A detailed list of recommendations on how to deal with the Nazi period in West German schools has been prepared by the Central Organization of Jews in West Germany and the trade union representing educators and scientific workers. The documents were presented to Peter Glotz, a member of the West Berlin Senate and minister in charge of the education system in the city.
The recommendations are intended as guidelines for high school teachers. They include an index of textbooks, documents, films and other sources of information on the Nazi era. Glotz, who is also president of the Conference of Cultural Ministers of the various federal states in West Germany, said they will soon be published in booklet form. About 20,000 copies will be distributed to school administrators and other groups dealing with education.
The guidelines emphasize the persecution of Jews, the ideological bias of education in the Third Reich, German occupation policy and the organized resistance against the Nazis. Werner Nachmann, chairman of the Central Organization of Jews, said the recommendations also stress the special character of the Third Reich compared to other periods of history. Until recently, the Nazi period was taboo in West German schools because many of the older teachers had played a role in it and the younger teachers had failed to inform themselves.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
