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Toronto (October 31, 2023) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) commends the Government of British Columbia and Premier David Eby for announcing their commitment to make Holocaust education mandatory in high schools.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the Office of the Premier, the B.C. government will be broadening the scope of the required Grade 10 social studies curriculum to “ensure that when learning about discriminatory policies and injustices in Canada and around the world, all students in B.C. will also learn about the Holocaust.”

The changes will take effect in the 2025-26 school year.

“The enactment of mandatory Holocaust education in B.C. schools comes at acritical time, as we see a decline in student knowledge of the Holocaust and a terrifying rise in antisemitism across the country,” said FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt. “We’re grateful to Premier David Eby for working with the local Jewish community and for his commitment to combatting antisemitism, educating youth on the lessons of the Holocaust and the message of Never Again.”