News
Auschwitz in the collective memory of Poland and the world—seminar for educators
Twenty five educators from Israel took part in a twelve day seminarorganized from 18-29 of July by the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust at the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Among those taking part in the seminar were the staff of the Yad Vashem Memorial Instititue in Jerusalem, tour guides of their historical museum, tour leaders coming with Israeli youth to Poland, as well as educators from other Israeli institutions.
The seminar program included, among others, a study tour of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camps and those of the sub-camps at Jawischowitz, lectures and workshops dealing with the history of the German occupation of Poland, the history of Auschwitz, and as well as issues of conflict in Polish and Jewish memory, Polish-Jewish relations, and the history of the political and social situation in Poland after 1989. The seminar participants met Kazimierz Smoleń, former prisoner of Auschwitz.
The guests from Israel took part in workshops in the Museum Archives, Collections Department, and Conservations Department. They alsovisited other memorial sites in Poland, among them, the former Bełżec Death Camp, where from March to December 1942 around 500 thousand people, mainly Jews from Poland, but also Jewish citizens from Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, were murdered.
During the seminar, the ICEAH staff and Museum guides had the opportunity to exchange views and share experiences on the subject of education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust.
In addition to lectures and visits to places associated with the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, the seminar program also included visiting sites connected with Polish culture and history, such as: the Wawel Royal Castle, Wieliczka Salt Mine, and the Warsaw Rising Museum.
The seminars organized by the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau since 1993 have hosted over 270 participating educators from Israel.
