Yad Vashem

Yad Vashem is the Holocaust museum of Israel. More precisely it is the Holocaust museum of the world. I am writing this post from a classroom where this morning our group heard a powerful lecture from the Pedagogical Director of the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem, Shulamit Imber. She talked about our paradox as teachers, making sense out of "trauma," giving a face where a face has been taken away,

She told us to teach what was lost, not numbers but things significant to the individual, like music, art, and sports. Things with meaning to children.

She talked about our ability to find and give meaning. She talked about dilemma and about how by nature the moral question makes for humanness. A sense of humanity in the Holocaust is a form of resistance.

Complexity. She said. Acknowledge in our teaching, make the students understand that the Holocaust is not one story.

We have choice.

Then we toured the museum. Then we heard from Prof. Guy Meron on 19th & 20th century Jewish and non-Jewish Europe.

Next is Prof. Yehuda Bauer followed by a discusion with Israeli teachers.

Still having some technical difficulties, but I am collecting video & pictures to send later.

I can't proofread this so for if I have erred I will fix that later.