The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland has described itself as “deeply troubled” by a number of “offensive portrayals” of Judaism and the Holocaust in Irish school textbooks. 

One textbook, Inspire - Wisdom of the World, for Junior Cert cycle students studying religions states that Judaism believes “violence and war are sometimes necessary to promote justice.” All other religions are described as “peaceful” or opposed to “harming any living thing”. 

In a report on Irish school textbooks, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) described the book as “biased and inaccurate” and said it ignores “the diverse teachings in Jewish texts that advocate for peace, justice and the sanctity of life”. 

In a statement to Newstalk, publisher Educate.ie said the textbook has been revised since it was first published in 2020 but confirmed that older versions remain in circulation. 

IMPACT-se also criticised Grow in Love for Junior Infants, which describes Jews as people who "did not like Jesus".

The NGO described this as potentially feeding into “antisemitic stereotypes that have wrongly blamed Jews collectively for the death of Jesus”. 

A Jewish man wearing Yarmulke with the Star of David. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Another textbook, Dictatorship and Democracy 1920–1945, for Leaving Certificate students described Auschwitz concentration camp as a “prison of war camp”. 

Although there were some Soviet prisoners of war held in the camp, the primary function of Auschwitz was to facilitate the Nazis’ mass murder of European Jews. 

Speaking ahead of the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation, Auschwitz Memorial spokesperson Pawel Sawicki said such a description of the camp  should be avoided by educators. 

“At no point can Auschwitz be referred to as a prisoner of war camp,” he told Newstalk. 

“This is a completely different system; especially in textbooks, the authors [and] the editors should be very, very precise and very, very careful.” 

A group of Jews awaiting deportation to Auschwitz. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Jewish Representative Council Chair Maurice Cohen told Newstalk such errors “have been allowed to persist largely due to a lack of adequate oversight”. 

“Offensive portrayals of Jewish people - such as the suggestion that Jews are ‘violent’ or that they ‘don’t like Jesus’- propagate harmful stereotypes and grossly misrepresent historical reality,” he said. 

“Moreover, we have received concerning reports that many young people from minority groups, especially Jewish children, are experiencing considerable distress as a result of certain teachers whose political affiliations foster a hostile environment for these students.” 

Warsaw Jews being held at gunpoint by the SS. Image: World History Archive / Alamy

Mr Cohen said he would be seeking a meeting with Helen McEntee, the new Minister for Education, and hoped his concerns about accuracy would be “urgently addressed”. 

“It is vital that the Holocaust and Jewish history be presented accurately and respectfully, both to honour the memory of its victims and to provide future generations with a truthful understanding of these significant historical events,” he said. 

The Department of Education has been contacted for comment. 

Main image: Split of the main gate into Auschwitz and school textbooks. Pictures by: Alamy.com