This is a complete HOAX. I will send just a few of the comments by the well informed writers.
******************************* Anti-Defamation League False E-Mail Claims UK Has Ended Holocaust Education Friday, April 13, 2007 http://www.adl.org/Internet_Rumors/UK_Holocaust_Education.htm A much circulated e-mail claims that the United Kingdom has "removed the Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offended' the Moslem population." There is no truth to this claim. Holocaust education is mandatory in British schools and continues to be part of the national curriculum. ******************************* Israel Commentary Neglected information and opinion relative to Israel, the Middle East and the immediate world. April 19, 2007 Holocaust Education in the United Kingdom Over the past weeks there have been a number of rumors circulating via email regarding Holocaust education here in the UK. The emails suggest that the UK Government is removing Holocaust education from the National Curriculum and that in general British schools steer away from teaching what they might consider, a 'controversial' subject. Click: www.israel-commentary.org ...snip... The Holocaust became part of the National Curriculum for History in 1991. It is statutory for all students in England and Wales to learn about the Holocaust at Key Stage 3 usually in Year 9 History (aged 13 -14). Many students will study the Holocaust in Religious Studies, English and Citizenship lessons. . The UK holds a national Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27th (marking the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau), and this is marked widely in primary and secondary schools across the country. . The UK has a permanent Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London, visited by 1000s of people each year. => More details on request. ******************************* 1. Rabbi Michael Graetz in Israel "...let me say that the UK track record on Holocaust education is not only excellent, it is among the best that I have seen. The Imperial War College, no less, has developed superb curricula about the Holocaust. I saw it demonstrated at an international conference of Holocaust education last summer at Yad Vashem. It is wonderful stuff, and those in the US should know that they are far behind in this field." 2. Rabbi Roderick Young, Reform Rabbi in London: "...this is a vast and ridiculous distortion. ONE unnamed school in Northern England apparently rejected teaching the Holocaust in a school with a large Muslim population. Of course that's reprehensible -- but to say that the "UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum" is utter rubbish. In fact the UK government has an excellent track record. This government instituted Nation Holocaust Memorial Day (end of January) and the Holocaust is part of the national curriculum. So where do people get off writing these malicious chain letters?..." 3. Rabbi Richard Rubenstein, a Conservative Rabbi and Theologian: "The British government did no such thing. There is an official Holocaust Memorial Day headed by Stephen Smith, M.B.E. Muslims have been lobbying for two years to get rid of the day (January 27) and put in its place a day in memory of all victims of genocide "including the Palestinian genocide." It is basically a swinish attempt to turn the Shoah on its head and make Palestinians the victims and Jews the Nazis. It has widespread but not complete Muslim support in the UK. A few, but not many jurisdictions have caved into the Muslims led by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, head of the British Muslim Council. A year ago last September,I participated in a 10th anniversary celebration of the Beth Shalom Holocaust Memorial Centre in Laxton, Nottinghamshire founded by Stephen Smith and his brother James. I have been a long-time advisor to the Centre. There were about two hundred people in the audience, mostly Holocaust survivors. As is customary, the Mayor of Nottingham was invited to speak. His message was brief: "I am against all genocides, including the Palestinian genocide." The mayor is Muslim and a member of the labor party. I was so disgusted that I refused to sit with him at lunch at the speakers table. (This was by no means the fault of Stephen Smith who had no idea such a remark was coming.) Unfortunately, things will only get worse in England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Demography tells the story of what is going on. Read the books of Brigitte Gabriel, a pro-Israel Lebanese Christian, and Mark Steyn, available on Amazon." Richard L Rubenstein ******************************* PLEASE DO YOUR BEST TO KILL THIS RUMOR. _________________________________________________ Dr. Don Weinshank Professor Emeritus Comp. Sci. & Eng. 1520 Sherwood Ave., East Lansing MI 48823-1885 Ph. 517.337.1545 FAX 517.337.1665 http://www.cse.msu.edu/~weinshan Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
