Annual ICHEIC Forum in Jerusalem
This program, created and carried out by Yad Vashem, focuses on Holocaust education in Europe, with the goals of preserving the memory of the Holocaust and imbuing new generations with its lessons, as well as combating a new rise in anti-Semitism.
It seeks to create an active network of inter-European Holocaust educators which meets, communicates, studies and works together to promote Holocaust education through local initiatives with the goal to widen the circle of qualified Holocaust educators throughout Europe who will support and implement educational programs.
(The program, which began in March 2005, will continue to be funded by ICHEIC through at least 2015.)
This years annual Meeting took place on 14-18 February 2010. During the Forum wide range of topics pertaining to Holocaust education were examined (excerpt):
- Participants discussed the current position of the Holocuast in schools' curricula an textbooks after three examplary and inspiring presentations stating the current situation in France, Lithuania and Austria.
- A visit to Himmelfarb High School , that allowed participants and students from a religous school to share ideas about the schools planned study trip to Poland, opened a session about "Youth Pilgrimages to Auschwitz-Birkenau". Alicja Bialecka, head of the section for educational programs at Auschwitz, announced that the memorial increases their resources for educational programs and that educaters should therefore more than ever encourage teachers and students to organize study trips to Aushwitz.
- Dr. Raya Brama from the Szold Intitute (Henrietta Szold Institute - the National Institute for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Jerusalem) presented a preliminary evaluation of the seminars conducted by the International Schools Of Holocaust Studies. The report examines the extent to which the educational goals of various programs - including courses for educators from abroad, teacher-training seminars for Israeli educators and one-day study seminars for students - had been achieved, and provided qualitative and quantitative feedback for improving future planning.
Since the main goal of the conference is to connect Holocaust educators from all over Europe, one issue also was to plan the future of the conference itself. The participants could exchange experiences and discuss common projects and interests.
Participants had the chance to strengthen their cooperation with each other and are looking forward to the next ICEICH Conference in 2011.
Vinzenz Neuwirth
Volonteer of the UCHS, 2009/2010
