Florida rejects Holocaust textbooks for falling afoul of ‘woke’ education ban
Works vetoed over reference to banned ‘special topics,’ another book forced to alter question asking which ‘social justice’ issues can be found in Hebrew Bible
By ANDREW LAPIN
The Times of Israel, 12 May 2023
JTA — Florida’s state Education Department rejected two new Holocaust-focused textbooks for classroom use while forcing at least one other textbook to alter a passage about the Hebrew Bible in order to meet state approval.
The books were rejected as part of a broader review of new K-12 social studies material. According to documents provided by the state, the Education Department did not approve any new texts on the Holocaust this year. Reached by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a spokesperson at the department’s press office was unable to confirm whether there are older Holocaust textbooks already in use that can still be taught in the state.
Under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state has made an effort to clamp down on what he calls “woke indoctrination,” mostly regarding race and gender. The textbooks’ rejection is the latest example of how that drive is affecting Jewish topics as well.
One of this year’s rejected Holocaust textbooks was called “Modern Genocides,” and the other was an online learning course titled “History of the Holocaust.” Both were intended for high school students.
“Modern Genocides” was rejected in part for its discussion of “special topics” prohibited by the state. The list of such topics includes terms such as “social justice” and “critical race theory,” a phrase that traditionally concerns a method of legal analysis but that Republicans have used pejoratively to refer to the discussion of systemic racism in the United States. The department did not clarify which prohibited “special topics” the book included.
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/florida-rejects-holocaust-textbooks-for-falling-afoul-of-woke-education-ban/
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