Gandel Holocaust knowledge in Australia survey ndings

Gandel Holocaust Knowledge in Australia Survey Findings

Tahney Fosdike

We welcome the ndings of the rst comprehensive survey of Holocaust awareness in Australia, a study of 3500 Australians of all ages commissioned by the Gandel Foundation and conducted by Deakin University with data collected by the Social Research Centre, Melbourne. Two academics with a long history of involvement at JHC led the survey: cultural heritage specialist Dr Steven Cooke and genocide scholar Dr Donna-Lee Frieze.

JHC co-president Sue Hampel OAM and child Holocaust survivor Nina Bassat AM were members of the esteemed advisory panel, providing expertise and knowledge which guided the questions and focus of the survey, as well as its dissemination. Other key members of the panel included Richelle Bud Caplan from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Rebecca Kummerfeld from the Sydney Jewish Museum and teacher Lauren Holveroud, an alumni of the Gandel Holocaust Program.

“Australia welcomes the upcoming Gandel Foundation and Deakin University Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness in Australia survey, the rst and largest of its kind, which will assist research and future policy directions,” said The Hon Scott Morrison Prime Minister of Australia in a statement at the 2021 Malmo Declaration of the International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.

Released 27 January 2022 on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the insights from this landmark research shone a light on the ongoing need for local Holocaust museums and education.

“People who have a higher awareness of the Holocaust tend to have warm feelings towards minorities in general, whether to Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, First Nations people and asylum seekers, so I think that’s part of the reason that public Holocaust education is important,” says Museum Director & CEO Jayne Josem. While ndings revealed almost 70% of Australians know the Holocaust refers to the genocide and mass murder of Jewish people, the speci c details of Holocaust knowledge ranked lower. For instance, only 49% are aware that Hitler came to power through a democratic election. Signi cantly, the survey revealed that over 70% of Australians know little to nothing about Australia’s connections to the Holocaust, with only 7% knowing that Australia has arguably the highest per capita number of Holocaust survivors outside Israel.

“Much work still remains to be done,” said Gandel Foundation CEO Vedran Drakulic OAM. “While this survey shows that Australians on average know a fair bit about the Holocaust, there are still critical gaps in that knowledge and awareness, including among the younger generation.” The survey also revealed that two thirds of Australians support compulsory Holocaust education in schools. The ndings show that speci c education about the Holocaust through dedicated lessons at schools or visits to a museum or memorial, result in the strongest knowledge about the Holocaust.

While this survey shows that Australians on average know a fair bit about the Holocaust, there are still critical gaps in that knowledge and awareness, including among the younger generation.

Key ndings include:

24% 78% 83%

of Australians have little or no knowledge of the Holocaust, with this number rising to 30% amongst millennials. of Australians believe that the Holocaust museums and memorials are valuable. of those who visited a Holocaust museum or centre rated their visit as ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ helpful in learning about the Holocaust.

Holocaust survivor Nina Bassat, with a photograph of herself as a baby in 1939.

Despite gaps in knowledge, the survey indicated low levels of Holocaust denial and strong support for Holocaust awareness and education.

The results have prompted nationwide discussion on the current state of Australia’s curriculum. The Age argued the need for detailed Holocaust education, “That, in turn, will foster empathy and genuine awareness of the profound hurt caused by racism and anti-Semitism.”

Based on the ndings, the survey made 8 key recommendations to grow engagement with Australian Holocaust history, most particularly to support museums and education programs designed to bridge gaps in Holocaust awareness and combat antisemitism: 1. Include the Holocaust on the curricula of Australian states and territories, and support teachers with ongoing accredited professional development; 2. Develop strategies to drive engagement with Holocaust museums, memorials and educational institutions; 3. Research, create, and distribute speci c resources to address gaps in Holocaust knowledge, especially the period 1933-1939, and as it relates to Australia; 4. Develop a research agenda to understand the long-term impact of Holocaust education in schools and museums; 5. Challenge antisemitic myths and stereotypes in education through support for education programs; 6. Improve communication over the need for annual commemorative activities; 7. Provide opportunities for students to engage with

Australian Holocaust survivor testimony; 8. Repeated cross-sectional research on Holocaust knowledge and awareness. Researchers concluded that, “whilst the number of people who explicitly support antisemitic tropes is very low, of more concern is the large proportion of those that chose not to answer (that is, answered ‘neither agree nor disagree’), suggesting a persistent latent antisemitism within the Australian society.” Furthermore, researchers also concluded that “improving Holocaust knowledge and awareness can only have a positive impact on societal attitudes towards Jewish people.”

Pauline Rockman OAM, JHC co-President, re ects, “We always stated that the Holocaust holds an enduring relevance for the world today – this survey con rms that view and shows that the Australian public agrees with that as well. We are committed to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and to helping future generations learn about the need to protect and uphold human rights, so they can become a force for good in this world. Along with our strategic partner, Gandel Foundation, we will continue working with our not-for-pro t partners and colleagues who are involved in Holocaust education to advocate with policy makers and governments for more and better Holocaust education – especially in schools.”

This timely survey reminds us of how important it is for Holocaust museums across Australia to reach far and wide with their vital lessons. The Centre’s Holocaust education programs engage tens of thousands of Victorian students with Holocaust survivor testimony and knowledge every year.

Tahney Fosdike is the Communications and Marketing Specialist at the JHC.