TEACHING THE SHOAH IN SCHOOLS The anniversary of the racial laws, enacted in Italy in 1938, is an occasion to further reflect on teaching the Shoah in primary, middle and high schools. There is an introduction, followed six chapters: The fundamental nature and issues of the Shoah; Teaching the Shoah and training educators ; Pedagogical choices; Best Practices in education. Competition and use of the web; Learning activities using archival records, in partnership with the State Archives; Sources of information on the history of the Shoah

INTRODUCTION When? Why? Through the entire students curriculum; The didactical autonomy inspires our school system; The “national instructions” and the “guidelines” are not prescriptive, to timing and modalities of implementation of each topic; Devoting space and time to relevant issues could be scheduled according to the educational value of the issues themselves. Why? Studying the Shoah is essential for pupils, civil, intellectual and moral progress. It is a significant pedagogical opportunity to better understand our present. The Shoah is a deep rift in the civilization of the twentieth century. Improvements in modern historiography enable a better understanding of the facts.

How? What? It is important: It is essential: To select topics and texts according to the aims and to the age of the students; To highlight Jewish life in different European countries before the Shoah; To involve students in discovering sources (learning by doing); To monitor results. What? It is essential: To focus on key events in the context of the European and global scenario; To pay special attention to national historical events.

THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE AND ISSUES OF THE SHOAH The Shoah as the highest level of anti-Semitism in history. The impact of the Shoah in different countries. Features and uniqueness of the Shoah. The racist politics in Germany and the project of extermination. The Shoah in Italy. Steps: from the persecution of rights (1938-1943) to the persecution of lives (1943-1945). The Racial laws of 1938. The responsibility of Fascism and the implementation of concentration camps in Italy. Rescue initiatives by private citizens and religious institutions.

TEACHING THE SHOAH AND TRAINING EDUCATORS Teaching the Shoah is a great challenge. It involves different skills and disciplines; Teaching methodologies are related to the transmission of collective memory (including denial, revisionism and distortion); The awareness of difficulties and implications for each discipline has increased from the 1960s to nowadays; The multidisciplinary and multicultural perspective The pedagogical research includes the incubation period, social Darwinism, eugenics and religious and racial antisemitism.

PEDAGOGICAL CHOICES Memory as a challenge for the education of young people. 27th of January: national and local initiatives to educate and make young people aware of the meaning of exclusion. Specific activities to involve generations that are farther away from historical events and to assess their opinions and attitudes. New perspectives in the '70s and '80s: cooperation among various disciplines, not only regarding the content but also the methodological approaches and the comparison of the findings. Yad Vashem and IHRA: pedagogical-educational contributions.

BEST PRACTICES IN EDUCATION. COMPETITION AND USE OF THE WEB The competition “I giovani ricordano la Shoah” (M.I.U.R.-U.c.e.i. 16th edition): an opportunity to teach and reflect, as a “give back” (tikkun), a “shelter” against evil. Travelling exhibitions show students works (graphics, paintings, murals, drawings, installations and statues, albums, scripts, videos, historical research…). Learning through the Web. Self-study integrated in an educational path. Pros: Adaptation of the message to the users language. Cons: Risks of "biases confirmed", "fake news", denial websites. Indication of searchable websites (to be published).

LEARNING ACTIVITIES THROUGH ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS, IN PARTERSHIP WITH THE STATE ARCHIVES “ALTERNANZA SCUOLA-LAVORO” (ALTERNATIVE LEARNING AND WORKING in high schools) In the previous year about 6000 students have carried out specific research programs about the Shoah and other related issues in 65 national archives. ORDINARY ACTIVITY Various documentary research, especially about local history. Extensive use of 443 Italian testimonials collected by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute. Educational activities based on audio and visual documentation (Discoteca di Stato di Roma).

SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF THE SHOAH Research works are carried out in national and local archives (there is not an unique state archive) Difference between immediately usable sources and “primary sources” (not yet investigated). Ongoing development and elaboration of sources from the 1960s to nowadays (from the first films and fiction to the access to witnesses records and Archives ― extension of research to other victims of the Holocaust ― Roma and Sinti, homosexuals, disabled people, politicians, etc.). List of sources available online. Essential bibliography.