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The Meaning of Auschwitz for Poles and Jews
The latest seminar on The Memory of Auschwitz and Its Meaning for Poles and Jews has begun. Twenty-two educators from Israel are attending, mostly employees of the Yad Vashem Memorial Institute in Jerusalem, but also including leader/guides of the Israeli youth groups that visit Poland.
During the 10-day stay, the guests from Israel will hear lectures connected with the former Nazi German concentration camp, the history of the resistance movement inside and in the vicinity of the camp, and German policy in Nazi-occupied Poland. As is the case every year, another subject will be the multi-layered memory of Auschwitz and the complexity of Polish-Jewish relations.
The educators will also learn about the way the Museum functions, and its collections, preservation workshops, and archive. They will have a chance to see interiors not generally accessible to visitors, including Block no. 10 and the guard towers.
Nor will the usual tourist attractions be lacking this year. The Israelis will see Wawel castle, the palace in Pszczyna, the Wieliczka salt mine, Międzybrodzie, and Kazimierz Dolny.
Their stay in Oświęcim ends with a special supper at the Hotel Galicia, and the seminar itself concludes on July 19 with visits to the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the Jewish Historical Institute.
The Seminar is organized by the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust and the Yad Vashem Institute. Alicja Białecka and Danuta Bzduła of the ICEAH are providing hospitality and organizational help on the part of the Museum, assisted by volunteers Marta Derecka of Poland and Russell Manning of the USA. The tour leader on the Israeli side is Frumi Shori, director of Givatayim, the Yad Vashem branch in Tel Aviv.
