Oslo and Trondheim Jewish Museums in Norway – Educational Effort Towards Dangerous Conspiracy Thinking

In 2016, two activists from the Nordic Resistance Movement put up posters urging the public to seek the “truth about the Holocaust” on their neo-nazi web page. The museum’s surveillance caught the two masked men on camera – on the night before the 26th of January, the international Holocaust Remembrance Day. The video recorded that night is being used in an educational program offered at the Jewish museums of Oslo and Trondheim.

The two Jewish museums in Norway have collaborated on making the educational program “Nothing is as it seems like”. During the 90 minutes educational offer, the secondary and high school students are challenged to reflect upon their own stereotypes and prejudices, and discuss the truthfulness of different texts about the Holocaust – including the Holocaust denying text from the web page of the Nordic Resistance Movement. How do we conduct source criticism? Why is critical thinking important when facing a polarized world of News?

The focus on acquiring critical thinking skills is central in the Norwegian curriculum. Teachers report that this practical introduction to the topic is thought provoking and thorough.

Link to this educational program at Oslo Jewish Museum (in Norwegian)