Published: 6 October 2019
Last updated: 4 March 2024
As a former teacher in both Jewish and public schools in Victoria over the past 15 years, I find it hard to accept this statement by the Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) for a number of reasons.
In general, the interactions that the vast majority of Jews will have with non-Jews about their faith will be mostly positive and welcoming in a multicultural state like Victoria. There are hundreds of wonderful stories one can find every year of Jews sharing the beauty of their traditions, festivals, Shabbat meals or Pesach Seders with friends they met in public schools in a manner that enhances the identity of both.
Ask the vast majority of Jews in Victoria how they view their religion, and far more will say it’s an asset than a liability.
The solution offered by the ADC chairman to countering religious bigotry in the long run was to “make anti-bias and Holocaust education compulsory in every class.” This call was echoed by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg who said, "If they (bullies) understood and comprehend the atrocities of the Holocaust, they would be as insulted as anybody, including me, about these recent attacks.
Frydenyberg added that "millions of people lost their lives, including over one and a half million innocent children… everyone should know that story, it should be in our curricula, it should be taught so we cannot repeat any of these mistakes of the past."
As someone that has been involved in Holocaust education for many years, I’m well aware of the impact it can have on students in raising their awareness of how challenges to democratic norms and institutions that occurred shortly after Hitler came to power can lead to devastating effects on entire countries and religions.
But I also agree with the American Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt that Shoah education is “no silver bullet” when it comes to addressing the kind of incidents that recently happened in Victoria.
The most effective way to stop anti-Semitic bullying is to prevent it from happening in the first place, as there are few practical steps a teacher can take to undo a toxic culture once it is already deeply embedded.
In the horrific case uncovered by journalist Rebecca Davis from the Australian Jewish News that should be required reading for educators, a 12-year-old Jewish boy’s torment at Cheltenham Secondary College had the hallmarks of a parent’s worst nightmare.
After a group of nine boys identified a student as Jewish due to him playing football for AJAX, they invited him for a kick of footy after school, which turned out to be a pretext for him to being humiliated, and even forced to kiss the feet of a Muslim student or face a beating.
I agree that the response offered by the school to minimise the incident was thoroughly inadequate. At the same time, I’m not sure having mandatory Holocaust education with these nine boys after the incident is the most effective way to combat their bullying.
I know most parents won’t like to hear this, but ultimately, there is little any individual teacher or school principal can make happen that will undo the trauma caused by religious bullying. Anti-bullying guidelines distributed by the Australian government suggest that punishing the bullies with detentions, parent meetings or suspensions often makes the situation worse for the student being bullied.
From my experience, the most effective way to stop anti-Semitic bullying is to prevent it from happening in the first place, as there are few practical steps a teacher can take to undo a toxic culture once it is already deeply embedded in the school culture.
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With regard to improving the safeguards at Victorian Schools, I would recommend the following measures as part of a “whole-school” positive behaviour environment:
Excursions to places of cultural significance of students in the school that provide them with an opportunity to share their religious traditions with their class. Both the Jewish Museum of Australia and the Islamic Museum offer excellent programs that counter prejudices commonly held against Jewish and Muslim students by celebrating these faiths rather than portraying them as victims.
Programs addressing toxic masculinity which often fuels bullying incidents. There are some great resources for schools on this matter.
Introducing wellbeing classes that include weekly circles to where students can share their positive and negative experiences regarding friendships and social dynamics. Doing this regularly, rather than as a response to bullying, sets up a culture where kids know they have a safe space to vent their frustrations with one another and also acknowledge what they love about their friends and family.
Promoting positive bystander behaviour from students. In the vast majority of school bullying access, no teacher is present. Classmates almost always are. There are some great bystander education programs here:
With regard to Holocaust education, I would recommend studying this at older grades only and preferably as an entire unit that explores factors common to all genocides rather than a one-off lesson amidst a World War 2 study unit in Humanities, as commonly occurs at present.
While many teachers choose to focus on the horrors of Auschwitz in such a lesson by showing films such as Schindler’s List or Escape From Sobibor, I would suggest the focus be more on what happened before the war.
The most important lessons of the Holocaust are the socio-economic factors that led to the fall of the Weimar Republic, how the Nazis tore apart the foundations of democracy and how they convinced the German people to go along with this.
I think the most important lessons of the Holocaust to study are the social and economic factors that led to the fall of the Weimar Republic in 1933, how the Nazis gradually tore apart the foundations of democracy through democratically-enacted legislation, and how they convinced the German people to go along with this.
Naomi Levin, a senior policy analyst at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, affirmed this approach in an article in the Age over the weekend: “of course, it is inappropriate to detail the horrors (during the Holocaust) of racial violence to young children, and that should not be advocated. But from the earliest years of schooling, students need to be educated on the positives of diversity in Australian society.
“They must be taught – and reminded – that Australians can look different and believe in different deities. They need to be taught – and reminded – that everyone must be treated with respect."
Whatever approach each school takes, the wellbeing of every student and their right to feel safe, respected and loved for who they are should be emphasised as the core part of their education.
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UJEB response to anti-Semitic bullying incidents in government schools
Photo: Muslim and Jewish students at a Melbourne synagogue (Stuart McEvoy/The Australian)
