Canadian Educator's Seminar in Yad Vashem Jerusalem


CANADIAN EDUCATORS: PLEASE JOIN OUR EDUCATORS’ SEMINARS AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES AT YAD VASHEM JERUSALEM

  • If you are a Canadian Educator committed to imparting the universal lessons of the Holocaust to your students;
  • If you have had prior experience teaching about the Holocaust;
  • If you have a passion to learn more about the Holocaust, to plumb its depths so that its universal meaning can be explored and imparted to our youth;
  • If you are interested in heightening the awareness of human rights and the values of tolerance and justice;
  • If you are interested in planting the seeds for a better tomorrow to shape a better future,

 

Then we invite you to join us for Yad Vashem’s 2012 Educators’s Seminars at Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem, Israel.

The Holocaust is an event that fundamentally challenges the foundations upon which human civilization rests. It calls into question basic assumptions of human behavior and urges mankind to consider the tenuous links that hold civil society together and to actively work to thwart it from collapse.

Tragically, society must still learn the lessons of the Holocaust, as racism, bigotry and intolerance are still living realities. Yad Vashem, as the preeminent leader in the field in Holocaust studies, has met the call of these challenging times. A unique series of seminars was developed expressly for educators from around the globe. These are the Summer International Educators’ Seminar and the Winter Educators’ Seminar at Yad Vashem Jerusalem.

Since the inception of the educational seminars in 1995, approximately 3,000 teachers from all over the world, including Canada, have participated in these seminars. Educators from public and private Jewish educational frameworks come to Yad Vashem from North America, Australia, South America, and Eastern Europe. The international flavor of the Seminars allows the educators to experience the diverse understanding and pedagogical imperatives of their colleagues. This imbues the Seminars with an international perspective on Holocaust education that could not be achieved in a seminar open only to one specific geographical group.

The Summer International and the Winter Educators’ Seminars provide educators with the facts of the Shoah and the pedagogical tools to teach this sensitive topic. Given by the top experts in the field of Holocaust scholarship, research and education, the seminars offer participants with a unique opportunity to obtain an unparalleled academic and pedagogical experience in Holocaust education.

The Seminars are built upon three major pillars; academic, pedagogical, and experiential, reflective of the educational philosophy of the school. The academic component takes educators through the history and culture of the Jewish people in the interwar period, a people with diverse interests and roots – not a people born as victims. The pedagogical component provides participants with the tools to translate this academic content into suitable pedagogical materials that are age appropriate and multi-disciplinary. The experiential component includes meeting with survivors, whose testimonies document and personalize this tragic historical event, providing the Holocaust with a human face and heart. Lastly, field trips across Israel are planned that will connect educators not only with the recent history of the Jewish people but also with its ancient roots in the Land of Israel, providing a context for the Holocaust and its aftermath.

Most importantly, the seminars address the recent upsurge in antisemitism and Holocaust denial throughout the world today, including strategies for combating these phenomena and promoting the universal lessons that can be drawn and disseminated.

The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem strongly believes in education as the number one instrument to creating a more tolerant society and compassionate community. Thus, we are proud to have made recruiting and sending Canadian educators to the Summer and Winter Educators’ Seminars at the International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem one of our top educational initiatives.

In that regard, the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem recruits and sends annually, with full scholarships, between 15-20 Canadian educators from public and private Jewish educational frameworks to participate in these unique training seminars; in the last 5 years, more than 100 educators from across Canada attended the Educators’ Seminars. Learn more about the Summer International Seminar.

Apply for the Summer International, please download and fill out an application form .

Email the application form and your professional CV to the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem at info@yadvashem.ca. You will then be interviewed by the Society’s Education Committee and informed soon afterwards whether you have been chosen to receive a fully funded scholarship to attend the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.

We thank you for your interest in furthering your education in Holocaust Studies and acknowledge you for wanting to make a difference!

Together let us remember the past and shape a better future marked by greater tolerance, compassion and understanding for all humankind.

In The Words of Our Educators

“ …this experience was one of the most moving and valuable encounters in my career. …As the principal of an Ontario high school, the effects of my participation at Yad Vashem will have a wide application.  Understanding diversity and tolerance is at the core of my school’s effectiveness plan.” 
- Ian Jones, Principal of Milton District High School, Milton, Ontario. (Named as one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals by the Canadian Association of Principals.)

“My experience in Israel and at Yad Vashem was unique and exceptional. It was sometimes hard and moving, but this only strengthened my conviction that working in Holocaust education is significant and vital…”
- Melanie Roy, Teacher at Collège de Rosemont, Montreal, Quebec

“As a consequence of this seminar and experience, I will be expanding Shoah education in my department as a whole, developing grade level lessons, using Yad Vashem International School lesson materials, and providing my teachers with workshops.”
- Dale R. Martelli, M.A., Social Studies Department Head, Vancouver Technical Secondary School

“The International Seminar supported my teaching efforts to help young people understand themselves as current and future citizens with social responsibilities.”
- Dr. Steven Van Zoost, Teacher at Avon View High School, Windsor, Nova Scotia

“Words cannot explain the experiences and emotions I walked away wtih.  Every year in school, I constantly refer to my experiences and share my knowledge with my students in rich and meaningful ways.  This experience has only reinforced why we must teach this crucial time period as educators to future generations.”
- Joleen Bell, Teacher at Roberts Andrews School, Winnipeg, Manitoba