News

New seminar for French teachers and educators in partnership with Maison d'Izieu

Teachers and educators from France participated in a new seminar of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, marking the beginning of a long-term cooperation between the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Maison d’Izieu in France.

Thanks to the agreement, the group spent five days in October learning about the details of the history of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz.

‘These seminars are a key element in dealing with the issues of World War II and the Holocaust in France. We greatly appreciate the high level of the substantive program, which allowed the participants to learn about the history of the Auschwitz camp from many perspectives. It will undoubtedly have an impact on their daily educational work in France. The seminar also helped to understand what the memorial is today and what its universal significance is,’ said Alexandre Nugues-Bourchat, the coordinator of the group on behalf of the Maison d’Izieu Memorial.

‘Our cooperation is long-term in nature. Every year, we will organize a seminar at the Museum, and Polish teachers will visit Maison d’Izieu. This is an important development of our program of bilateral teacher seminars in the context of history and memory in the French context," emphasized Nataliia Tkachenko from the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust.

The first transport of Jews from occupied France arrived at Auschwitz on March 30, 1942, from the Royallieu camp in Compiègne. It included 1,112 people, some of whom were interned in Drancy. This transport was not subjected to selection, and all the Jews were registered in the camp. Only 23 people of this group survived the war.

In total, more than 69,000 Jews, including men, women, and children, were deported from occupied France and Vichy France. Nearly 42,000 of them were murdered in gas chambers immediately after selection.

During the seminar held between 22-27, 26 teachers and educators from France participated in a study visit to the Auschwitz Memorial, supplemented with thematic workshops titled "History Written in Objects." The program also included a lecture on the history of IG Farbenindustrie and the Auschwitz III-Monowitz camp, which was followed by a field visit.

An opportunity to discuss the activities of the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum in the face of contemporary challenges was a meeting with the director, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński. A visit to the Collections and Conservation Laboratories, as well as a meeting dedicated to the work of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, provided guests with insights into the multifaceted activity of the Museum in preserving memory and fostering reflection on the shape of our shared present and future.

Participants also learned about the history of Oświęcim and met with the Auschwitz Jewish Center team. They visited the Chewra Lomdej Misznajot synagogue, which allowed them to learn about the history of the Jewish residents of Oświęcim, their culture, and heritage, as well as contemporary efforts to preserve their memory.

The seminar concluded in Krakow, where the group explored the areas of Kazimierz and Podgórze districts and met with the Consul General of France.

"We hope that the seminar will serve as an impetus for the participants to take further actions. We want Auschwitz to not only remain a historical fact but also sensitize and serve as an important point of reference in contemporary reality," said Marine Vannier from MCEAH.

During the summary, one of the participants stated, "The program was an inspiration for reflecting on new ways of teaching, not only about Auschwitz, the Holocaust, and World War II, but also about universal values such as tolerance, empathy, and taking an active stand against discrimination. I plan to use the educational proposals of the Museum with my students in the future."

In the fall of the next year, as part of the cooperation, a seminar for Polish teachers and educators will be held at the Maison d’Izieu Memorial.

Maison d’Izieu orphanage was founded by Sabina and Miron Zlatin, who cared for over a hundred Jewish children from May 1943 to April 1944, trying to hide them from persecution. On 6 April 1944, the children and their caregivers were arrested by order of Klaus Barbie and, except for a few individuals, were deported to Auschwitz. Only the caregiver Lea Feldblum survived.

The Foundation for the Maison d’Izieu Memorial was established in 1988, shortly after the trial of Klaus Barbie. Currently, Maison d’Izieu serves as a place of memory, education, and life, offering a space for reflection on crimes against humanity and the prevention of all forms of discrimination.