Gov. Ducey holds ceremonial signing for bill mandating Holocaust, genocide education
PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey held a ceremonial signing of a bill mandating genocide education on Thursday afternoon, surrounded by Holocaust survivors, legislators and advocates.
HB 2241, which requires students to learn about the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between seventh and 12th grades, was signed into law on July 9.
Prior to the bill's passage, Holocaust survivors and other proponents told The Arizona Republic, a part of the Paste BN Network, that mandated genocide education would improve Holocaust awareness and understanding as well as prevent future atrocities.
Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, of Congregation Beth Tefillah in Scottsdale, Arizona, began the ceremony with an opening prayer in which he expressed his "profound gratitude" for the bill's authors and honored those whose lives were lost during the Holocaust.
"Today we remember what happens when hate takes hold of the human heart and turns it to stone; when victims cry for help and there is no one listening; when humanity fails to recognize that those who were not created in our own image were nonetheless created in God's image," he said.
Allouche also thanked Ducey for his support and noted that the bill would result in "building a bridge between the past and the future to ensure that 'never again' truly means never again."
Ducey called the Holocaust "one of the most horrific events in history" and said Adolf Hitler and the Nazis committed "truly unthinkable acts of pure evil."
After a moment of silence in memory of those killed during the Holocaust, Ducey said many aren't "fully educated on the timeless significance of all that transpired."
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A study published in 2020 found that two-thirds of Millennials and Generation Z don't know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and that nearly half can't name a concentration camp.
"This lack of awareness has real consequences for our Jewish communities," Ducey said, citing rising numbers of antisemitic incidents both in Arizona and across the country.
In recent years, antisemitic posters and fliers have been found at Arizona State University, an electronic road sign in Queen Creek was hacked to display "Hail Hitler" and a Chandler family's menorah on their front lawn was contorted into a swastika. More recently, Congregation Chaverim and Chabad on River synagogues in Tucson, Arizona, were vandalized.
"These antisemitic acts are disgraceful and unacceptable," Ducey said. "We're going to do everything we can to ensure Arizonans of the Jewish faith are treated with respect, dignity and humanity."
Ducey said HB 2241 would "go a long way" toward increasing education and awareness of the Holocaust and other genocide.
"Antisemitism and other forms of hate are real and we must do more to prevent any additional harm and suffering," he said.
Ducey concluded his remarks by thanking the bill's sponsor, state Rep. Alma Hernandez,a Democrat, without whom he said the legislation "would not happen." He further described Hernandez as an "unwavering advocate" for the Jewish community.
Hernandez noted that the bill was a bipartisan effort and thanked those from all sides of the political spectrum who supported her push for genocide education over the years.
She went on to express her gratitude that the aging Holocaust survivors who have advocated for the bill in its various iterations over the years finally got to see it signed into law.
"It was not an easy ride but we are so glad that we're finally done with this and we're able to honor the lives of the survivors and their families," Hernandez said.
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