Teaching the Holocaust in Hungary

dr. Kaposi JózsefGeneral Director

Budapest8th June, 2015

The System of Content Regulation

LOCAL CURRICULAlocal characteristics – school specific features

NATIONAL FRAMEWORK CURRICULA detailed requirements – subjects and grades

NATIONAL CORE CURRICULUM (NCC)general goals, tasks – subject areas

TEXTBOOKS

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

DEVELOPMENT FIELDS (12 pc)Ethics

Sense of national identity; patriotic education

Education for democratic citizenship

The development of self-knowledge and community skills

Family life education

Physical and mental health education

Responsibility, volunteering

Sustainability and environmental awareness

Career guidance

Economic and financial education

Media literacy

Learning to learn

Development fields / key competences

KEY COMPETENCES (9 pc)Communication in the mother tongue

Communication in foreign languages

Mathematical competence

Competence in science and technology

Digital competence

Social and civic competence

Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship

Aesthetic and artistic awareness and expression

Efficient and independent learning

The Structure of NCC Subject AreasPrinciples and goals (related examples):

to get to know and accept other cultures, in particular, peoples and religions of the Carpathian Basin;

discussing the characteristics of totalitarian dictatorships and learning about the crimes they committed.

Development tasks (related examples): critical thinking – practising the recognition of the

connection between human (historical) acts and their consequences.

General competences: Grades 1-4; Grades 5-8; Grades 9-12.

The Theme of the Holocaust in NCC 1The subject area of Man and society – History

General competences:Grades 1-4 Grades 5-8 Grades 9-12

General themes Hungary and the world in the first half of the 20th century

Rescuers in the 20th century.

The Holocaust in Europe and Hungary.Discrimination against and exclusion of peoples, nationalities, ethnic groups, genocides.

The persecution of Jews; events leading up to the Holocaust; the Holocaust, Romani genocide.

The Theme of the Holocaust in NCC 2The subject area of Hungarian language and literature

Development tasks:The development of judgement and the sense of ethics, aesthetics and history (grades 9-12) : „Observing art as a culture-creating factor. The drive of getting to know other cultures. Discussing the unacceptable political and moral views of authors.”

The Structure of the Framework Curricula objectives, tasks; educational and development goals; development requirements; topics; concepts; expected outcomes of development.

The Holocaust in the History Framework CurriculumThe topic of the Holocaust appears primarily in the History, social and civic education curriculum.

The curriculum also presents the steps leading to the Holocaust:strengthening extremism (Europe and Hungary);the spread and takeover of National Socialism (Germany);laws justifying discrimination and exclusion (Germany and Hungary).

The following examples focus on the direct appearance of the topic of the Holocaust (in the thematic unit of World War II).

Objectives, tasks (Grades 9-12)

„To improve historical empathy and critical thinking it is important to discuss the themes of 20th century genocides (e.g. the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Yugoslav Wars) and mass tragedies as well as the individual fates behind them. It is important to learn about different ways of individual and organised opposition during genocides, wars and dictatorships and to form opinions on personal attitudes towards them. ”

Educational and development goals (Grades 5-8) Pupils recognise different forms of social

exclusion, aware of its consequences they reject racism.

Pupils realise the causes leading to destructive wars, parts of which are the holocaust and genocides.

To learn about the topic pupils rely on resources available in public collections (possibly also on materials of the Holocaust Memorial Centre).

Educational and development goals (Grades 9-12) Students reject discrimination and racism with all its

consequencies (deprivation of civil rights, exclusion, deportation, extermination).

Students know how much loss of life, destruction the Second World War brought about and that the Holocaust is the tragedy of the humanity and the whole Hungarian nation.

Students realize that the Jewish artists, scientists, inventors forced into exile (e.g. Neumann, Teller, Szilárd, Rejtő, Radnóti, Szerb) should be interpreted as a loss for the country.

Students understand that 20th century genocides based on exclusion could not have taken place without the active or passive support of the social majority and their apathy. This is verified – in particular – in the case of the Holocaust.

Development requirementsLearning, acquiring knowledge (grades 5-8 and 9-12):

Gaining knowledge by using collections, online databases on the history of the Holocaust (e.g. visit to the Holocaust Memorial Centre or another important memorial site of the Holocaust in Hungary; tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum).

Critical thinking Grades 5-8:

Examining and clarifying the role of political anti-Semitism in the process leading up to the Holocaust.

Grades 9-12:Recognising changes in anti-Jewish legislation, identifying reasons.

Themes

Grades 5-8:Sufferings on the home front. Genocide in the Second World War, the Holocaust.The German occupation of Hungary. The Holocaust in Hungary. The terror of Szálasi and the Arrow Cross Party.

Grades 9-12:The features of the Second World War. The Holocaust.War casualties. The social and ideological background of the persecution of the Jews, the Holocaust in Hungary.

Concepts

type of concept

grades 5-8 grades 9-12

key concepts of reasoning

reason/cause and consequence, historical source

key concepts of content

migration, dictatorship, human rights, civil rights, religious persecution

identity, sovereigntyconcepts /data

persecution of Jews, the Holocaust, the Romani Genocide, ghetto, deportation, Auschwitz

concentration camp, extermination camp, genocide, extermination, holocaust, shoa, porrajmos, ghetto, deportation, labour service

Szálasi Ferenc, WallenbergAuschwitz, Kamenyec-Podolszkij

Expected outcomes of development(Grades 7-8)

Pupils realize that the Holocaust had hundreds of thousands of Hungarian victims and understand the national and international historical, political antecedents, conditions and the moral consequencies of this.

The Holocaust in the Hungarian Language and Literature Framework Curriculum

Tasks (grades 5-8 and 9-12):„To develop an attitude of acceptance and mutual respect of different cultures it is essential to realize how much cultural loss was brought about by ethnic persecution and deportation such as the persecution of Jews, the deportation of the German population and other events of the type .”

Educational and development goals (grades 9-12):„Understanding the cultural loss caused by the persecution of Jews.” (through the poetry of Radnóti Miklós)„The discussion of the novel Fateless by Kertész Imre.” (at the topic of contemporary Hungarian literature)

The Theme of the Holocaust in the Graduation Requirements

The period of the world wars (1914-1945) – the Second World War The antecedents of the war, its outbreak and features. The Holocaust.Hungary in the period of the world wars (1914-1945) – Hungary in the Second World War The Hungarian entry into the war and participation in the

fights against the Soviet Union The German occupation of Hungary and the Arrow Cross

takeover. The Holocaust in Hungary.

Tasks at the Maturity Exam

2005: Nazi propaganda (test) / Jewish Laws (test) 2006: Political anti-Semitism in Hungary (essay) 2007: The Holocaust in Hungary (test) 2008: The Hungarian Holocaust (essay) 2009: The Hungarian Jews (test) 2010: The Hungarian Jews and anti-Semitism (essay) 2011: The Holocaust (test) 2013: The Arrow Party Movement (test) / anti-Semitism

(essay) 2014: The Holocaust in Hungary (test)

Task examples 1

May 2014 – ordinary level – testUsing proper historical terminology name the anti-Jewish measures illustrated by the pictures.

Pictures for the task:

Task examples 2

May 2013 – advanced level – essay Using the sources provided and your knowledge of the topic describe the arguments of anti-Semitism in Hungary in the 1920s and 1930s. Your answer should include references to anti-Semitism in legislation.

Extract from the source provided (a speech by Gömbös Gyula):„1. the number of Jewish inhabitants in the territory of the Central Powers is relatively great; 2. countries whose frontlines were disturbed from behind and which were forced to peace by revolutions had the greatest Jewish population on average; 3. countries where authorities took the strictest measures against defeatism and troublemakers have the smallest proportion of Jewish population. ”

Task examples 3/a

May 2011 – ordinary level – testWhat features of Nazi genocide during World War II are highlighted by the terms in the table? Match the defitions and the terms.

Descriptions:1.The intention to eliminate the Jews and the Roma as a community. (The term is used to refer to other ethnic groups too.)2.Catastrophe by which mainly Jews and Roma were affected, it was primarily their tragedy.3.The term – known worlwide and used to describe the tragedy – refers to burning the victims in crematoria. 4.The intended extermination of Jews by the Nazi – considered as the final solution of „the Jewish problem”.

Task examples 3/b

Table

term original meaning numbera) holocaust (Ancient

Greek) „completely burnt”, burning sacrifice, a sacrifice offered to God and burnt on the altar (a plant or an animal)

b) shoa (Hebrew) and orrajmos (Romani)

destruction, disaster, elimination

c) Endlösung (German)

final solution

d) genocídium (Latin) genocide

The Theme of the Holocaust in TextbooksToday in Hungary, no textbook can be accredited which is not based on the framework curricula, which does not contribute to meeting the output requirements.

As a result, the topic of the Holocaust is not only unavoidable in the law, but is also directly in the curriculum and the textbooks .

Let us see some examples.

Extracts from textbooks(world history) „Racism has been part of Nazi ideology from the beginning[…].” „On top of violating rights […] pogroms appeared […]. And

during the war the methodical elimination of the whole Jewish population of Europe started.”

„The program of the extermination of the Jews, the „final solution” (Endlösung) was developed in Januray 1942 (the Wannsee Program).”

„People categorized as Jews were forced into ghettoes by local authorities, then they were deported to concentration camps in cattle wagons.”

„In a few years more than half of Europe’s Jewish population, almost 6 million people were killed .”

„Another aim of the Nazis was to exterminate the Roma population of Europe: nearly 200 000 Roma were put to death in the gas chambers.”

Text from: Miklós Száray & József Kaposi: History IV. Textbook (Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, Budapest, 2006), p. 128-129.

Map in a textbook

Image from: Peter Borhegyi ed.: History 7. Textbook (Hungarian Institute for Educational Research and Development, Budapest 2015), p. 173.

Questions:

Which countries had the greatest number of victims?

Where were the death camps built?

What might explain the fact that mass murders were committed outside the borders of Germany?

Extracts from textbooks(Hungarian history) „Further measures against the Jews followed: they were obliged

to wear yellow stars, then they were forced into ghettoes. The deportation of Jews in the countryside started (mid-May 1944).”

„Due to international protest and news about the opening of the second front Horthy stopped deportations in the summer, but only Jews in Budapest were saved as a result of the measure.”

„[…] the Arrow Cross Party was put into power by the Nazis. […] and they immediately started the extermination of the Jewish population of Budapest.”

„Hungary […] lost almost one million people in the war. Half of the people killed were Jews – deported and executed.”

Text from: Miklós Száray & József Kaposi: History IV. Textbook (Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, Budapest, 2006), p. 143

Map in a textbook

The location of Jewish communities in Hungary and the deportation.

Image from: Miklós Száray & József Kaposi: History IV. Textbook (Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, Budapest, 2006), p. 145.

A workbook task

Complete the diagram. Write examples of the measures.Prepare an explanation to the diagram in 1-2 sentences.

Task from: József Kaposi & Miklós Száray: History IV. Skills development workbook (Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, Budapest, 2006), p. 107.

discrimination

  deprivation of civil rights

 segregation

  deportation

  extermination

 

Other Areas in the System of Public Education Holocaust Memorial Day (16th April) - commemorated in all

secondary schools of Hungary from 2001 following a Parliamentary Decree of 2000.

Teacher training in Jad Vashem Institute - based on an inter-governmental agreement, for teachers selected through an application process

Research on Holocaust Education in Hungary - as part of TÁMOP 3.1.5 project.

The development of in-service teacher training programmes - as part of TÁMOP 3.1.5 project.

The inclusion of the theme of the Holocaust in initial teacher training - according to the newly introduced internal regulations of Pázmány Péter Catholic University a one-term seminar on the theme of the Holocaust is mandatory for all teacher trainees