In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in interest in Jewish culture in Poland. In every major city, at least one festival promoting this culture is held annually. Despite this, as surveys show, antisemitic views are still a widespread phenomenon in Poland.

How can today’s antisemitism be defined? How can we teach about the Jewish community while avoiding the transmission or reinforcement of stereotypes about Jews? In 2014, the Jewish Association Czulent launched a project in collaboration with the Autonomia Foundation titled ‘Antisemitism is not an Opinion,’ which is a response to the above questions.

As part of the project, we analyzed 147 textbooks. We focused primarily on the following subjects: history, history and society, knowledge of society, knowledge of culture, family life education, and – to a minimal extent – Polish language and early school education textbooks. Only textbooks approved for school use by the Ministry of National Education were analyzed, and their content was verified by experts appointed by the ministry. The textbooks were selected from the list of textbooks approved by the Ministry of National Education for the new curriculum (as of 2014).

On the day before the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, April 18, 2016, the Jewish Association Czulent, together with the Autonomia Foundation and the Korczak Foundation, organized a conference titled ‘Antisemitism is not an Opinion: Jewish Topics, Antisemitic Content, and Argumentative Schemes in School Textbooks.’ The conference was attended by 70 people. The aim of the meeting was to present the results of the analysis of textbooks approved for use by the Ministry of National Education (MEN) and educational materials for trainers. All content was analyzed for the inclusion of topics related to Jews, antisemitic content, and argumentative schemes. The second goal of the conference was to develop mechanisms to counteract antisemitism in school and educational environments. During the seminar, participants familiarized themselves with the practices of the ministries and institutions responsible (or jointly responsible) for the approval and creation of school textbooks and other educational materials.

In 2016, we completed this important anti-discrimination project, which was significant for many institutions. We undertook innovative actions that contributed to raising awareness about recognizing and counteracting antisemitism in contemporary Poland.

As part of the project, we prepared three textbooks aimed at individuals involved in anti-discrimination education at the academic and primary levels – both formal and non-formal.

1. A textbook for educators
The publication includes analyses of educational textbooks, training materials, reports on contemporary antisemitism in Poland, and basic information about antisemitism. An important element of the textbook is the innovative lesson and workshop scenarios.

2. A textbook for preschool and early school educators
A textbook for educators and preschool and early school teachers on teaching children about the Jewish community and culture. The exercises included in it will allow young people to learn unbiased information about the Jewish community, and more, in an engaging way.

3. A workbook
The workbook is a complement to the lesson plans developed in the textbooks. The exercises included in it foster the creativity of children.