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AMERICAN & INTERNATIONAL SOCIETIES FOR YAD VASHEM Vol. 43-No. 4 ISSN 0892-1571 March/April 2017 - Adar/Nissan 5777 DOCUMENTATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND HEROISM: LEARNING FROM THE PAST TO ENHANCE THE FUTURE Barbara Gutfreund Arfa Professional Development Conference on Holocaust Education he Education Department of the Holocaust, a tragic chapter in human about the creation of this program and claims. T American Society for Yad history, will not repeat itself. This con- the establishment of the Barbara President Eisenhower’s ability to Vashem and its Young Leadership ference, organized by Dr. Marlene W. Gutfreund Arfa Endowment Fund for foresee the era of Holocaust denial, Associates held its nineteenth annual Yahalom, director of education of the Holocaust Education in memory of and thereby plant the seeds to ulti- professional development conference American Society, has proven to be a her mother, Barbara Gutfreund Arfa, mately meet the challenges present- on Holocaust education on March 19, strong vehicle to promote the mission z”l. Marlene W. Yahalom, PhD, ed by these false claims, is a testa- 2017. This year’s program was gen- of Holocaust remembrance and mem- Director of Education of the American ment to his sharp understanding that erously supported by the by ordering the creation of this Barbara Gutfreund Arfa visual evidence, his actions Endowment Fund for would shape the course of Holocaust Education. Holocaust memory and the con- This program is a collabora- duct of future leaders. By creat- tive effort with the Association ing evidence, President of Teachers of Social Studies Eisenhower ensured that the of the United Federation of behavior of future leaders would Teachers, the Educators’ be accountable. Chapter of the UFT Jewish Mary Eisenhower, grand- Heritage Committee, and the daughter of President Dwight D. School of Education of Eisenhower, and CEO of Manhattanville College. People to People International, Participants in this year’s pro- was our keynote speaker this gram, which included educa- year. She spoke about the tors from all five boroughs of importance of ethics and New York City and from the responsibility, and the role of tri-state area, received in- documentation and the obliga- service credit for completing tion to accurately document the the conference. The program Holocaust so that the informa- also included a display of the tion taught is verified, authenti- educational unit developed by cated and recorded for present the International School of and future generations. She Holocaust Studies, “The emphasized that the lessons of Legend of the Lodz Ghetto the Holocaust need to be Children.” This educational (left to right) Mary Eisenhower, keynote speaker, Caroline Massel, Executive Board member; and David Silberklang, sen- mandatory education for stu- resource, along with our array ior historian at Yad Vashem. dents, to enable them to be of Traveling Exhibitions, is available ory through education over the years. Society, spoke about the importance proactive in their lives to be a part of to schools to enrich their educational The conference was created by of this program in its efforts to raise the effort to ensure this part of history programs on the Holocaust. Caroline Arfa Massel, Founding Chair Holocaust awareness through educa- does not repeat itself. Dr. David Through teaching we warn about of the Young Leadership Associates tion, and acknowledged the heroism Silberklang, senior historian at Yad the consequences of extreme and of the American Society and and foresight of President Dwight D. Vashem, shared his remarks on the baseless hatred and prejudice. We Executive Board member of the Eisenhower in documenting and ver- topic of “Does War Have a Moral educate to promote tolerance, in the American Society, in 1999. ifying the atrocities he saw in his visit Compass: Reflections on Allied hope that through our efforts, future Caroline Massel opened the pro- to Ohrdruf. Responses to the Shoah.” generations will make sure that the gram with very poignant remarks n April of 1945, then General Dr. Yahalom presented a workshop IEisenhower toured Ohrdruf —a to participants on the role of postage subcamp of the Buchenwald concen- stamps in documenting the tration camp. It was as result of this Holocaust, and provided teaching IN THIS ISSUE difficult visit that President strategies to introduce students to The Holocaust’s great escape........................................................................3 Eisenhower ordered army photogra- learn about the Holocaust, and pre- The clandestine history of the Kovno Jewish ghetto police........................4 phers and filmmakers, members of serving its memory through postage Treasure in a suitcase.....................................................................................5 the news media and legislators to cre- stamps. Researchers uncover vast numbers of unknown Nazi killing fields...........6 ate visual evidence of the atrocities ur program and theme this year, On the run from the Nazis...............................................................................8 that his visit revealed to the world. His ODocumentation, Accountability Global initiatives virtually commemorate the Holocaust.............................9 thinking was that if ever in the future and Heroism: Learning from the Past Diaries of a Nazi monster..............................................................................10 there should develop a tendency to to Enhance the Future – Role Models Love letters of the Holocaust........................................................................11 call this “propaganda,” then this visu- for our Children, represents an oppor- The true story of the zookeeper who hid Jews............................................15 al evidence, supported by affidavits, tunity to reflect on our obligations to ASYV Annual Spring Luncheon...................................................................16 would meet the challenges of those (Continued on page 2) Page 2 MARTYRDOM & RESISTANCE March/April 2017 - Adar/Nissan 5777 DOCUMENTATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND HEROISM: LEARNING FROM THE PAST TO ENHANCE THE FUTURE (Continued from page 1) programs for studying the Holocaust but also to offer connections between complexity, horror, content and obli- honor the memory of Holocaust vic- to the public schools of New York this subject and other fields of study. gation of remembrance that this sub- tims, create and preserve the accu- City." In this way we hope to raise aware- ject presents. To meet these chal- rate record of the events of the This award also acknowledges that ness and make the information more lenges, we offer teachers connections Holocaust through education, and the ATSS/UFT commends the relevant to students. As educators we between this event and contemporary sustain this education in a post- American Society for implementing are aware how the events of the issues. In this way, we hope to raise Holocaust world. We also recognize best educational practices in using Holocaust include a wide array of awareness and make the information the need to understand the founda- documents, inquiry, and critical think- challenges to teachers and students more meaningful and relevant to our tion laid by the events of the ing and action in studying the because of their complexity, horror, students.” Holocaust that underscore the impor- Holocaust. content and obligation to remember She also acknowledged the inspira- tance of these themes. In her remarks to participants, Dr. that the subject presents.” tional leadership of Leonard Wilf, chair- She added that “our own man of the American Society, and how awareness of Holocaust “through programs such as the confer- survivors should include ence, we can teach participants about the changing image of the many themes to consider in this Holocaust victims who sur- undertaking: the multifaceted contours vived and who perished. of human behavior, the dangers of For those who perished, we extreme and baseless hatred, the role need to consider how they of the Holocaust in public memory, the want to be remembered. lives of the heroes and the victims, and For those who survived, we the overarching challenge to make should realize how they sure neither group is forgotten.” have been transformed She concluded, “Our responsibility from victims to heroes. as educators includes that we teach They are our eyewitnesses our students the meaning of accurate- to history, and their resist- ly recording historical events as a way ance efforts are symbols of to honor the memory of the victims. the strength and of the This process calls for the need to resilience of the human explore and introduce to our students spirit.” how historical events may be present- r. Yahalom told the ed and re-presented over time. It is Dparticipants that “as exactly during this transformation of educators, by sharing the facts that we need to sustain the responsibility of teaching accuracy of the information. Participants at the 2017 Arfa conference. the lessons of this event to “President Eisenhower’s unusual The workshop topics complemented Yahalom spoke about the “importance future generations, you make a posi- foresight and sense of history laid the the theme of the program: “Teaching of empowering educators to transmit tive and meaningful contribution to foundation for establishing evidence Social Justice through Survivor the lessons of the Holocaust to their Holocaust education and remem- for the future to ensure history is Testimonies;”