dents in the public's community.
Group projects include invit-
ing speakers to lecture on preju-
dice, producing anti-bias plays,
and studies of current events
pertaining to hate, neo-Nazism,
and so forth.
Students will seek to pinpoint
current examples of prejudice
displayed by the daily press in
"news items, advertisements, so-
cial items, pictures, and space
allotments."
One suggestion is that stu-
dents • debate such topics as
whether "polite intolerance" is
now the most dangerous form of
prejudice, hatred of one group
a menace to all groups and if
the teaching of tolerance must
begin in lower grades.
WASHINGTON — The D i s -
trict of Columbia school system,
important because the schools of
the nation's capital influence
the whole country, has decided
to teach the dangers of Nazism.
Minor efforts to agitate among
high school students have been
made here by such groups as the
American Nazi party and the so-
called "Black Muslims." Racial
tensions ,do exist in the schools.
But the educational innovation
is not based on any widespread
Nazi • or 'other extremist tenden-
- des here. It ensues from convic-
tion that most history text books
do not give an adequate under-
standing of Nazi intolerance.
When the recent epidemic of
swastika smearings erupted, the
Anti-Defamation League of Bnai
Brith noted among youths ar-
rested an ignorance of true na-
tune of Nazism. Juveniles
brought to court for offenses like
defacement of synagogues had
no understanding of the enor-
mity of Nazism.
It was established that Ameri-
can youth in general were in-
adequately informed about the
Nazi era. School texts were ex-
amined and found shockingly de-
ficient.
ADL entered negotiations
with educators. District school
officials conceded that a gap
existed. They have now de-
veloped an anti-Nazi guide for
use of teachers.
The study unit, proposed early
last year, has just been sent to
the curriculum department for
editing. The unit will be put in
general use this year. It will pro-
vide background for two days of
classroom discussion when 11th
grade history classes study
World War IL
William H. Jenkins, the school
system's chief examiner, said
the study material about Nazi
genocide was developed "not so
much to concern but to hope that
through education it might not
happen again."
Outlining the scope of the Jewish Centers Try
study, the guide says: "The
ruthless degradation and de- to Keep Abreast of
struction of the German Jews Needs of Community
in the 1930s and the 1940s, to-
Steps are constantly being
gether with the Nazi procla-
mation of 'Aryan' supremacy taken to strengthen the quality
should serve to remind many of programming in Jewish Com-
Americans of their own minor- munity Centers in order to
achieve their objectives, Volume
ity problems."
Today, said the guide, the XI of the JWB Year Book, just
"American people, through the published, reveals.
Some of the steps taken .to
Federal Government, particular-
ly the Supreme Court, are com- improve the quality of center
ing to grips with the most dif- programming, according to the
ficult of all our social problems. yearbook, includ e, in-service
In order that this growth of training institutes and confer-
democracy -may continue, it is ences, research and demonstra-
well to study the sources and tion projects related to Jewish
teenagers and STong - adults, re-
nature of intolerance."
A suggested - theme was "that cruiting qualified workers for the
. -YWHA field, JWB.
in a democracy everyone has a JCC and YM
right to his own convictions and conferences on Jewish values in
attitudes towards others, but no JCC programming, and other
one has the right to deny the conferences for older adults,
same rights to others and that teenagers, women, and resident
all attitudes and convictions camp leaders.
The Center as an instrument
must be based on truth and
of the entire Jewish community
reason."
Chief Examiner Jenkins said was emphasized in the introduc-
the study would 'allow teachers tory article by Herbert Millman,
to see whether students have de- JWB associate executive, on
veloped freedom of thought and "Some Principal Concerns of the
the idea of human dignity. Since Jewish Community Center Field"
they are 11th graders, it will in an article on "Trends and
provide one of our last oppor- Tendencies in Membership Par-
tunities to discuss with them ticipation, Financet, and Per-
their attitudes :toward society as sonnel," by Emanuel Berlatsky,
a whole and the groups that JWB's director of community
services, and in a third article
form it."
Objectives include under- by Nathan Loshak, regional con-
standing of Nazi techniques to sultant, JWB's Southern Section,
develop - hatred. There will be on "Trends in Programming."
Membership in JCCs and YM-
discussions of whether any of
the same techniques are evi- YWHAs rose in the past 20-
dent in American society and years from 427,000 to 646,000.
Projecting the later figure, which
was for 1960, into the present,
there are close to '700,000 mem-
bers of JWB-affiliated J e wish
Community Centers and YM-
YWHAs today.
404)66
A man is a friend to himself.
Sanhedrin 9.
Launch Israel Bond
Drive at Miami Beach
Conference March 1
The 1963 campaign for State
of Israel Bonds will be launch-
ed the week-end of March 1 at
an inaugural conference for Is-
rael Bonds, it was announced
by Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, vice
president of the Israel Bond
Organization.
The Conference, which will
celebrate the 15th anniversary
of the State of Israel and usher
in the first year of the redemp-
tion of Israel Bonds, will be
held at the Fontainebleau Ho-
tel, Miami Beach, March 1-3.
Samuel Rothberg, 1963 na-
tional campaign chairman, is
national chairman of the con-
ference.
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