For more than half a century, Yad Vashem has dedicated a sustained effort to preserving
the flame of Holocaust remembrance worldwide.
In doing so, it has clearly established itself as the primary authority and source of knowledge
of one of the most horrific events in the history of humanity.
I want to take back a deeper understanding of the Holocaust and a deeper understanding
of antisemitism.
Because Thank God the Holocaust doesn’t go on now but antisemitism does.
Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies is uniquely suited to convey the knowledge
and tools necessary for teaching and learning about the Holocaust
When I was first invited to the Holocaust education seminar I was really like surprised:
Why?
I teach English so why should I go I don’t know anything about Holocaust education.
Educators hailing from six continents come here to seek a deeper understanding of the
Holocaust, its underlying roots of racism, hatred and antisemitism and the relevance
of its lessons to all young people today.
During the whole river…the long river of history - people tend to forget why they hate
each other and what is the origin of this hatred
The highly professional educational staff at Yad Vashem's International School adapt
each seminar to the individual needs of the participants and their cultural background.
We work with multiple languages and multiple cultures
now in order to do that we need to be good listeners first and foremost.
We need to understand deeply more than the language.
We need to understand deeply their culture and the nuances, the specific needs of the
educators that come here.
students to gain a broader, more pertinent understanding of precisely what happened during
this period.
One of the lecturers said never teach history without telling a story.
These books are testimonies of … there are a lot of them in Yad Vashem.They were not
just numbers that were killed they were people, persons
The way how she presented her story was so touching and moving I couldn’t stop my tears
we all cried.
It was very very emotional so now when I think about it tears come into my face.
In addition to their study of the Holocaust, seminar participants are offered the opportunity
to enhance their educational experience through encountering contemporary Israel.
To do workshops and to do practical things and to discover… putting the things together
yourself… it goes deeper and you remember it more than just listen to stories about
it.
At the seminars, educators receive access to a wealth of materials – including Yad
Vashem's online resources – providing them with the best available toolkit for conveying
what they have succeeded in absorbing here, once they return to their classrooms.
The things we can do if you know the origins if you know why maybe we can learn how to
tolerate so toleration is at least a basic human decency.
Those educators who have had the opportunity to attend the International School for Holocaust
Studies, and participate in a deeply meaningful educational experience, go on to become part
of an international network of teachers, who remain connected, sharing resources and best
practices.
They not only become ambassadors of remembrance, but also the guardians of hope for a better
tomorrow.