News
The seminar "Judaism - the History and Culture of Polish Jews - the Holocaust" completed
7th December saw the completion of the two-week seminar entitled „Judaism — the History and Culture of Polish Jews — the Holocaust” for educators from Poland which took place at the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem.
This year's seminar was attended by 25 teachers, museum staff and educators from centres involved in the teaching of the history of the Holocaust and World War II. Within the programme of the seminar, which totalled 120 teaching hours, there were historical lectures, interactive classes and workshops on Jewish history and culture along with the methodology of teaching about the Holocaust.
One of the main topics during the seminar was the question of remembering the Holocaust in Israel and Poland and the different ways of its commemoration. Participants visited the Yad Vashem historical museum and art museum as well as areas of the Institute’s Campus, including the Valley of the Communities, the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations and a monument dedicated to the memory of the children killed during the Holocaust.
Among the topics of lectures were issues relating to, among others, Judaism, the history and traditions of Polish Jews, anti-Semitism and the phenomenon of Holocaust denial and various aspects of the Holocaust. Also undertaken was the issue of contemporary Polish-Jewish relations, the socio-political situation in Israel and Israeli youth trips to Poland and their meetings with Polish youth. An important part of the programme was a meeting with Frieda Kliger, a survivor of the Holocaust.
The seminar programme also included study trips around Israel, a visit to a synagogue on the Sabbath as well as meeting with young people and teachers from the Hartmann religious schools, who take part in the programme through meetings with Polish youth.
About the seminar
The seminar „Judaism — the History and Culture of Polish Jews — the Holocaust” is a joint project between the Yad Vashem Memorial Institute in Jerusalem and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim. In 1993, the two institutions signed an agreement that became the basis for the organisation of exit seminars for Israeli and Polish educators. This project is an important element of the long-term cooperation between the two institutions, which is an essential part of joint educational activities.
