HR 5714119th CongressIn Committee

October 7 Remembrance Education Act

Introduced: Oct 8, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-New Jersey)

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

H.R. 5714, the October 7 Remembrance Education Act, would require the Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to create a curriculum for U.S. secondary schools that focuses on Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks and the related rise of modern-day antisemitism. The curriculum would cover the attacks themselves, the history and current manifestations of antisemitism (including how it spread in the United States and on campuses, and the role of social media), and the concept of denial and distortion as antisemitic responses. After developing the curriculum, the Director would submit a report to Congress describing the curriculum. The act defines antisemitism using the IHRA working definition and aligns terms with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The measure aims to standardize a formal educational response to antisemitism linked to a recent attack, but it does not authorize funding or specify implementation in schools beyond requiring development for secondary education use.

Key Points

1Curriculum development mandate: The Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum must develop a secondary-school curriculum within 180 days after enactment, focused on Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks and the surrounding antisemitism.
2Content requirements: The curriculum must cover (1) the attacks themselves, (2) the history of antisemitism and its connection to those attacks, (3) how antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric spread in the U.S., including on college campuses, (4) the role of social media in accelerating that spread, and (5) denial and distortion as forms of antisemitism in the wake of the attacks.
3Reporting to Congress: After completing the curriculum, the Director must submit a report to Congress detailing the curriculum. The deadline is the earlier of 180 days after curriculum completion or 3 years after enactment.
4Definitions and scope: The act uses the IHRA working definition of antisemitism (as of 2016) and ties terms to ESEA definitions for local educational agency, secondary school, and State. It explicitly defines the referenced Hamas attacks and describes the events and atrocities involved.
5Policy channel and funding: The bill directs curriculum development but does not specify funding or a mandate to spend money; it references use in secondary schools and aligns with existing ESEA terms for school accountability and structure.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Students in U.S. secondary schools and their educators, who would be the intended audience and implementers of the new curriculum once developed.Secondary group/area affected: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (as the lead producer of the curriculum) and school districts/state education agencies responsible for adopting or adapting the curriculum; the bill’s framework references how the content could influence classroom instruction and teacher preparation.Additional impacts: The act could influence discussions around how antisemitism is taught in schools, potentially affecting state standards and local curricula. It may raise questions about neutrality, balance, and the scope of education on current events and traumatic events. The use of the IHRA definition links curriculum content to a widely discussed standard for identifying antisemitism in educational settings.The bill currently has introduced status and does not specify funding or operational details beyond curriculum development and reporting requirements.While focused on a specific 2023 event, the bill’s framing ties into broader themes of how antisemitism is recognized, discussed, and countered in schools and public discourse.

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