WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, and Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly lauded the Senate passage of the Never Again Education Act (H.R. 943). Senator Cardin is a cosponsor of the Senate companion bill (S. 2085) and led his colleagues in advocating for the initial $2 million in funding for the Never Act Education Act’s Holocaust Education programs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“We have a moral responsibility to ensure that Holocaust survivor stories are not forgotten. The current lack of knowledge about the Holocaust among Americans is terrifying, particularly as we see a rise in anti-Semitic incidents and violence worldwide,” said Senator Cardin. “This legislation will provide our classroom teachers with the tools they need to educate students about this difficult subject and prevent anti-Semitism and intolerance of diverse groups in the future. We cannot allow hate to become normalized.”

The Never Again Education Act:

• Expands the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s education programming to teachers across the country, requiring the Museum to develop and disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and educate individuals on the lessons of the Holocaust as a means to promote the importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry against any group of people.

• Funding will support and expand a centralized website maintained by the Holocaust Museum where educators can find curriculum materials. Funding through this bill may also be used to support teachers in bringing the lessons of the Holocaust into their classrooms in other ways, including developing, disseminating, and implementing  principles of sound pedagogy, increasing engagement with state and local education leaders to encourage the adoption of these resources, and evaluating and assessing the effectiveness and impact of Holocaust education programs.

• Funding also may be used to support an expansion of the Museum’s professional development programs, through activities such as local, regional, and national workshops, teacher trainings with Holocaust education centers and other partners, and engagement with local educational agencies and schools.

• Authorizes $10 million dollars over 5 years to go to these activities.

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