Investigating Holocaust portrayal; a case study in a grade ten Ontario social studies course curriculum and advised textbook

ABSTRACT

Canada’s new membership to the International Remembrance Alliance in 2009 bore the anticipation of Canada's commitment against racism of any kind. In this context, I review Holocaust representation in an Ontario Grade Ten course curriculum, ‘Canadian and World History 10’, and its provincially advised textbook, Canadian Sources: Investigated (1914 to the Present) (2008). I critique three main aspects of the portrayal: an ambiguously framed introductory paragraph which may harvest Hitler-centric misconceptions, antisemitism in Canada is presented via various opposing perspectives which obscure a clear image of the term, and an inadequate definition of the term ‘Holocaust’.

KEYWORDS:

• Holocaust education
• history textbooks
• Holocaust representation
• Ontario curriculums
• social studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Founded in 1998 by former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, the IHRA works with global organizations and over 30 member countries to commemorate victims, survivors, and those affected by the Holocaust.

2 The MS St. Louis departed from Hamburg, Germany on May 13th, 1939. Yarhi (2015) notes the majority of passengers were German Jews fleeing Europe (n.p.). Some, he adds, were released from Dachau and Buchenwald on the condition they depart Germany immediately. After attempts to land in Cuba, the United States, and Canada, the ship dispersed its passengers in various European countries. A third of these passengers were consequentially killed during the Holocaust (Yarhi, 2015).

3 At first, Jewish refugees were interned with Nazi prisoners of war (Vancouver Holocaust Education Center, 2012). Eventually, for the refugees’ safety, the government established different camps designated for Jewish refugees. For more information, review resources by the Vancouver Holocaust Education Center: http://enemyaliens.ca/de_refugie_a_interne-from_refugees_to_internees/un_renouveau_fragile-fragile_roots-eng.html.

4 Baseline study by the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (2008). The document is seventy-three pages long, with the primary contact for the government of Canada listed as Deputy Director-General of Multiculturalism and Human Rights, Christine Nassrallah. For public access, visit the IHRA website.

5 See section 2 of the Baseline study.

6 Holocaust education, remembrance, and research in Canada, (2009), speech on April 11, 2007.

7 Statement by the Prime Minister on Yom HaShoah made in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 27, 2022. https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2022/04/27/statement-prime-minister-yom-hashoah

8 Results of the Canadian Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness study can be found on the following website: https://azrielifoundation.org/canadian-holocaust-knowledge-and-awareness-study/

9 The above sections are also defined in the textbook on pp. v.

10 The Holocaust Encyclopedia is run by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and provides free and accessible resources for the public, educators, and scholars.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maya Gal

Maya Gal is a doctoral student investigating postmemory relationships with the Holocaust among undergraduate students in Canada and Israel.