News item | 11-12-2025 | 4:30 PM
More projects in the field of Holocaust education, extra attention to the Holocaust during integration and tackling anti-Semitic chants during football matches. This is a selection of the measures and activities that the government has implemented over the past year and a half at the initiative of the National Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism (NCAB) to strengthen knowledge of the history of the Holocaust among all Dutch people. In the first progress report of the National Plan for Strengthening Holocaust Education, the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport, OCW and SZW announce that they will allocate an additional 750,000 euros per year to support secondary schools in organizing activities related to Holocaust education.
It is essential to keep alive the memory of the history of the Holocaust and the genocide of Sinti and Roma. This history shows the terrible consequences of groupthink, hatred, anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination. This period is becoming increasingly distant from future generations. That is why the government is investing in the spread of knowledge about the Holocaust. This includes supporting projects from various institutions in the WWII remembrance sector. They play a central role when it comes to Holocaust education: they reach schools, receive students and visitors, develop educational materials and support teachers.
Museum visits and performances for students
Education is crucial to strengthen knowledge about the Holocaust among young people. From January 1, all secondary schools that are affiliated with the culture card of the Cultural Youth Passport Foundation (CJP) will therefore receive extra money to organize activities about the Holocaust. For example, they can visit museums and performances with their students or organize guest lessons and workshops in the classroom. The budget may also be spent on transport. This meets the needs of schools. A survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science among teachers shows that they would like to undertake such activities, but that it currently costs them too much time and money to organize themselves. By involving the CJP in this, these obstacles must be removed. Schools decide how the budget is used. This way, teachers can see for themselves how and which activities are appropriate for the way in which they teach about the Holocaust in the educational program.
Attention to Holocaust education during integration
The government believes it is important that people integrating in the Netherlands have knowledge of the Holocaust. Since July 1, 2025, knowledge of the Holocaust has been an explicit part of the integration exam Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM). In addition, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is working to make it possible to visit institutions in the context of Holocaust education as part of the integration process. This involves a visit to museums and memorial sites, for example. The first visits will take place in 2026 in the form of a pilot. In this way, the important lessons from the Second World War can be transferred to newcomers with more impact. A guideline is being drawn up for integration teachers to support them in teaching about this subject.
National Plan for strengthening Holocaust education
The National Plan for Strengthening Holocaust Education was launched last year by the ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport, OCW, SZW and the NCAB at the initiative of the NCAB. With this, the government wants to increase knowledge about the Holocaust among Dutch people. There are concerns that knowledge about the Holocaust is declining, especially now that there are fewer and fewer eyewitnesses. It is therefore necessary that we as a society continue to actively invest in education about and memory of the Holocaust. This year, the NCAB ran a successful Learn About the Holocaust campaign that will be repeated in January 2026. The campaign aims to increase knowledge, awareness and social resilience among all Dutch people.