CANBERRA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Schools in South Australia (SA) have begun a trial of a Holocaust education program to fight the rise of anti-Semitism.
The program, coordinated by the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre, will be taught to 15 and 16-year-old students at 12 secondary schools around the city.
It will eventually be incorporated into an in-house resource at the museum when it opens in late 2019 so that more schools could be included.
"We've seen around the world the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred and racism," Nicola Zuckerman, chair of the museum, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday night.
"I think it's now more important than ever that the younger generations are educated about the history of the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned from it.
"Without understanding that, it's difficult for them to understand in today's world why anti-Semitism and any form of hatred is just entirely unacceptable."
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry in November 2018 revealed that anti-Semitic incidents rose by an unprecedented 60 percent in 2018 compared to 2017.
Of the 366 reported anti-Semitic incidents in 2018, 156, or 43 percent, were considered attacks and 210, or 57 percent, categorized as threats.
Zuckerman said that the program would equip students with knowledge and compassion.
"There are some places and countries where it's not taught, it's not acknowledged and younger generations don't even know what occurred," she said.
"We have to do our best, I think, to ensure that we create a society that is understanding, compassionate and accepting of all people."
"We want our younger generations to be equipped with the knowledge and understanding of what those sorts of sentiments can lead to so that they can stand up against it."
