Lessons from History? The Future of Holocaust Education

This chapter examines a selection of Holocaust education programs in three leading, international Holocaust museums to probe this tension between teaching historical and ethical "lessons." They include the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC; and the South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. This comparative examination illustrates the potential for these programs to provide powerful educational experiences that engage students with contemporary ethical and sociopolitical issues while laying bare the challenges they face in maintaining historical integrity while so doing. Arguing for a model of educational complexity in which historical accuracy does not have to be jettisoned to achieve contemporary relevance, the chapter ultimately challenges those currently involved in Holocaust education to envision their work as comprising a new stage in these educational ventures.