News item | 08-01-2026 | 08:00
This week the annual ‘Learn about the Holocaust’ campaign starts. The campaign is an initiative of the National Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism (NCAB) and highlights the importance of Holocaust education in Dutch society. The campaign targets all Dutch people with posters, (online) advertisements and radio spots and invites them to reflect on the Holocaust. This year’s theme is ‘Tell me more’. The campaign is the prelude to International Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27 and is taking place for the third time this year.
Eddo Verdoner (NCAB): “Holocaust education is an important form of prevention of anti-Semitism. This dark period of our history should not be missed by anyone. There are many organizations doing important work in this area. By working together, a larger audience is reached in order to keep the memory of victims alive and combat anti-Semitism.”
Prior knowledge about the Holocaust is often insufficient
A poll commissioned by OCW in 2025 shows that 1 in 3 history and social studies teachers indicate that students’ prior knowledge about the Holocaust is insufficient. Out research commissioned by the Anne Frank Foundation shows that in 2022, 14% of secondary school teachers were confronted with denial or trivialization of the Holocaust. 42% of teachers witnessed anti-Semitic incidents in the classroom. A quarter of teachers take a more cautious approach to this topic and 3% avoid the subject completely. Also around football, for example, very offensive slogans are regularly heard that refer to the Holocaust. Due to the growth of social media, disinformation and distortion of the Holocaust is spreading faster and wider than before.
Remove the barrier to paying attention to the Holocaust
The campaign involves collaboration with the Anne Frank Foundation, Camp Westerbork Remembrance Center, Jewish Cultural Quarter, National Support Center for Guest Speakers WWII-Present, After the War, National Committee 4 and 5 May, National Monument Camp Vught, CIDI, CJO and many other museums and remembrance centers. With the campaign and the website, the participating organizations strengthen each other and reach a broader audience.
Via the website www.leeroverdeholocaust.nl of the NCAB, existing initiatives, educational programs, guest lectures, exhibitions, memorial sites and public activities are bundled. The website thus functions as a clear and accessible starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about the Holocaust.
The campaign is being carried out in the context of the National Plan for Strengthening Holocaust Education, an interdepartmental plan of the ministries of OCW, VWS and SZW, in collaboration with the NCAB. Within this plan, efforts are being made to structurally strengthen Holocaust education across the spectrum of society, including education, commemoration, public education and social dialogue. The plan was launched in 2024 and various measures have now been initiated. For example, schools receive extra resources to visit a memorial center and extra attention is paid to the Holocaust during integration.