Hungarian textbooks provide fair education about Israel and Judaism, think tank finds

Hungary’s school textbooks offer detailed and largely balanced coverage of Jewish history, the Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, portraying Jews as an integral part of the nation’s past and present, according to a new report by The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se).

The study, part of IMPACT-se’s Europe-wide research program, examines primary and secondary school textbooks across multiple subjects, measuring them against UNESCO-based standards for peace and tolerance in education.

Textbooks highlight ancient Jewish ties to the Land of Israel, Judaism’s influence on Christianity and the contributions of Jews to Hungary’s economic, cultural and intellectual development, the report finds.

The Holocaust is covered in depth and personalized through individual stories, and the Hebrew word “Shoah” is used, the report finds. Antisemitism is placed in an appropriate context and explored through vivid examples such as blood libels. Meanwhile, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is presented accurately and objectively across textbooks, with some even highlighting the expulsion of Jews from Arab states, a topic rarely addressed in European curricula.

The report notes that while textbooks acknowledge Hungarian collaboration with Nazi Germany, some appear to partially defend the actions of Hungarian authorities during World War II.

Modern Israel is portrayed as a democratic state with notable technological and economic achievements, alongside ongoing security challenges.

“This is a curriculum filled with positivity towards Jews, the Jewish story and Jewish history in Hungary and beyond,” IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff says in a statement. “At a time when antisemitism is increasing across Europe, Hungary’s textbooks stand out as an admirable example of accurate and inclusive education.”

Previous investigations by IMPACT-se have found positive trends in countries like France, Greece, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. More worrying trends have been identified in school curricula in European countries like Ireland and Poland.