“The bipartisan Never Again Education Act is finally law,” Maloney said.
By Joseph Wolkin, World Israel News
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed the Never Again Education Act into law. The act, introduced in January 2019 by Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), will significantly increase funding for Holocaust education in all 50 states.
The Never Again Education Act authorizes the use of $2 million per year through 2025 for educators to enhance their Holocaust education in schools across the nation. Currently, only 12 states require Holocaust education in their curricula.
“The bipartisan Never Again Education Act is finally law,” Maloney said.
“As we recommit ourselves to the promise of ‘Never Again’ on this 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, I am reminded that the lessons of the Holocaust do not just apply to anti-Semitism – but to all forms of hate and bigotry and I can think of no better way to honor the memories of those murdered than to make sure our students know their names and their stories,” Maloney said in January.
“If we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it,” she said.
The enhanced programs and educational resources will be provided by the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which boasts 55 members, including five House and Senate members. The bipartisan bill will also aid in the creation of a website with resources for middle and high school students.
In January, the House of Representatives approved the Never Again Education Act with a vote of 393-5. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi echoed Maloney’s sentiment when the act passed Congress. It was passed by the Senate on May 13.
“As the world solemnly commemorates 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, we all must renew our commitment to educating the world about the horrors of the Holocaust and the dangers of bigotry and hate today,” Pelosi said.
“The urgency of Holocaust education is greater than ever now, as we see a surge of appalling anti-Semitic and other hate crimes being perpetrated both in America and around the world.”
The passage came just hours before Jewish Americans started the holiday of Shavuot, commemorating the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.