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The International School 
for Holocaust Studies

Teaching the Shoah and Antisemitism

The 1998 Summer Institute  

The 1999 Winter Institute

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Previously Listed Courses  
  

The 1999 Summer Institute  
June 28, 1999 - July 21, 1999  

The 2000 Winter Institute  
December 27, 1999 - January 19, 2000  

What and Where is Yad Vashem?

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, is located on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, and was established in 1953 by an act of the Knesset—the Israeli parliament—in order to enshrine and preserve the memory of the six million Jews annihilated by Nazi Germany, and the thousands of flourishing Jewish communities destroyed in the process. It is the monument of a nation's grief.

The million and a half visitors that come to Yad Vashem each year grapple with the most basic issues of human values..

This public National Authority, which encompasses, among other things, the largest Holocaust archive in the world, is run by the Yad Vashem Directorate, headed by its Chairman, Mr. Avner Shalev.

Why Teach the Shoah?

At the core of the Holocaust was the decision to murder every single Jewish man, woman and child. Nazism, drawing upon earlier antisemitic traditions, and welding them together with more modern trends such as fascism and racism, developed a total world view that served to raise mass murder to the highest of ideological imperatives. The apparatus of the modern state was systematically and fully enlisted in order to implement this task. The "War Against the Jews" was launched simultaneously with and parallel to World War II, and, in the view of many scholars, was the real motivating force behind the actions of the Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler. The indifference of the governments and peoples of the world to the fate of the Jews and the other victims of the Third Reich is a stain on the collective conscience of mankind. The ease with which they accepted the fundamental breaches of human and civil rights by an antisemitic and racist regime should stand as a warning to us all.  

Therefore, the intensive study of this historical event should be a high priority for everyone everywhere.  

However, as with all complex events, the Holocaust easily lends itself to varied interpretations and misinterpretations. The problem is compounded by its highly emotional impact. In order to address this problem, the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem has created a Summer and Winter program for educators with the appropriate academic and pedagogic tools to enable graduates to confront and discuss the main issues surrounding the causes and effects of the Shoah.  

Over 800 educators have completed the course over the last fourteen years. Participants have come mainly from the northern hemisphere, with others from various English-speaking countries—Australia, Canada, South Africa and Great Britian.  

The participants will attend lectures given by top experts in the field of Shoah research and education from various Israeli universities and from the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem.  

Those attending will have the opportunity to tour extensively and examine the wide range of materials and documentation at Yad Vashem. Our Resource Center contains a wealth of materials, including films, tapes and curricula for educators that will enable them to develop their own educational materials on the Shoah. Our library houses over 100,000 books; our archives hold over 60,000 pages of documents and over 70,000 photographs. 

Each participant will have the opportunity to pursue his or her own field of interest (educational or academic) while attending the Summer or Winter Institute for educators at Yad Vashem.  

Course Content

• Development of Antisemitism: Ancient, Medieval, Modern 
• The Aftermath of World War I—Hitler and his Rise to Power in Germany 
• Nazi Racial Ideology 
• European Jewry in the Interwar Years 
• The Development and Implementation of the Final Solution 
• Life and Death in the Ghetto 
• Jewish Leadership: The Judenrat and Youth Movements 
• The Death Camps: The Struggle for Survival 
• Armed Jewish Resistance 
• Responses of the World 
• Rescue Attempts during the Shoah 
• Righteous Among the Nations 
• Creativity and the Shoah: Art, Film, Literature, Music 
• Theological Responses 
• Unique and Universal Aspects of the Shoah 
• Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals 
• Impact on Survivors and their Children 
• Antisemitism Today: Denial of the Shoah 
• Pedagogic Theory and Practice

Course Structure

The course is both physically and emotionally taxing, and we shall do our utmost to assist participants in coping with the various aspects of it. A typical day's activities include lectures, pedagogic workshops, group discussions, survivors testimonies and films. Hours are long and the material presented—much of it highly academic and of pedagogic importance—requires a high degree of concentration. Participants are therefore obligated to prepare themselves adequately by reading as much background material as possible.  

In order to enrich the program (which covers approximately 180 hours), we have included in the course several field trips—a visit to the Ghetto Fighters' Museum (near Nahariya in the Galilee), a trip to the Diaspora Museum (Tel Aviv), and a trip to Massada (in the Judean desert).  

Evening sessions will give participants the opportunity to absorb and discuss topics that appear in the program. Those interested in other tours not scheduled by the Institute may participate in them at their own expense.  

Requirements for Attending the Institute

• Educators in formal and informal education at all levels (from elementary school to university) 
• Community leaders 
• Clergy

Faculty

• Dr. Yitzhak Arad—Research Dept., Yad Vashem
• Prof. Shlomo Aronson—Political Science, Hebrew University
• Prof. Yehuda Bauer—Director, International Center for Holocaust Studies
• Dr. David Bankier—Contemporary Jewry, Holocaust Studies, Hebrew University 
• Prof. Yehuda Bauer--Holocaust Studies, Hebrew University
• Yohanan Bein—Vice-Chairman, Yad Vashem
• Elly Dlin—Director, Valley of the Communities, Yad Vashem 
• Dr. Sidra Ezrachi—Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University 
• Dr. Edith Rogovin Frankel—Machon Davis, Hebrew University
• Gideon Greif—International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem
• Prof. Yisrael Gutman—International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem
• Prof. Moshe David Herr—History of the Jewish People, Hebrew University
• Dr. Nili Keren—Holocaust Teaching, Seminar HaKibbutzim 
• Dr. Yaacov Lozowick—Director of Archives, Yad Vashem 
• Prof. Ziva Maisels—History of Art, Hebrew University 
• Prof. Dan Michman—Jewish History, Bar-Ilan University
• Prof. Avraham Novershtern—Yiddish Studies, Hebrew University
• Dr. Dalia Ofer—Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University 
• Dr. Mordechai Paldiel—Director, Dept. of the Righteous, Yad Vashem
• Safira Rapoport—Director, Pedagogic Center, International School for Holocaust Studies
• Dr. Rob Rozett—Director of Library, Yad Vashem 
• Dr. Pesach Schindler—Rabbinical Studies, Hebrew University 
• Mr. Avner Shalev—Chairman, Yad Vashem Directorate 
• David Silberklang—Editor, Yad Vashem Studies
• Dr. Rafael Vago—History, Tel-Aviv University 
• Prof. Robert Wistrich—Modern Jewish History, Hebrew University
• Dr. Efraim Zuroff—Simon Wiesenthal Center, Jerusalem

The International School for Holocaust Studies —Yad Vashem Staff

• Motti Shalem—Director, The International School for Holocaust Stadies
• Ephraim Kaye—Director, Seminars for Educators Abroad
• Kathryn Berman—Course Coordinator, Seminars for Educators Abroad
• Dr. Karen Shawn—Yad Vashem, U.S.A.(North East Coast)
• Gemma DelDuca SC—Coordinator, Catholic Institute for Holocaust Studies
• Richelle Budd Caplan—Coordinator for Overseas Programing

Tuition

To Apply

Fill out the application  and send to:
(note when applying by email send as an attachment)

Ephraim Kaye
Course Director 
Seminars for Educators from Abroad 
International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem 
P.O. Box 3477 
Jerusalem 91034, Israel 
Email: ekaye@yad-vashem.org.il
Tel: 972-2-674-1334 
Fax: 972-2-643-3511

For further information about the program, educators should contact:
Lois Sculco, SC
The National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education
Seton Hill College
Greensburg, PA 15601-1599, USA
Phone (412) 830-1033
Fax: (412) 830-834-2752
email: NCCHE@setonhill.edu

American and Canadian applicants should contact our representative:  
Dr. Karen Shawn 
278 Churchill Road 
Teaneck, NJ 07666
Tel: 201-833-0048 (home) 
Fax: 201-833-2993 (home) 
Tel: 201-567-8996 (work) 
Fax: 201-568-8327 (work) 
 

Lois Sculco, SC 
The National Catholic Center 
The Holocaust Education 
Seton Hill College 
Greensburg, PA 15601-1599, USA 
Phone: (412) 830-1033 
Fax: (412) 834-2752 

Australian applicants should contact our representative: 
Dr. Suzanne Rutland 
Dept. of Semiotic Studies
University of Sydney
N.S.W. 2006
Australia
Tel: (61) 2-9351-6662 
Fax: (61)2 9351-6884
(attention Dr. Rutland)
email:suzanne.rutland@semitic.usyd.edu.au

Applications must be submitted by the end of April 1999 (for the Winter seminar, by the end of October 1999).

Accommodation

Participants who wish to reserve a hotel room through us must notify us accordingly and specify their date of arrival before April 15, 1999 (for the Winter Seminar, before 
October 15, 1999). 

We are under no obligation to find hotel rooms for those who fail to meet this requirement. 

Participants are free to make their own arrangements on condition that they arrive at Yad Vashem promptly every morning. 

Quotes From Former Participants

"I am very satisfied to have come to Yad Vashem to study the many faceted and complex topics of the Holocaust. The program is very well put together with many different speakers and a variety of disciplines. The activities inside and outside the classroom have been beneficial. I would recommend this program as a unique learning opportunity with the context of the place, Jerusalem adding a great deal of emotional meaning to the experience."

Chris Jazwinski. St. Cloud State University, Minnesota, U.S.A. Winter Seminar, 1997

"I'm not only impressed but also grateful for the entire flow of the program. It is obvious that much thought and planning went in to the organization of all details and of the content from beginning to end. The academic content - history psychology literature, art and theology, with the pedagogical and experiential aspects contribute to a brilliant program."

Grace Hartzog, Queen of Angels School, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Summer Seminar, 1997

Overall impact just outstanding: produced a thorough picture of the Holocaust from many different points of view - great scholarship.

Dr. Suzanne Rutland, Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. Winter Seminar, 1998

Hats off and much gratitude to the Yad Vashem staff and all involved in program planning. I am privileged to have been here and in the company of such eminent scholars. Thanks again for a month that has been life changing for me.

Rosemarie Wilkinson, Raritan High School, New Jersey, USA. Summer Seminar, 1998