New York, NY, February 5, 2023 – This week, reports have circulated regarding an extremist homeschooling network in Ohio that has distributed “pro-Nazi” propaganda to their students. In response to these troubling reports, we strongly condemn these exhibits of hate, and we urge Ohio Governor DeWine, Superintendent of Public Instruction Siddens, and other leaders to immediately regulate and disrupt these dangerous homeschooling cells.
Those at the helm of this extremist homeschooling outfit are doing so to ensure that “their children become wonderful Nazis.” To hear that a parent is willing to try and impose the beliefs of those responsible for the extermination of 6 million Jews and countless other innocents during the Holocaust, shakes us to our core. With more than 2,400 subscribers sharing their hate-fueled curriculum – it marks a further testament to that fact; one which cannot be ignored.
The American Jewish Congress has been a leading force in the fight to ensure that the lessons of the past, and the abhorrent rise seen in antisemitism, receive the critical attention they deserve. As such, we are committed to working with leaders in local and State governments, and those at the Federal level, to ensure that these acts of heinous deportment are combatted swiftly and effectively. For these reasons, we’ve been proud to support measures like the recently introduced Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act, a measure introduced in Congress to understand what types of curricula on the Holocaust, or lack thereof, exist throughout our schools. In doing so, this measure will directly combat dangerous misinformation like Holocaust denial and fight back against the lack of knowledge our students may hold surrounding one of the darkest hours in Human History. However, while measures like the HEAL Act mark a much-needed step in the right direction, reports like what is being spread throughout Ohio homeschooling communities indicate just how much work there is to be done.
The American Jewish Congress remains ready to assist in those critical efforts.
