New Jersey Holocaust-Related Statutes

Holocaust Education || Holocaust Commission || Holocaust Remembrance Day || Kristallnacht Memorial Night

L. 1994, c.13, s.1.

18A:35-27. Findings, declarations

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. New Jersey has recently become the focal point of national attention for the most venomous and vile of ethnic hate speeches.

b. There is an inescapable link between violence and vandalism and ethnic and racial intolerance. The New Jersey Department of Education itself has formally recognized the existence of the magnitude of this problem in New Jersey schools by the formation of a Commissioner's Task Force on Violence and Vandalism.

c. New Jersey is proud of its enormous cultural diversity. The teaching of tolerance must be made a priority if that cultural diversity is to remain one of the State's strengths.

d. National studies indicate that fewer than 25% of students have an understanding of organized attempts throughout history to eliminate various ethnic groups through a systematic program of mass killing or genocide.

e. The New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, created pursuant to P.L.1991, c.193 (C.18A:4A-1 et seq.), several years ago expanded its mission to study and recommend curricular material on a wide range of genocides. The Holocaust Commission is an ideal agency to recommend curricular materials to local districts.

L. 1994, c. 13, s. 1

18A:35-28 Instruction on Holocaust, genocides required in elementary, secondary school curriculum

2. a. Every board of education shall include instruction on the Holocaust and genocides in an appropriate place in the curriculumof all elementary and secondary school pupils.

b. The instruction shall enable pupils to identify and analyze applicable theories concerning human nature and behavior; to understand that genocide is a consequence of prejudice and discrimination; and to understand that issues of moral dilemma and conscience have a profound impact on life. The instruction shall further emphasize the personal responsibility that each citizen bears to fight racism and hatred whenever and wherever it happens.

L. 1994, c.13, s.2.

18A:4A-1. Findings, declarations

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. During the period from 1933 to 1945, six million Jews and millions of other Europeans were murdered in Nazi concentration camps as part of a carefully orchestrated program of cultural, social and political genocide known as the Holocaust;

b. All people should remember the horrible atrocities committed at that time and other times in human history as the result of bigotry and tyranny and, therefore, should continually rededicate themselves to the principles of human rights and equal protection under the laws of a democratic society;

c. It is desirable to educate our citizens about the events leading up to the Holocaust and about the organizations and facilities that were created and used purposefully for the systematic destruction of human beings;

d. It is the policy of the State of New Jersey that Holocaust history is the proper concern of all people, particularly students enrolled in the schools of the State of New Jersey;

e. The New Jersey Department of Education, in conjunction with theAnti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, the New Jersey Education Association, and the New Jersey Council for Social Studies, has developed a curriculum, entitled "The Holocaust and Genocide: A Search for Conscience," which has been implemented in courses of study on a trial basis in Vineland and Teaneck and, subsequently, in other communities;

f. Programs, workshops, institutes, seminars, and other teacher-training activities for the study of the Holocaust have taken place during recent years at various high schools and colleges in the State of New Jersey; and

g. It is desirable to create a State-level commission, which as an organized body, on a continuous basis, will survey, design, encourage, and promote implementation of Holocaust education and awareness programs in New Jersey and shall be responsible for the coordination of events that will provide appropriate memorialization of the Holocaust, on a regular basis, throughout the State.

L. 1991, c.193, s.1.

18A:4A-2. New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education

2. a. The New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education is created and established in the Executive Branch of the State Government. For the purposes of complying with the provisions of Article V, Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, the commission is allocated within the Department of Education, but not withstanding this allocation, the commission shall be independent of any supervision or control by the department or any board or officer thereof. The commission shall consist of 21 members, including the Commissioner of Education and the chair of the executive board of the Presidents' Council, serving ex officio, and 19 public members. Public members shall be appointed as follows: three public members shall be appointed by the President of the Senate; three public members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; and 13 public members shall be appointed by the Governor, no less than six of whom shall at the time of their appointment be members of the New Jersey Advisory Council on Holocaust Education, created pursuant to Executive OrderNo. 17 of 1982 and continued pursuant to Executive Order No. 87 of 1984, Executive Order No. 168 of 1987 and Executive Order No. 225 of 1990, and further continued pursuant to Executive Order No. 14 of 1990. The public members shall be residents of this State, chosen with due regard to broad geographic representation and ethnic diversity, who have served prominently as spokespersons for, or as leaders of organizations which serve members of religious, ethnic, national heritage or social groups which were subjected to genocide, torture, wrongful deprivation of liberty or property, officially imposed or sanctioned violence, and other forms of human rights violations and persecution at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators during the Nazi era, or they shall be residents who are experienced in the field of Holocaust education.

b. Each public member of the commission shall serve for a term of three years, except that of the initial members so appointed: one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and four members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of one year; one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and four members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of two years; and one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and five members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of three years. Public members shall be eligible for reappointment. They shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified, and the term of the successor of any incumbent shall be calculated from the expiration of the term of that incumbent. A vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment but for the unexpired term only.

c. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but they shall be entitled to reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

d. The commission shall annually elect a chairman from among its members. It shall meet upon the call of the chairman or of a majority of the commission members. The presence of a majority of the authorized membership of the commission shall be required for the conduct of official business.

e. The commission shall appoint an executive director, who shall serve at its pleasure and shall be a person qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the office.

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L. 1991, c.193, s.2; amended 1994, c.48, s.45.

18A:4A-3. Responsibilities, duties of the commission

3. The commission shall have the following responsibilities and duties: a. To provide, based upon the collective knowledge and experience of its members, assistance and advice to the public and private schools with respect to the implementation of Holocaust education and awareness programs;

b. To meet with county and local school officials and other interested public and private organizations, including service organizations, for the purpose of assisting with the planning, coordination or modification of courses of study dealing with the subject of the Holocaust;

c. To survey and catalog the extent and breadth of Holocaust and genocide education presently being incorporated into the curricula and taught in the school systems of the State, to inventory those Holocaust memorials, exhibits and resources which could be incorporated in courses of study at various locations throughout the State, and, upon request, to assist the State Department of Education and other educational agencies in the development and implementation of Holocaust and genocide education programs. In furtherance of this responsibility, the commission shall be authorized to contact and cooperate with existing Holocaust and genocide public or private nonprofit resource organizations and may act as a liaison concerning Holocaust and genocide education to members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives and the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly;

d. To compile a roster of individual volunteers who are willing to share their knowledge and experience in classrooms, seminars and workshops on the subject of the Holocaust. These volunteers may be survivors of the Holocaust, liberators of concentration camps, scholars, clergymen, community relations professionals and other persons who, by virtue of their experience or interest, have acquired personal or academic knowledge of the Holocaust and who are willing to share that knowledge with students and teachers;

e. To coordinate events memorializing the Holocaust and to seek volunteers who are willing and able to participate in commemorative events that will enhance student awareness of the significance of the Holocaust; and

f. To prepare reports for the Governor and the Legislature regarding its findings and recommendations to facilitate the inclusion of Holocaust studies and special programs memorializing the Holocaust in educational systems in the State.

L. 1991, c.193, s.3.

18A:4A-4. Commission assistance, cooperation

4. a. The commission is authorized to call upon any department, office, division or agency of the State, or of any county, municipality or school district of the State, to supply such data, program reports and other information, personnel and assistance as it deems necessary to discharge its responsibilities under this act.

b. These departments, offices, divisions and agencies shall, to the extent possible and not inconsistent with any other law of this State, cooperate with the commission and shall furnish it with such information, personnel and assistance as may be necessary or helpful to accomplish the purposes of this act.

L. 1991, c.193, s.4

36:2-22. "Holocaust Remembrance Day"

1. There is hereby designated an annual "Holocaust Remembrance Day," which shall be that day in each year which corresponds to the 27th day of the month of Nissan in the Hebrew calendar except in any year in which that 27th day falls on a public holiday or religious holiday, in which event the Governor shall designate another day, as near to that 27th day as practical, as "Holocaust Remembrance Day" in that year. All citizens of this State as well as public and private organizations are urged to recognize "Holocaust Remembrance Day" by appropriate observances.

L. 1991, JR5.
Sponsors: Senators BENNETT, INVERSO, Singer, Sinagra, Lynch, Palaia, Scott, Matheussen, Gormley, Larossa, Adler, Cardinale, Kyrillos, Ciesla, Maring and DiFrancesco.

An Act designating the night of November 9-10 in each year as Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey, amending P.L.1991, c.193 and supplementing Title 36 of the Revised Statutes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New section) The Legislature finds and declares:

a. On the night of November 9-10, 1938, organized gangs of Nazi Gestapo agents instigated a horrible wave of wanton destruction aimed at Jews, Jewish synagogues, homes and shops in almost every town and city in Germany;

b. That night, Kristallnacht - "The Night of Broken Glass," witnessed some of the most brutal acts of intentional savagery ever committed by a sovereign government against a religious minority;

c. This barbaric and unprecedented event was coordinated and stimulated by the Gestapo, the dreaded secret police of Adolph Hitler and his tyrannical Nazi government which ruled Germany, for the express purpose of burning Jewish synagogues, destroying Jewish property and arresting as many Jews as possible;

d. The gruesome pogrom resulted in the burning of 119 synagogues, of which 76 were completely destroyed; the destruction or looting of 7,500 Jewish shops and homes; and the death of at least 36 Jews and the serious injury of at least 36 more;

e. On that same night of horror, 20,000 Jews were systematically rounded up "for their own protection" and sent to the heinous concentration camps of Dachau, Oranienburg-Sachenhausen and Buchenwald where their heads were shaven and they were forced to wear coarse prison suits stamped with the yellow Star of David and where death was a frequent and brutal visitor;

f. To compound the senseless tribulations suffered by Jews on Kristallnacht, the Nazis forced them to pay 25 million marks for the destruction of their own property and levied an additional fine of one billion marks, supposedly for their "crimes" against the state;

g. Kristallnacht for the first time confirmed to the world the truly evil nature of the Nazis and the totalitarian German government of Hitler, and it served as a horrible and ominous omen of how that government was in later years to coldly murder six million Jews and others in a mindless attempt at the genocide of an entire religious minority; and

h. It is imperative for the current generation of Americans and residents of New Jersey to remember the brutality of Kristallnacht and its importance as a portent of the Holocaust which later destroyed six million Jews and millions of others.

2. (New section) The night of November 9-10 in each year is designated as Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey in honor of the innocent victims of that Nazi outrage. On the night of every November 9-10, the State Capitol Joint Management Commission, established pursuant to P.L. 1992, c.67 (C.52:31-34 et seq.), shall ensure that each room and office in each State building within the Capitol Complex remains lit for the entire night as a remembrance of the terrible events of Kristallnacht and the Holocaust, and as a symbol of hope that humanity will finally unite to put an end to genocide. The State Capitol Joint Management Commission shall consult with the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, established pursuant to P.L.1991, c.193 (C.18A:4A-1 et seq.), on increasing public awareness of Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey.

3. Section 3 of P.L.1991, c.193 (C.18A:4A-3) is amended to read as follows:

3. The commission shall have the following responsibilities and duties:

a. To provide, based upon the collective knowledge and experienceof its members, assistance and advice to the public and private schools with respect to the implementation of Holocaust education and awareness programs;

b. To meet with county and local school officials and other interested public and private organizations, including service organizations, for the purpose of assisting with the planning, coordination or modification of courses of study dealing with the subject of the Holocaust;

c. To survey and catalog the extent and breadth of Holocaust and genocide education presently being incorporated into the curricula and taught in the school systems of the State, to inventory those Holocaust memorials, exhibits and resources which could be incorporated in courses of study at various locations throughout the State, and, upon request, to assist the State Department of Education and other educational agencies in the development and implementation of Holocaust and genocide education programs. In furtherance of this responsibility, the commission shall be authorized to contact and cooperate with existing Holocaust and genocide public or private nonprofit resource organizations and may act as a liaison concerning Holocaust and genocide education to members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives and the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly;

d. To compile a roster of individual volunteers who are willing to share their knowledge and experience in classrooms, seminars and workshops on the subject of the Holocaust. These volunteers may be survivors of the Holocaust, liberators of concentration camps, scholars, clergymen, community relations professionals and other persons who, by virtue of their experience or interest, have acquired personal or academic knowledge of the Holocaust and who are willing to share that knowledge with students and teachers;

e. To coordinate events memorializing the Holocaust and to seek volunteers who are willing and able to participate in commemorative events that will enhance student awareness of the significance of the Holocaust; [and]

f. To prepare reports for the Governor and the Legislature regarding its findings and recommendations to facilitate the inclusion of Holocaust studies and special programs memorializing the Holocaust in educational systems in the State; and

g. To advise and assist the State Capitol Joint Management Commission, established pursuant to P.L.1992, c.67 (C.52:31-34 etseq.), for the purpose of increasing public awareness of the annual observance of Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey. (cf: P.L. 1991, c.193, s.3)

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

Statement

This bill designates the night of November 9-10 in each year as Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey in honor of the innocent victims of that Nazi outrage. On the night of every November 9-10, the State Capitol Joint Management Commission shall ensure that each room and office in each State building within the Capitol Complex remain lit for the entire night as a remembrance of the terrible events of Kristallnacht and the Holocaust, and as a symbolof hope that humanity will finally unite to put an end to genocide. The State Capitol Joint Management Commission shall consult with the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education on increasing public awareness of Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey and the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education shall advise and assist the State Capitol Joint Management Commission for the purpose of increasing public awareness of the annual observance of Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey.