The culminating point of the 10th International Conference was a candid conversation between Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Piotr M.A. Cywiński. These two institutions represent two aspects of Holocaust remembrance and education: Auschwitz-Birkenau, the authentic site of the murder of over a million Jews during the Holocaust; and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, complete with its world renowned Museum Complex, Archives and Museums, Art and Artifacts Collection.
Each of these institutions contribute and shape the way the world relates to the Holocaust, remembers it, and teaches it to future generations. During the session, which was moderated by Director of Yad Vashem's International Institute for Holocaust Research Dr. Iael Nidam Orvieto, the two shared their perspectives of where Holocaust remembrance and education is headed in an age when there will be no more Holocaust survivors left to tell their stories.
While Shalev explained how Yad Vashem stresses the human experience in its museums as well as in its educational approach and programs, Cywiński stated: "If the Holocaust is only part of history, it isn't enough. It needs to be part of our history."
Throughout the conference participants had the opportunity to network with fellow educators from around the world, thus gaining new ideas for effective teaching methods. Concluded one educator from the United States: "The 'cross-pollination' exchange of ideas and points of view between people from different backgrounds will only enrich the educational experiences in each of our classrooms."
The International Conference was generously supported by Yad Vashem's worldwide partners in Holocaust education: the Adelson Family Foundation, the Asper Foundation, the Azrieli Foundation, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, Gandel Philanthropy and the Genesis Philanthropy Group.
Conversation between Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Piotr M.A. Cywiński
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