Jewish teacher suspended in France for teaching 'too much' about Holocaust

[Behind the Aegis]

A French history teacher in Nancy, France, has been suspended for breaching the principle of secularism and neutrality after the French education ministry concluded that she was teaching "too much" about the Holocaust and spending too much time organizing trips for her students to Nazi death camps in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Catherine Pederzoli, 58, was investigated by officials at the education ministry, who released a report about the matter in July. The report accused the teacher of "lacking distance, neutrality and secularism" in teaching the Holocaust, and of manipulating her charges through a process of "brain-washing," according to the French news agency AFP.

In December, when the French Minister of Education Luc Chatel was visiting Pederzoli's high school, several of her students staged a protest over the decision to cut in half the number of students traveling to Poland on an upcoming trip, meant to acquaint the students with Nazi camps in the region. Pederzoli was accused of inciting the protest.

The principle of secularism and neutrality in France is meant to protect the separation of church and state. The ministry's report cites that in meeting with investigators, the teacher used the word "Holocaust" 14 times while using the more neutral term "massacre" only twice.


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[realisticphish]

1. secularism?

what the hell does secularism have to do with teaching about the Holocaust?

[Behind the Aegis]

2. I am not sure.

I have been trying to find the AFP article because I thought it would have more information. All I have found so far are articles referring to AFP's report.

ON EDIT: I finally found it:

NANCY - A history professor Nancy Jewish faith was suspended four months of office for having breached its obligations "of neutrality and secularism" in his teaching and school trips in former concentration camps, said Tuesday his lawyer.

Catherine Pederzoli, 58, used to organize trips to Poland and the Czech Republic over the past fifteen years with its second class, first and final years of public high school Loritz Nancy Henry, told the AFP his lawyer, Christine Tadic.

"Since the arrival of a new direction of the establishment in 2007, relentlessly against it, we want to get rid of it," said the lawyer.

"The fault that the teacher has committed is she not to be Jewish?" Asked Mr. Tadic, who has seized on Tuesday referred the tribunal to suspend the decision of the rector. The court should rule within 15 days.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h-uDdmjGy7FJgtWa90aNbymDy4lQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3DPederzoli-Ventura%2BAFP%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7_____en%26prmd%3Dn&rurl=translate.google.com&usg=ALkJrhjO-HnGd1X0pAAjQ9YLGOhPVasNtg">more...

2nd edit to correct the odd c-n-p.

[realisticphish]

3. I understand the "neutrality" bit

though I think it's total BS in this case, but I'm not sure why religion has anything to do about it. Maybe because she's Jewish? Not that that's a justification

[Behind the Aegis]

4. I don't understand it either.

Seems a few people are upset by it. She has been teaching this way for years, so why now? I think that question is what many are asking.

[realisticphish]

6. In a class in 6th grade

we spent an entire YEAR learning about the Holocaust. It was only one day a week (talented and gifted class), but I think that if can spend that much time on it in rural Ohio, people living right on the doorstep can spend a bit of time on it, too.

[Behind the Aegis]

7. I learned almost nothing of the Holocaust in school.

I learned almost everything I knew from Hebrew school and reading books in our home. I also had some around me who had survived and I learned from them. I went to school in multiple places throughout the South.

[realisticphish]

8. I am very thankful for my TAG class

I don't recall how much we did on the Holocaust in our regular class. Not a whole lot.

But in TAG, we read Maus, Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz, and tried to watch Schindler's List (principal vetoed that)

We also did a visual aid kind of thing, where we printed out 11 million zeros on computer paper and attached it to the walls.

[dbmk]

10. Who says religion has anything to do with it?

"Secularism and neutrality" fits with this story like
"Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms" goes with ....

How about we assume that the subject is a tad overdone in this case? You're not supposed to _only_ know about the Holocaust when you leave school.

[aquart]

5. Ah, France.

[provis99]

9. ok, then...

If they don't want her to teach "too much" about the Holocaust, I suggest she devote a good chunk of time to talking about Vichy France and French collaboration with the Nazis. Maybe that's "secular" enough for the education ministry.

[rpannier]

11. I like that idea

:applause:

It sounds 'Sensibly Secular'