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{Posted to this site on 1/31/05 }

The Holocaust Commission
of the
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
presents

The Eighth Annual
Teachers' Awards
for
Excellence in
Holocaust Education

2005

“One of the most important lessons I can leave with my students: Be that person who has the courage to do what is right – in your school, your neighborhood, the world.”
—Constance Williams, Churchland High School, Portsmouth

This competition has been made possible through the generosity of the
Simon Family Foundation
Leon Family Fund
Ronald F. Spindel Family Philanthropic
Esther Goldman Educator Fund

Teachers' Awards for Excellence in Holocaust Education

The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater wishes to honor teachers in Tidewater public or private schools who have demonstrated excellence in Holocaust education.

• Recipients of this award will receive a full scholarship and airfare to attend the five-day “Facing History and Ourselves Summer Institute for Educators” in Brookline, Massachusetts.
• Bus transportation to the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia is also provided for recipients and their classes.

Winners of these awards will have the opportunity to have their lesson plans published on the Holocaust Commission's website ( www.holocaustcommission.org ).

If you have had the opportunity to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, we encourage you to apply.

All applications must be received by Friday, April 1, 2005.
For more information, please call Ronnie Cohen, (757) 965-6129
at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater office.

Read What Past Recipients Have to Say About the Facing History and Ourselves Summer Institute and Teaching the Holocaust

“Facing History and Ourselves was exceptional in every respect. It remains the most poignant summer experience of my 20 years of teaching.”
Sharon Moran, Norfolk Collegiate

“The week at Facing History and Ourselves was truly a marvelous experience, one that I will reflect on for years to come.

Lois Erikson, Independence Middle School , Virginia Beach

“Attending the Facing History and Ourselves Summer Institute was an experience no one could forget. Your generosity has made in impact on my life and will continue making an impact on the lives of my students for years to come.”

Julieta Ball, Crestwood Middle School , Chesapeake

“At the Facing History and Ourselves Summer Institute in Brookline , MA , I was given a teacher's most valued gift: the time and space in which to learn, rejuvenate, and exchange ideas with colleagues. As a result, I hope to help students better understand history and thereby make wise decisions in our own time.”

Mary Pollara, formerly at Northside Middle School , Norfolk

“I want my students to know that he or she who changes the beliefs of one prejudiced person or who opens one closed mind – eventually changes many minds.”

Shelly Jager Parks , Lafayette Winona Middle School , Norfolk

“I teach the Holocaust because I want my students to understand the meaning of dignity - that intangible quality that identifies us as human.”

Marcella Rust, Kemps Landing Magnet School , Virginia Beach

“I left the Institute filled with a sense of renewed faith in humanity. Personally, I left with a new sense of validity that what I was trying to do with my students year in and year out was indeed at least making a difference in our community... The lessons learned from the Institute will help me achieve this and assist me to become a better member of the community. The “Facing History Institute” was truly a remarkable experience, one that I will never forget.”

India Meissel, Lakeland High School , Suffolk

Application Form Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education
  Presented by
The Holocaust Commission
of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

Feel free to use attachments to answer the questions below.

I. Please explain why you teach the Holocaust. What are your goals and how do you measure whether you are achieving them?

II. How have you incorporated the subject of the Holocaust into your curriculum?

III.  Please submit a unit you have prepared on the Holocaust as well as examples of your students' work in response to that unit.

IV. Have you worked with other teachers in developing an interdisciplinary unit on the Holocaust? If so, please elaborate.

V. If you have participated in a Holocaust conference for educators, please explain how it has helped you teach the lessons of the Holocaust.

Applications must be received by April 1, 2005. Please return to:

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200
Virginia Beach , VA 23462
Attn: Ronnie Cohen