Israeli Holocaust Matriculation Test Not Mandatory in Light of Oct. 7 Massacre

Jerusalem, 28 January, 2024 (TPS) -- Israel’s Ministry of Education announced on Sunday that in light of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, the Holocaust section of this year’s matriculation exams will not be mandatory for graduating students this year.

“Many inquiries were received from professionals and parents that dealing with the Holocaust causes enormous emotional and mental difficulty among the students, so it was decided temporarily not to oblige the students to take the Holocaust chapter as part of the matriculation exam,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that this guideline is valid only for the current academic year, “in light of the proximity to the events of October 7.”

The statement stressed, “It is important to emphasize that the chapter on the Holocaust remains in the exam, but it is not mandatory and is subject to the discretion of the teacher according to the emotional state of the students.”

Holocaust studies traditionally included a high school trip to Poland to visit the Nazi concentration camps. Those visits were suspended during Coronavirus travel restrictions. A disagreement with Poland over security protocols nearly led to a cancellation of visits in 2023, but the November trip was subsequently canceled for security reasons following Hamas’s October 7 attacks.