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NYC Students to Visit Battery Park Holocaust Museum for Free

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By: Allison McGuire

The New York City Board of Education’s answer to a rash of antisemitic attacks is education.

Free admission to the Museum of Jewish Heritage will be handed out to all public school students, and teenagers who live in a trio of Brooklyn districts that boast sizeable Jewish populations will visit the museum on field trips.

As part of the partnership, which was announced last Wednesday, public school students throughout New York City will be permitted to simply show up at the Battery Park museum with a student ID or report card and claim four free passes.

At the same time, eighth and 10th graders from several communities — Williamsburg, Crown Heights, and Borough Park — will visit the museum along with their schools.

The decision is a reaction by city officials to fight the smoldering atmosphere of hate that has resulted in far too many well-publicized attacks in recent months.

“We know what the result is when we don’t have this exposure,” New York City Public Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said last Wednesday. “We’re standing in a museum that’s a testament to it.”

According to the chancellor, a revised curriculum in being introduced that emphasizes lessons about bias and anti-Semitism. It will arrive in classrooms next year.

To ensure a safer and more welcoming future, we must teach our children about the destructive force of hate,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in announcing the program. “This partnership with the Museum of Jewish Heritage will give all our students and their families the chance to learn about our past to create a better future.”

“As a former social studies teacher, I know how important it is for students to learn about the past in order to understand the world around them,” said Carranza. “The lessons of The Holocaust must never be forgotten, and we’re grateful to the Museum of Jewish Heritage for expanding our partnership. In the wake of recent anti-Semitic attacks in our City, we’re committed to helping students and school communities engage in thoughtful and respectful dialogue, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage is instrumental in achieving that goal.”

“Ignorance is as dangerous as hate. The mission of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is to educate people of all ages and backgrounds, with students being our most important audience. Deepening the Museum’s partnership with the New York City Department of Education at this critical time will give more students the knowledge to recognize antisemitism and the ability to empathize with others who may be different,” said Jack Kliger, President & CEO, Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

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