When the last Holocaust survivors are gone, who will teach their history?

This commentary is by Debora Steinerman, co-founder of the Vermont Holocaust Memorial.

I recently attended the 36th Annual World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants Conference in Philadelphia — perhaps one of the last gatherings to include several Holocaust survivors. Those survivors were very young children when the Nazi persecution of European Jews began. Today, they fear that when their voices are gone, their stories will be forgotten.

As a founder of the Vermont Holocaust Memorial, a child of Holocaust survivors and descendant of its victims, I feel a profound responsibility to preserve their legacy. I attended with my daughter, a member of the third generation, who is now carrying the mantle of remembrance in her own community. Watching her generation step forward gives me hope, but the urgency of their mission was unmistakable.

Throughout the conference, participants spoke of growing antisemitism, Holocaust denial and false equivalencies that distort history. They worry that the Holocaust will become a footnote in history books rather than a defining lesson about the consequences of hatred, dehumanization and indifference.

Eighty-one years after the end of World War II, its effects continue to haunt survivors and their descendants. Conference sessions explored intergenerational trauma, survivor guilt and a particularly poignant question: “Are we allowed to be happy?” The Holocaust did not end emotionally when the war ended. Its losses reverberate through families, shaping identities and leaving absences that can never be filled.

As we commemorate the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” on Nov. 9-10, I am reminded that history is not something that happened only to others. I grew up with the knowledge that my grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins had been murdered simply because they were Jewish. I never had the opportunity to get to know them. Before the war, they were ordinary people: shopkeepers, businesspeople, homemakers, students and playful children. They had dreams and futures that were violently taken away.

Their life stories are part of my inheritance. Descendants of Holocaust survivors and victims carry that legacy, whether they recognize it or not. We inherit the memories, the silences and the responsibility to ensure that those who were murdered are remembered as individuals, not merely as statistics.

Yet remembrance must also inspire hope. At the conference, the third-generation participants spoke with resilience, confidence and joy. They are finding new ways to preserve history, using technology and social media to share their experiences and stand proudly in their Jewish identities. Their voices are a breath of fresh air. They reminded us that honoring the past does not mean surrendering the future.

But hope alone is not enough. We must act.

Vermont remains one of the very few states without a requirement to teach the Holocaust in its secondary schools. Although many dedicated Vermont educators ensure that students learn this history, education should not depend on an individual teacher’s initiative or a school’s priorities.

Every student deserves to learn about Jewish life before, during and after the Holocaust, what happened and how a so-called enlightened society descended into genocide. Students must understand the roles of perpetrators, bystanders and those who resisted. They need historically accurate, carefully vetted resources that help them recognize antisemitism, challenge propaganda and distinguish historical fact from deliberate distortion.

The Vermont Holocaust Memorial supports educators through annual professional development workshops, exhibits, projects and a speakers bureau. These efforts are invaluable, but they cannot substitute for a consistent statewide commitment.

When Holocaust education is not required, students may graduate without meaningful understanding of one of history’s most consequential atrocities. That allows room for ignorance, denial and the normalization of prejudice. We cannot leave such an essential responsibility to chance. If it is not in the curriculum, it can be said that it never happened.

As survivors die, the obligation to bear witness falls to their children, their grandchildren, educators and communities. Our task is not simply to preserve their testimony but to ensure that the lessons remain relevant to each new generation. It is about equipping students with the knowledge to recognize where hatred leads and the courage to challenge it.

Vermont must make Holocaust education a priority by establishing a statewide requirement and ensuring that teachers have the proper training and resources to teach it responsibly. 

I left the conference encouraged by my daughter’s generation but also mindful of what is at stake. When the last of the Holocaust survivors are gone, the world will still need witnesses. Vermont must ensure that future generations are prepared to carry the responsibility forward.

Read the story on VTDigger here: When the last Holocaust survivors are gone, who will teach their history?.