Monash research says Holocaust education cannot carry antisemitism
Holocaust education is being put under increasing pressure to respond to contemporary antisemitism in Australia, with new Monash University research finding educators are being asked to do more than teaching about the Holocaust can reasonably deliver.
The qualitative study drew on in-depth interviews with 25 educators, scholars and museum professionals in Australia and abroad. It found growing tension between preserving the Holocaust’s historical specificity and attempts to apply its lessons to current antisemitism in Australia and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Professor David Slucki, Chief Investigator for the Monash Initiative for Rapid Research into Antisemitism and director of Monash University’s Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, said Holocaust education had not necessarily led to a decrease in antisemitism in Australia in recent decades. “What is clear from those teaching in museums, universities, and schools, is that we need to be realistic in what we can expect from Holocaust education as a salve to a society-wide problem.”
Researchers said the violence in Gaza over the last few years had created new challenges in classrooms, exposing gaps in educators’ confidence, training and guidance in increasingly politicised and polarised settings. The study also identified structural pressures including restricted time, limited resources, competing demands and the complexity of the subject in school curricula.
Calls for national framework
The research recommends federal support for a national framework for Holocaust education in Australia, with consistent standards and shared educational goals. It also argues that antisemitism prevention should be developed as a separate educational focus, rather than treated as a secondary outcome of Holocaust education.
Participants warned that defining Jewish identity primarily through the Holocaust risked framing the Australian Jewish community through victimhood and tragedy, while failing to reflect contemporary Jewish life in Australia.
Slucki said educators needed more specialised training, particularly for discussions about the Israel-Palestine conflict, and that support should extend beyond Melbourne and Sydney to regional and less-resourced areas. He also said efforts to address antisemitism should be built into broader institutional safeguarding policies.
The study forms part of the Monash Initiative for Rapid Research into Antisemitism.
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Last updated: 29 July 2026, 10:34 am
