Vermont Lags Behind on Mandatory Holocaust Education

As most states require or encourage Holocaust education, Vermont remains an outlier with no such requirement.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 5:56pm

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An extremely abstracted, out-of-focus photograph of a classroom scene, composed entirely of soft pools of warm color and light, conceptually representing the need to educate students about the Holocaust and its lasting lessons.A hazy, dreamlike classroom scene evokes the importance of teaching the Holocaust's lessons of tolerance and understanding to the next generation.Burlington Today

This commentary by Allan Chernoff, the son of an Auschwitz survivor, argues that Vermont should mandate Holocaust education in its schools. While 30 states require and 11 others encourage Holocaust education, Vermont stands alone in the Eastern U.S. in having no such policy. Chernoff shares his personal experience of his daughter facing hostility from pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Vermont, and emphasizes the importance of teaching the Holocaust to help students understand the dangers of hate and the need for tolerance.

Why it matters

Teaching the Holocaust is more than just a lesson against antisemitism - it is a vital life lesson about the importance of respect, tolerance, and understanding between all people, regardless of faith, color, or orientation. At a time when hate speech and bias incidents are alarmingly high across the nation, educating children about the dangers of hate through the lens of the Holocaust is crucial.

The details

Chernoff argues that seventh or eighth grade is the right time to teach the Holocaust, as it is a period when children's attitudes and opinions are being formed and when social pressure and bullying can set them against each other. He shares his own experience of students posing thoughtful questions after he discusses his mother's experiences in Auschwitz, and how the Holocaust's lessons of acceptance and coexistence resonate with middle schoolers.

  • April 14, 2026 is Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, an appropriate moment to remind the Vermont General Assembly of the importance of requiring or strongly encouraging Holocaust education in schools.

The players

Allan Chernoff

The co-author with his mother of The Tailors of Tomaszow: A Memoir of Polish Jews, and the son of an Auschwitz survivor who shares his mother's history to educate the next generation about the importance of tolerance.

Vermont General Assembly

The state legislature that has been debating whether to require Holocaust education in schools for the past decade, but has yet to approve a bill mandating this essential lesson.

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What they’re saying

“I now realize how hate can influence people and even whole societies to do horrible things to others.”

— Raqib, Student

“I don't understand why there are still so many people who hate others, Jews and other minorities, because it's so unjust.”

— Chernoff's mother, Auschwitz survivor

What’s next

The Vermont General Assembly will decide whether to mandate Holocaust education in schools in an upcoming legislative session.

The takeaway

Vermont's refusal to require Holocaust education in its schools is a missed opportunity to teach students the vital lessons of tolerance, respect, and the dangers of hate. As the only state in the Eastern U.S. without such a policy, Vermont stands alone in failing to equip its students with this essential knowledge.