Responding to Challenges with Holocaust and Genocide Literacy Curriculum in Times of Rising Ethnoreligious Nationalism

Against the backdrop of ethnoreligious nationalist literacies in Israel/Palestine and the US, this paper details challenges confronting teachers tasked to teach Holocaust and genocide texts in US classrooms. The paper explores the broader issue through examination of data from a year-long teacher learning program about Holocaust and Genocide Curriculum for Gen Alpha for Michigan teachers. Interpreted through the lensing of ethnoreligious nationalism, we examine a) diverse challenges English and social studies teachers are experiencing with teaching Holocaust and genocide texts, based on teacher survey data generated in 2025, and b) curricular and instructional innovations teachers are generating to respond to these challenges, based on data collected from teacher presentations to other teachers in the program in spring 2025.