Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – How are Jews depicted in school books? How are images with anti-Semitic content classified? On behalf of the Ministry of Culture, the Center for School Quality and Teacher Training (ZSL) Baden-Württemberg is taking a close look at this. A random sample should be used to see whether representations of Jewish life and the mass murder of European Jews during the Nazi era were problematic, as ZSL President Thomas Riecke-Baulecke told the German Press Agency in Stuttgart. This was preceded by a conversation with more than 30 experts from publishers and the Central Council of Jews, among others.
“The topic is hot,” said the ZSL boss and cited attacks on rabbis in Munich and Berlin as examples. “The school book is a very important medium for dealing with it.” He does not believe that many problematic representations will be found because publishers have already checked the content in detail, are highly sensitive to the topic and the textbook examination has been applying the strictest criteria here for years. But sometimes it comes down to details.
In some history books, Jewish life and culture would be collected on a special page. “That may seem small, but Judaism is given a special position again,” explained the former director of the Institute for Quality Development at Schleswig-Holstein Schools.
Another example is when Jews are depicted with facial features reminiscent of monkeys, according to Riecke-Baulecke. “Does the textbook explicitly challenge the critical examination of anti-Jewish stereotypes or is it subliminally suggested that there is a bit of truth in it?”
So it depends very much on the way of presentation, on texts around images and drawings as well as on the issues associated with them, said the ZSL President. The aim is to sensitize the editors of school books even more. But the knowledge should also be made usable for teachers. The ZSL is planning an online lecture series on the subject, said Riecke-Baulecke.
In his view, addressing such problems is important far beyond anti-Semitism: “It has become a global culture to return to politics with fake news and prejudices.” In the past few decades, schools have been the places where countermeasures have been taken in the areas of education and democracy education, said Riecke-Baulecke. Children from all walks of life come together here.
However, the ZSL President also conceded: “School can make a certain contribution to compensation, but it cannot stop populism.” School cannot compensate for everything and cannot be held responsible for those political currents that distance themselves from democratic discourse and have recently strengthened them.
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