Governor’s council to focus on teaching California students about Holocaust

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education.

The council will host seminars, develop a speakers bureau and identify resources to teach California students about the Holocaust and other acts of genocide, as wells as how to respond to anti-Semitism and bigotry, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The governor made the announcement during a visit to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

“We find ourselves in a moment of history where hate pervades the public discourse,” Newsom said. “National surveys have indicated a shocking decline in awareness among young people about the Holocaust and other acts of genocide. But in California, we are offering an antidote to the cynicism that this is how things are, and responding to that hate the best way we know how — with education and empathy.”

The council, led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Sen. Henry Stern, is made up of state officials and legislators. Academics, advocates and community organizations are expected to be added to the council in the future.