News
Session of the Board of the International Centre for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust
The App “Auschwitz - in front of your eyes”, which allows people worldwide to take live guided tours of the former camp online, was the central topic of discussion at the Council of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust session held on 7 November in Oswiecim. Dr. Tomasz Kranz chaired the session.
The meeting began with a visit to the new Visitor Services Center, which opened on 14 June and is located near the historic grounds of the Memorial. It was created with the support of the European Union and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland. The project's implementation successfully preserved the historic building, which housed a slaughterhouse and dairy during the camp's operation, from destruction.
Thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the support of Ronald S. Lauder, Joel, and Ulrika Citron, a modern three-story hostel is currently under construction next to the new Visitor Services Center. The hostel will open in the second half of next year. The accommodation facility will provide lodging for volunteers, trainees, teachers, and those participating in extended study stays, conferences and seminars organised by the ICEAH.
Dr. Tomasz Kranz, chairman of the council, emphasised the urgent necessity of organising projects targeted towards teachers, given the considerable interest in the Auschwitz Memorial and the State Museum at Majdanek.
The main part of the meeting commenced with a presentation on the functionality of the app “Auschwitz - in front of your eyes”. Wojciech Soczewica, Director General of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, discussed the concept and progress of the project, which is being jointly developed by the Museum, the Foundation, and Israeli companies AppsFlyer and Diskin, with the invaluable support of specialist firms like Orange and the generous contributions of numerous private donors. In turn, Tomasz Michaldo, who coordinates the application implementation at the Museum, presented the tool's functionality and potential benefits.
Later in the meeting, ICEAH Director Andrzej Kacorzyk presented a report on the Center's activities in the previous year, as well as statistics on visitors to the site of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
The Council members obtained more information about various matters, among others: the “Auschwitz - Accessible Memory” project, which aimed to make the Auschwitz Memorial visit more accessible for individuals with hearing impairments and alleviate the logistical difficulties associated with organising such visits; the international educational conference held in July and devoted to new technologies in education about the crimes of the II World War; work on the “On Auschwitz” podcast series and further internet lessons, new educational projects, as well as the recently completed project to digitise part of the Museum's library collection.
Director Kacorzyk also briefed the Council on the latest temporary exhibitions, travelling exhibitions and the progress of the new Polish and national exhibitions. A crucial aspect of the presentation was to emphasise the significance of volunteering in the ICEAH's work and the role of institutions that provide financial support to the Centre's initiatives.
The Council members commended the Centre for its comprehensive range of activities. Dr. Mateusz Szpytma quoted excerpts from the report “Education for Memory. Transmission of historical knowledge in the context of Poles' attitudes to their past”, in which the Auschwitz Museum appears at the forefront of places where history can be experienced in a unique way.
The International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust was established in 2005 and is an integral part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. It deals with teaching about the history of the Holocaust and the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. It educates about the tragic fates of Jews, Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and other victimised groups imprisoned and murdered in Auschwitz.
COUNCIL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION ABOUT AUSCHWITZ AND THE HOLOCAUST
Tomasz Kranz - Director of the State Museum at Majdanek - Chairperson
Grzegorz Berendt - Director of the Museum of the II World War
Vojtěch Blodig - Deputy Director of Pamiatnik Terezin (Terezín Memorial)
Deborah Hartmann - Director of the Wannsee Conference House
Monika Krawczyk - Director of the Jewish Historical Institute
Olivier Lalieu - of the Mémorial de la Shoah
Irina Scherbakova - Memorial Association
Albert Stankowski - Director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum
Mateusz Szpytma - Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance
JoAnna Wasserman - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
