News
ICEAH Seminar for Teachers from Ukraine
A group of teachers from Ukraine participated in a seminar at the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust (ICEAH) at the Auschwitz Museum, which took place on June 24-26. This was the first seminar for Ukrainian educators at the Auschwitz Museum since the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
The project was carried out in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies "Tkuma".
Reflections on the war accompanied the group at every stage of the program.
"In preparing the program, I was aware of the significant challenge of addressing the topics of Auschwitz, World War II, and the Holocaust among people who experience war daily. I tried to ensure the program provided both a unique contact with the authentic space and history of the camp, as well as a platform for discussions around the lessons that emerge from this history, which resonate with events in today’s world," said the seminar coordinator at the ICEAH, Nataliia Tkachenko.
The seminar began with an exploration of the history of Oświęcim through a historical walk and a visit to the Jewish Center and Cherwa Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue. The following days were dedicated to the history of the Auschwitz camp and the Museum's efforts in conservation and preserving the post-camp space, as well as education based on the tragic history of one of the 20th century's greatest crimes. The group visited the Memorial Site with a guide, had the opportunity to visit the Museum's Collections and Conservation Laboratories, and participated in a series of thematic workshops at the MCEAH.
"I knew quite a lot about Auschwitz, but being directly at this place, my knowledge and perceptions deepened and transformed significantly," said history teacher Denysova Alina. "The visit immersed me in a deep emotional realization of the tragic inevitability of the fate of those who were deported to the extermination camp. On the other hand, I discovered for myself the tenacity, motivation, and empathy of the Museum staff, thanks to whose work the world has preserved this history," emphasized seminar participant Oksana Leonova.
The sessions at the Education Center provided an opportunity for deeper reflection on the significance of the history of Auschwitz today, also in the context of Ukrainian wartime experiences. "Currently, due to the war in Ukraine, all information, tours, and histories of people from those times are perceived in a radically different world. During each part of the program, parallels are formed [in the mind]. Some of them influence the perception of contemporary events or even change attitudes towards them," wrote Yuliia Vradii.
In this context, reflection on the mechanisms that lead to crimes, which took place over eight decades ago at Auschwitz, becomes even more valuable. As Nataliia Vlasova, a high school director in Dnipro, emphasized, "such projects today are very uniquely important for Ukrainians who live in times of real war because they remind us of the need for tolerance and humanity even in times of war."
"Despite the ongoing war, education about the Holocaust and the period of World War II is developing in Ukraine, with new curricula, textbooks, and studies being created, and training for teachers being conducted. In this context, collaboration with the Auschwitz Museum is crucial for us; we plan to continue developing it and jointly implement educational projects for teachers from Poland and Ukraine," concluded the seminar director of the "Tkuma" Institute, Igor Shchupak.
