Why Holocaust Education Is Not Always Human Rights Education

Abstract

The past two decades have marked the parallel rise of human rights education and Holocaust education around the world. The UN World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 declared human rights education as a way and means to promote human rights. However, one of the most controversial issues in the promotion of human rights education has been the question of whether Holocaust education contributes to, complements or opposes human rights education. Holocaust education focuses on the past and the history of World War II. It is about learning to empathize with the victims of crimes against humanity that can result in a moral imperative. Human rights education aims to empower the individual to act for his or her rights and the rights of others in the present and the future. It occasionally includes the story of the Holocaust in its training and educational programs but does not necessarily focus on it solely. Holocaust education programs deal with specific issues and target a specific, conflict-affected or historically connected audience to the Holocaust, whereas human rights education targets society and citizens in general anywhere in the world. If we compare concepts of Holocaust education and human rights education, we see the main difference concerning target audience and pedagogical concepts. This article argues that Holocaust education is not automatically human rights education, but Holocaust education can nevertheless be complementary to the latter.