TOLI welcomes the passage of the Never Again Education Act, signed into law on May 28, which provides $10 million of funding for Holocaust education in the US. The money will be administered over five years by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“As memory of the Holocaust is in decline and anti-Semitism and extremism are on the rise, this is a landmark law that will support efforts to educate about the Holocaust and apply its lessons today in the classroom and community,” said David Field, Chairman and Mark Berez, President of TOLI. 

Last year, TOLI hosted Rep. Maloney and representatives of various Jewish organizations at its office in New York, where she introduced the bill and spoke about its importance.

“Passing this bill by unanimous consent today sends a strong message that the Congress is overwhelmingly united in combatting anti-Semitism and hate through education,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y), the lead House sponsor, said in a statement.

The legislation enjoyed broad bipartisan support. “Passage of the bill could not have happened without the tremendous support of so many groups across faith and party lines,” said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D, Nev), a key sponsor in the Senate. Joining her was Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), from a state with a small Jewish population but who saw this not as a Jewish issue, but as an American issue.

The new law seeks to expand education programming about the Holocaust nationwide, allocating $2 million annually through the USHMM.  TOLI is one of the organizations that has both the expertise and network of educators to fit the mandate of the legislation. TOLI, which has provided professional development in Holocaust education to over 2800 teachers, is well equipped to fulfill the law’s mandate. Indeed, TOLI’s motto, “Never Again Begins in the Classroom,” coincides with the name of the law.

“We hope to work closely with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in implementing this legislation” said Dr. Sondra Perl, Senior Director of US Programs, TOLI.