In light of Oct. 7, Holocaust section of matriculation exam won’t be mandatory this year

In light of the October 7 atrocities perpetrated upon southern Israeli communities by Hamas-led terrorists, high school students will not be required to take the Holocaust section of the history matriculation exam, which is normally mandatory, the Education Ministry says in a statement.

“Many inquiries were received from professionals and parents noting that dealing with the Holocaust raises great emotional and mental difficulties. Therefore it was decided to, temporarily, not obligate the students to take the Holocaust chapter of the matriculation exam,” the ministry says in a statement, the day after Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The decision is only valid for the current academic year.

The Holocaust section will remain in the history exam, the ministry notes, but will not be mandatory and students will have the option to refrain from taking it, subject to the discretion of the teacher and school officials.

The annual high school Holocaust education trips to concentration camps in Poland, which were to have resumed this year after a three-year absence, were canceled in November due to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war the previous month, triggered by the October 7 onslaught.