RGV Schools to Observe Holocaust Remembrance Week

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas — Public school students across the Rio Grande Valley will take part in Holocaust Remembrance Week from Jan. 26–30, joining classrooms statewide in learning about the Holocaust and its lasting lessons on human rights, tolerance and responsibility.

Holocaust Remembrance Week was established by the Texas Legislature in 2019 and has been observed annually since 2020. The week is designed to educate students about the Holocaust while encouraging students to recognize human dignity and work to prevent future acts of hatred and genocide.

During the week, public schools throughout the Rio Grande Valley will teach age-appropriate lessons developed or approved by the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, which works in partnership with the Texas Historical Commission.

In the Rio Grande Valley, Mission Consolidated Independent School District is set to observe Holocaust Remembrance Week as part of its instructional calendar, aligning with the statewide effort to educate students about the Holocaust through age-appropriate lessons.

State leaders said the observance serves as both a historical lesson and a call to action.

“Holocaust Remembrance Week is a solemn reminder of the intense oppression of the Jewish people,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “By learning about history and educating students about the horrific acts of violence inflicted on the Jewish people, we can prevent such wickedness from ever taking place again.”

Commission leaders emphasized that the lessons extend beyond history textbooks.

“Holocaust Remembrance Week is about more than teaching history; it is about confronting the dangers of intolerance, silence and indifference,” said Ken Goldberg, chairman of the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission. “For Texas students, this week underscores how hatred takes hold and why standing up for others is essential.”

Holocaust Remembrance Week takes place each year during the week of Jan. 27, which marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day and commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.

More information about Holocaust Remembrance Week, including approved curriculum resources for educators and homeschool families, is available at thgaac.texas.gov/learning/hrw.