The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will be incorporating Holocaust education into its primary and secondary school curriculum. The content for these studies will be developed in collaboration with Israel’s official Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem. This decision has been welcomed by the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Amb. Deborah E. Lipstadt, who praised the UAE for taking “this important step” and called on other countries to follow suit.
Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Head of the Federal National Council (FNC) Delegation in the UAE and mediator of the Abraham Accords, has emphasized the importance of remembering the impact of the Holocaust.
“Public figures failed to tell the truth because a political agenda hijacked their narrative, while a tragedy of the magnitude of the Holocaust is not just aimed at Jews, but at humanity as a whole,” said Dr. Al Nuaimi in an event in Washington last November.
The inclusion of Holocaust education in the UAE curriculum is seen as a significant development, particularly in the context of the Abraham Accords, a historic agreement signed between the UAE and Israel in September 2020. The Accords have led to increased cooperation and cultural exchange between the two countries and have opened up new possibilities for joint ventures in a range of areas, including business, healthcare, and scientific research.
The Holocaust, in which six million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime during World War II, is a tragic event that has had a profound impact on world history and on the collective memory of humanity. By incorporating Holocaust education into its school curriculum, the UAE is taking a proactive step towards ensuring that this tragic chapter of history is not forgotten and that future generations are aware of the lessons that it holds.
