News
Seminar in Israel for Educators from Poland. Cooperation between the Museum and Yad Vashem Institute
Nov. 5, Jerusalem (PAP-Polish Press Agency) – For two weeks, some 40 teachers from various regions of Poland will attend seminars in Jerusalem, Israel on the history of the Holocaust and the history of the Jews in Poland and Europe. The first session was held at the Yad Vashem Memorial Institute in Jerusalem on Monday. The seminars are a joint effort between Yad Vashem and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
During their stay in Israel, the participants will attend lectures, workshops, meetings with eyewitnesses, and field trips. Aside from the history of the Jews, the themes to be covered include the methodology of teaching the Holocaust and the contemporary problems of Israel. The methods used at Yad Vashem for teaching the Holocaust will be presented to the Polish educators, who will learn, among other things, how the internet is used in teaching the Holocaust, and how to conduct workshops for children of various ages.
One of the participants in the seminar, Maciej Zawirowski of the Jewish Center in Oświęcim, hopes that the seminar will enable him to "take a Jewish view of the Holocaust." He says that he wants to "see where the accents fall in Holocaust education in Israel, and what is important to Israelis. Thanks to this, knowing the Polish viewpoint, it will be easier to carry on a dialogue, knowing what is important to both sides."
Also taking part are two Catholic clergymen. One of them, Marek Szymański, lectures at the Higher Theological Seminary in Lublin. In a discussion with PAP, he said that, for him, the entire experience enriches his view of the Holocaust. "I hope," he says, "that taking part in the seminar will lead to reflections on how to speak about the Holocaust to the people I come into contact with as a priest."
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the Yad Vashem Institute have been cooperating for over 10 years. Groups of teachers travel each year from Israel to Poland and from Poland to Israel. Several hundred have already taken part. (PAP)
