Narbonne. At Victor-Hugo College, students work on anti-Semitic myths

Deconstructing anti-Semitic myths is the mission, among others, of the Shoah Memorial Foundation, a French institution recognized as being of public utility. Tuesday, December 17, the 3rd VI class at Victor-Hugo College was able to start from these myths (demonization, conspiracy, the relationship between Jews and money, etc.) to understand how these representations were born, how they were disseminated and what are the consequences “both in terms of words and dates. In a second part of the workshops, we will talk about the representations promoted by the anti-Semite who does not say what the Jews really are”explains Hubert Strouk, trainer and regional coordinator.

“Awaken their critical thinking”

Through actions carried out throughout France and abroad in schools from CM2 onwards, the foundation attempts to answer a question: what is the Jewish world in its diversity? The 3rd VI students, in class with their history-geography teacher, project leader, Ève Guilhot-Curbilié, expressed their interest and raised other relevant questions.

Fanny Levin, for the teaching service, extends: “Tomorrow, we will also talk about racist prejudices, we will address discrimination through the prism of sport and the 1936 Olympics. Homophobia, sexism… I believe that we are here to provide them with knowledge, but above all to awaken their critical thinking “We don’t have a magic wand and we can’t deconstruct everything, but we get them to think and become aware.”

If it happens that trainers are faced with young people who have comments whose significance they do not always understand, fortunately they have not come across anti-Semites in the making. In any case, awareness is always necessary.