Some 10,000 eighth-grade students from New York City public schools visited the Museum of Jewish Heritage‒A Living Memorial to the Holocaust this year, surpassing the first-year goal of a citywide Holocaust-education initiative launched last year to counter rising antisemitism.
Julie Menin, a New York City Council member and part of the council’s Jewish Caucus, told JNS that reaching the milestone was a strong start toward the program’s ultimate goal of bringing 85,000 public school students to visit the museum over a three-year period.
“This achievement is profoundly important because it shows that education can be a powerful catalyst against antisemitism,” she said. “The program is not only exceeding its goals, but is also helping to build a more informed and compassionate generation of students, ensuring that the lessons of history are not forgotten.”
“These students will one day share the stories they hear and educate the children of tomorrow,” she added.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos, chancellor of New York City Public Schools, said in a statement on Thursday that the initiative “reflects our unwavering belief that education is one of the most powerful tools we have to combat antisemitism and hate.”
“As a parent and a former educator, I’m inspired by the dedication and collaboration that resulted in more than 10,000 young people completing this program in its pilot year,” she stated. “Key projects like these are planting seeds of understanding and empathy that will shape a better tomorrow.”
